Regional chains like H-E-B and Wegmans are among the best grocery stores in America, according to shoppers

Shoshy Ciment/Business Insider

Trader Joe's, the favorite grocer for the previous two years, was replaced by H-E-B.

• H-E-B is a regional grocer with over 400 stores in Texas and Mexico.
• It was just rated the top US grocer for the first time in a report from data science firm Dunnhumby, up from fourth place last year.
• Other regional grocers like Market Basket and Wegmans earned top slots on the list of 14 stores.
• Sign up for Business Insider's retail newsletter, The Drive-Thru.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Regional grocers are having a moment.

For the first time on Wednesday, H-E-B - a regional grocer with over 400 stores in Texas and Mexico - was rated the top US grocer in a report from data science firm Dunnhumby.

The San-Antonio based grocer rose from its fourth-place ranking last year and beat out grocers like Trader Joe's, Walmart, and Costco. The report noted that Trader Joe's was the highest-ranking US grocer for the last two years.

Dunnhumby's Retailer Preference Index (RPI) ranked grocers according to their performance in seven categories: price, quality, digital, operations, convenience, discounts and rewards, and speed. The report evaluated 60 US retailers according to how 7,500 US consumers responded to questions related to these categories, and published the top 14.

"One of the most important findings is that leading traditional regional grocers are experiencing a resurgence in customer preference, by winning with relevance and convenience," Jose Gomes, president of North America for Dunnhumby, said in the published report.

In addition to H-E-B, other regional grocers like Wegmans and Market Basket earned top spots on the list.

Here are the top 14 grocery stores, according to the report: