The annual list of World’s Largest Retail Chains always contains all of the biggest and most recognized American retailers. But even though the U.S. is considered to be the dominant country in the global retail industry, the 2015 list of Largest U.S. Retail Chains is shorter, compared to the 2014 Largest U.S. Retail Chains list. With 12 U.S. retail chains falling off, and just four new qualified additions, the 2015 World’s Largest U.S. Retail Chains list is a little less U.S. dominant.
Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Home Depot and Target remain the leaders of the U.S. retail industry. Overall, 76 of the 250 retail chains with the largest annual revenue in the world are American retailers. That means that 30% of the global retail chains that qualified for the 2015 Word’s Largest Retail Chains list are based in the U.S. That’s down from 33% from the 2014 global retail revenue rankings.
All of this is according to the 2015 Global Powers of Retailing report, which is published each year by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and STORES Magazine. The 2015 Global Powers list includes privately-held U.S. retail companies as well as U.S. government-run military retail organizations, which will make it significantly different from the 2015 Fortune 500 list. Also, the 2015 Global Powers of Retailing report is based on 2013 revenue figures, so it lags behind and is a little less relevant to those interested in the U.S. retail industry than the annual Retail Fortune 500 rankings.
What the annual Global Powers reports do provide, however, is a global ranking number which provides a comparative perspective on retailing trends worldwide. While the global ranking of the largest retail chains in the world usually remains relatively unchanged from year to year, there were big shifts in the rankings of the 2015 World’s Largest Retailers on the Global Powers list.
None of the most dramatic year-over-year changes for U.S. retailers on the 2015 Global Powers list will be surprising to anyone who closely followed the U.S. retail industry in the 2013 calendar year. But the value of the Global Powers list each year is in having an easy reference which reveals how changes in the U.S. retail industry compare to changes with retail industries in countries around the world.
Significant Changes Between the 2014 and 2015 Global Powers Reports
- Costco became the second largest retail chain in the world. Although the annual revenue of the #1 Walmart retail chain is still four times higher than Costco’s annual revenue, having U.S. retail chains in the top two positions is historically significant.
- Albertson’s made a meteoric rise from #240 on the 2014 list to #43 on the 2015 list after the acquisition of 870 stores caused the chain to grow 489.7%.
- The largest U.S. convenience store chains - Sheetz, the Pantry, Casey’s General, Wawa, QuikTrip, and RaceTrac - fell off the list of largest U.S. retail chains. This was not because of revenue drops, but because the Global Powers list makers determined that retail operations which derive a majority of retail revenue from fuel would not be included on the 2015 list, which is a reversal of its 2014 parameters and methodology.
- Radio Shack and Dell didn’t qualify for the 2015 largest U.S. retailer list, which is a reflection of nothing more than a struggle with maintaining retail relevance and a shrinking customer base.
This is a list of the 2015 Top 100 U.S. based retail companies included on the World’s Largest Retailers list published each year by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and STORES Magazine. This list of the largest U.S. retail chains is arranged according to the ranking each of the biggest and best U.S. retail companies received on the 2014 Global Powers of Retailing report, which is based on retail sales revenue for FY 2013.
The number in the left column is the global ranking number assigned to the company, compared to the 250 largest retail chains and companies worldwide. Investigate to learn more about the news, jobs, and retailing information for each of these Top 100 U.S. based retail companies.
