Walmart, Kroger Lead Top 10 in Retail Sales Ranking
The nation's top retailers managed to hold on to their coveted spots even in the troublesome economy. But a new group of companies is sneaking onto the playing field, according to an annual ranking of retailers by sales from STORES Magazine.
Remaining unchanged from last year, the world's largest retailer, Walmart (No. 1), and the country's largest grocery chain, Kroger (No. 2), claimed the top two spots. Walmart's low prices were the perfect match for consumers' lightened budgets last year, and Kroger now has more than 3,600 establishments nationwide, the most of any other U.S. grocery chain.
"Transformational changes," cited by CEO Gregg Steinhafel, are lifting traffic and sales at Target (No. 3), which climbed from No.5 last year. Walgreens (No. 4), which now boasts a presence in all 50 states, also jumped two places. The Home Depot rounds out the No. 5 spot with Costco following at No. 6.
Spots seven through 10 mirror the rankings from last year's Top 100 list, proving the shaky economy couldn't budge the well-known brands of CVS Caremark (No. 7), Lowe's (No. 8), Sears Holdings (No. 9) and Best Buy (No. 10).
"Every economic downturn creates new opportunities for companies to put their best foot forward," says Susan Reda, editor, STORES Media. "What's most notable however, is the fact that the majority of America's biggest brands managed to hold on to their top spots on the list, even with consumer confidence and discretionary spending both taking a hit the last few years."
The STORES Top 100 Retailers, featured in the July issue of STORES Magazine, are ranked by U.S. retail sales, rather than overall corporate revenues. Additional changes include the elimination (in most instances) of gasoline/fueling stations and other non-retail sales. This year's Top 100 Retailers list was compiled and analyzed by Kantar Retail. View the complete article or download the complete Top 100 Retailers Report.
Remaining unchanged from last year, the world's largest retailer, Walmart (No. 1), and the country's largest grocery chain, Kroger (No. 2), claimed the top two spots. Walmart's low prices were the perfect match for consumers' lightened budgets last year, and Kroger now has more than 3,600 establishments nationwide, the most of any other U.S. grocery chain.
"Transformational changes," cited by CEO Gregg Steinhafel, are lifting traffic and sales at Target (No. 3), which climbed from No.5 last year. Walgreens (No. 4), which now boasts a presence in all 50 states, also jumped two places. The Home Depot rounds out the No. 5 spot with Costco following at No. 6.
Spots seven through 10 mirror the rankings from last year's Top 100 list, proving the shaky economy couldn't budge the well-known brands of CVS Caremark (No. 7), Lowe's (No. 8), Sears Holdings (No. 9) and Best Buy (No. 10).
"Every economic downturn creates new opportunities for companies to put their best foot forward," says Susan Reda, editor, STORES Media. "What's most notable however, is the fact that the majority of America's biggest brands managed to hold on to their top spots on the list, even with consumer confidence and discretionary spending both taking a hit the last few years."
The STORES Top 100 Retailers, featured in the July issue of STORES Magazine, are ranked by U.S. retail sales, rather than overall corporate revenues. Additional changes include the elimination (in most instances) of gasoline/fueling stations and other non-retail sales. This year's Top 100 Retailers list was compiled and analyzed by Kantar Retail. View the complete article or download the complete Top 100 Retailers Report.
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