The grocery sector continues to charge ahead, with major chains logging consistent weekly growth despite a relaxation of COVID-19 shutdown orders across the country.

A new report from Placer.ai notes that while grocery was a strong performer during the pandemic (thanks largely to its apt categorization as an essential retailer), the overall data picture is a bit more complex than first meets the eye. The big reason? Year-over-year analyses—typically incredibly useful tools to judge factors like seasonality and brand strength over time—don't tell the full story.  

The week beginning March 8, 2021, for example, shows grocery visits are down 28% year-over-year, according to Placer.ai analysis. And what's more, leading grocer Albertsons or Publix were down 34.6% and 20.3% respectively over the same period in 2020, marking the worst weekly year-over-year mark either has seen since Placer.ai began logging such data in 2017. But when you compare those numbers against performance during the same week in 2019, Albertsons is down just 0.3% and Publix is up 0.8. And this year, both chains are showing consistent week-over-week growth, according to Placer.ai data.