2015 Top 100 Largest U.S. Based Retail Companies on World’s Largest Retailers List
1 Wal-Mart
- Complete Wal-Mart Research Index
2 Costco
- Complete Research Index for Costco
- Investors Information for Costco (COST)
- Costco Jobs and Careers
- Costco Retail Website
6 The Kroger Company
- Kroger Jobs and Careers
- Kroger Stores Retail Website
9 Home Depot
- Complete Research Index for Home Depot
10 Target
- Complete Research Index for Target
11 Walgreens
12 CVS Caremark
20 Lowe’s
- Investors Information for Lowe’s (LOW)
25 Best Buy
- Best Buy Jobs and Careers
29 Sears Holdings
- Complete Sears Research Index
- Investors Information for Sears Holdings (SHLD)
30 Safeway
- Safeway Jobs and Careers
34 Macy’s
- Investors Information for Macy’s (M)
- Macy’s Jobs and Careers
36 TJX
37 Rite Aid
43 Albertson’s
- Albertson’s Jobs and Careers
- Albertson’s Retail Website
45 H.E. Butt Grocery Company
- H-E-B Jobs and Careers
- H-E-B Stores Retail Website
46 Apple Retail
51 Kohl’s
- Kohl’s Jobs and Careers
56 Dollar General
- Complete Dollar General Research Index
61 The Gap
- Investors Information for Gap Inc. (GPS)
- The Gap Jobs and Careers
64 Meijer
- Meijer Jobs and Careers
- Meijer Stores Retail Website
73 Whole Foods Market
- Whole Foods Jobs and Careers
- Whole Foods Retail Website
77 Toys ‘R Us
- Investors Information for Toys ‘R Us
- Toys ‘R Us Jobs and Careers
80 Nordstrom
- Investors Information for Nordstrom (JWN)
76 Staples
82 JCPenney
90 Bed Bath and Beyond
- Investors Information for Bed Bath and Beyond (BBBY)
93 L Brands (Limited Brands)
- Investors Information for Limited Brands (LTD)
- The Limited Jobs and Careers
96 Family Dollar
- Investors Information for Family Dollar (FDO)
- Family Dollar Jobs and Careers
- Family Dollar Stores Retail Website
99 Liberty Interactive Corporation (QVC)
100 Ross Stores
- Investors Information for Ross Stores (ROST)
- Ross Stores Jobs and Careers
- Ross Dress for Less Stores Retail Website
106 Giant Eagle
- Giant Eagle Jobs and Careers
- Giant Eagle Stores Retail Website
110 Menard, Inc.
- Menards Jobs and Careers
- Menards Stores Retail Website
114 AutoZone
- Investors Information for AutoZone (AZO)
- AutoZone Jobs and Careers
115 GameStop
- Investors Information for GameStop (GME)
118 SuperValu
- Investors Information for SuperValu (SVU)
- SuperValu Jobs and Careers
- SuperValu Stores Retail Website
126 Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES)
- AAFES Jobs and Careers
- AAFES Stores Retail Website
130 Hy-Vee
- Hy-Vee Jobs and Careers
- Hy-Vee Consumer Website
133 Dollar Tree
139 Wegmans Food Markets
- Wegmans Jobs and Careers
- Wegmans Consumer Website
140 PetSmart
- PetSmart Jobs and Careers
- PetSmart Stores Retail Website
145 O’Reilly Automotive
- Investors Information for O’Reilly Automotive Inc. (ORLY)
- O’Reilly Automotive Jobs and Careers
- O’Reilly Auto Parts Retail Website
146 Dillard’s
147 Foot Locker
- Investors Information for Foot Locker (FL)
- Foot Locker Jobs and Careers
154 Advance Auto Parts
- Investors Information for Advance Auto Parts (AAP)
- Advance Auto Parts Jobs and Careers
158 Office Depot
- Office Depot Jobs and Careers
159 Sherwin-Williams
- Investors Information for Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
- Sherwin-Williams Jobs and Careers
- Sherwin-Williams Retail Website
160 Defense Commissary Agency (DECA)
- DECA Jobs and Careers
- DECA Stores Retail Website
161 The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company
- Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Consumer Website
165 WinCo Foods
- WinCo Foods Jobs and Careers
- WinCo Foods Consumer Website
171 Big Lots
175 Tractor Supply Company
- Tractor Supply Company Jobs and Careers
191 Harris Teeter (Ruddick Co.)
- Ruddick Corp. / Harris Teeter Jobs and Careers
- Ruddick Corp. / Harris Teeter Retail Website
193 Neiman Marcus
- Neiman Marcus Company Research Index
- Investors Information for Neiman Marcus (NMGA)
- Neiman Marcus Jobs and Careers
