Labor and Benefits Expenses in Supermarkets

By Staff Report

Jan. 30, 2004

T he following charts from the Food Marketing Institute show:

The data comes from supermarkets in the United States, generally defined as retail food stores with at least $2 million in annual sales.

Store Labor Expense as a Percentage of Sales
	Median	25th Percentile	75th Percentile	Number Participating
All Stores	9.4%	8.7%	9.8%	1,518
Annual Sales
Under $10 million	—	—	—	2
$10.1 – $50 million	12.5	11.8	13.7	10
$50.1 – $100 million	12.4	10.4	13.5	17
$100.1 – $500 million	10.0	9.5	11.4	194
$500.1 million – $1 billion	10.9	9.4	10.9	306
$1.1 – $5 billion	8.7	5.9	9.1	500
Over $5 billion	9.8	4.9	9.8	489
Number of Stores Operated
1 Store	—	—	—	0
2 – 10 Stores	11.4	10.2	12.4	49
11 – 100 Stores	10.2	9.1	10.9	566
101+ Stores	9.3	5.9	9.8	903
Independents (1 – 10 stores)	11.4	10.2	12.4	49
Chains (11+ stores)	9.4	8.7	9.8	1,469
Average Weekly Sales per Store
Under $100,000	—	—	—	2
$100,000 – $199,999	13.5	10.4	13.5	18
$200,000 – $299,999	10.0	9.1	10.9	278
$300,000 – $399,999	8.7	5.9	8.7	437
$400,000 and Over	9.8	9.3	9.8	783
Store Format
Conventional	11.2	10.0	11.5	1,072
Superstore	9.5	9.1	10.8	1,325
Combination Store	8.9	4.6	11.1	376
Warehouse Store	9.6	0.1	9.6	131
Limited Assortment Store	6.0	5.8	6.0	77
Note: Individual company data weighted by number of stores it represents. (–) Data for questions answered by three or less companies were deleted to ensure anonymity.

Store Employee Benefits as a Percentage of Sales
	Median	25th Percentile	75th Percentile	Number Participating
All Stores	3.4%	2.7%	4.4%	1,518
Annual Sales
Under $10 million	—	—	—	2
$10.1 – $50 million	2.0	2.0	3.5	10
$50.1 – $100 million	4.5	3.3	4.7	17
$100.1 – $500 million	3.9	3.3	4.4	194
$500.1 million	2.9	2.6	3.8	306
$1.1 – $5 billion	3.4	2.9	3.4	500
Over $5 billion	4.4	1.9	4.4	489
Number of Stores Operated
1 Store	—	—	—	0
2 – 10 Stores	4.3	3.3	4.5	49
11 – 100 Stores	2.9	1.7	3.9	566
101+ Stores	4.0	2.9	4.4	903
Independents (1 – 10 stores)	4.3	3.3	4.5	49
Chains (11+ stores)	3.4	2.7	4.4	1,469
Average Weekly Sales per Store
Under $100,000	—	—	—	2
$100,000 – $199,999	3.3	3.3	4.5	18
$200,000 – $299,999	2.9	1.7	3.7	278
$300,000 – $399,999	2.9	2.6	3.4	437
$400,000 and Over	4.1	3.9	4.4	783
Store Format
Conventional	4.1	2.9	4.9	923
Superstore	3.4	2.0	4.3	1,325
Combination Store	3.8	3.1	3.8	376
Warehouse Store	1.8	1.8	2.6	280
Limited Assortment	1.8	1.2	1.8	77
Note: Individual company data weighted by number of stores it represents. (–) Data for questions answered by three or less companies were deleted to ensure anonymity.

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