Levi Strauss and Whole Foods Market are among the companies recognised in Newsweek’s “Most Trustworthy Companies in America 2026” report, which highlights brands that perform strongly on consumer, employee and investor trust.
The annual ranking, produced in partnership with Statista, evaluated 700 companies across 23 industries. It draws on a survey of 25,000 U.S. respondents and more than 100,000 individual assessments, alongside analysis of online sentiment.
According to the report, trust continues to play a decisive role in consumer behaviour, shaping purchasing decisions, employee loyalty and investor confidence. Despite its importance, the study notes that many companies overestimate how much trust they actually command.
In the retail category, companies such as Costco, Amazon and The Home Depot ranked highly, alongside specialty and value-led players including Chewy and Tractor Supply Company.
The mix reflects a broader trend: retailers that combine price competitiveness with reliability and strong customer experience tend to outperform on trust metrics.
Within textiles, clothing and luxury goods, Levi Strauss led a group that included Nike, Under Armour and Ralph Lauren.
The category skews toward established brands with long-standing consumer relationships, suggesting that heritage and brand consistency continue to underpin trust.
Whole Foods Market topped the grocery and convenience store category, followed by retailers such as Kroger and Publix.
The rankings indicate that both premium positioning and strong private-label or value propositions can build trust, provided the brand delivers consistently on quality and experience.
The findings reinforce a familiar but often underleveraged reality: trust is not a soft metric, it has direct commercial implications.
Brands that sustain credibility across pricing, product quality and customer experience are better positioned to retain customers and defend market share, particularly in a more volatile consumer environment.
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