NORWALK, Conn. — Walmart and Kroger Co. finished in a virtual tie as the top retailer in the 2016 PoweRanking determined by consulting firm Kantar Retail LLC.

PepsiCo and Coca-Cola Co. were at the top of the rankings of manufacturers in this year’s survey.

Walmart has been atop the retailer rankings for more than a decade, noted Kantar, which launched the Pow­eRanking survey in the late 1990s with the aim of identifying the manufacturers and retailers viewed as best in class by their major trading partners and to provide insight into what distinguishes them across key areas of the manufacturer-retailer business relationship.

Kroger was the second-ranked retailer in last year’s Kantar Pow­eRanking survey, and it placed third in 2014.

“While Walmart’s long-standing dominance among U.S. retailers now has a formidable challenger, the supercenter chain continues to outrank all other retailers in the areas of clear strategy and supply chain management,” Kantar stated in releasing the results earlier this month.

Walmart was praised for having “consistent, clear, widespread strategies.”

A major factor in Kroger’s performance this year has been its ability to innovate and maximize the shopper experience by applying insights derived from both suppliers and Kroger’s own 84.51° shopper insights firm, Kantar pointed out.

Manufacturers voted Kroger No. 1 in the categories of “best retailer to do business with,” “best buying teams,” “most innovative merchandising” and “best practice category ­leadership.”

The survey reinforces the notion that “we are in an era of permanent transition and change,” commented Daniel Raynak, Kantar Retail’s executive vice president for strategy and development. “However, those organizations that have embraced the change in 2016 and took swift actions against big, relevant opportunities are beginning to see the return on the changes they have ­implemented.”