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This annual compendium of the nation’s retailers is a ranking of the industry’s largest companies according to sales. Still, it’s the stories behind the numbers — the newly minted winners and the radical thinkers — who power these numbers and shape the future of retail. Walmart tops the list; it has held the No. 1 spot for decades, yet a quick glance at the companies within arm’s length suggests the game is just getting started. Explore the complete list below.
Rank | Company | 2016 retail sales (000) | Headquarters/U.S. Headquarters | 2016 stores | USA sales growth ('16 v '15) | Worldwide retail sales (000) | USA % of worldwide sales | Growth ('16 v '15) | Expand all |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wal-Mart Stores | $362,815,000 | Bentonville, Ark. | 5284 | 2.70% | $485,873,000 | 75% | 2% | |
2 | The Kroger Co. | $110,215,000 | Cincinnati | 3825 | 6.10% | $110,215,000 | 100% | 2% | |
3 | Costco | $85,778,000 | Issaquah, Wash. | 497 | 2.70% | $118,767,000 | 72% | 4% | |
4 | The Home Depot | $85,086,000 | Atlanta | 1965 | 7.30% | $94,774,000 | 90% | 0% | |
5 | CVS Caremark | $81,482,000 | Woonsocket, R.I. | 9769 | 13.00% | $82,800,000 | 98% | 1% | |
6 | Walgreens Boots Alliance | $79,283,000 | Deerfield, Ill. | 8053 | 3.50% | $95,544,000 | 83% | 0% | |
7 | Amazon.com | $77,024,000 | Seattle | 3 | 24.60% | $128,526,000 | 60% | 200% | |
8 | Target | $69,495,000 | Minneapolis | 1802 | -5.90% | $69,495,000 | 100% | 1% | |
9 | Lowe's Companies | $60,409,000 | Mooresville, N.C. | 1831 | 5.00% | $66,556,000 | 91% | 1% | |
10 | Albertsons Companies | $58,696,000 | Boise, Idaho | 2392 | 0.10% | $58,696,000 | 100% | 4% | |
11 | Royal Ahold Delhaize USA | $44,153,000 | Carlisle, Pa. | 1990 | 0.00% | $78,542,000 | 56% | -4% | |
12 | McDonald's | $36,389,000 | Oak Brook, Ill. | 14155 | 1.50% | $85,002,000 | 43% | -1% | |
13 | Apple Stores / iTunes | $35,899,000 | Cupertino, Calif. | 270 | 2.70% | $41,940,000 | 86% | 1% | |
14 | Best Buy | $34,605,000 | Richfield, Minn. | 1360 | -1.60% | $39,402,000 | 88% | -4% | |
15 | Publix Super Markets | $33,376,000 | Lakeland, Fla. | 1348 | 3.10% | $33,376,000 | 100% | 3% | |
16 | Rite Aid | $26,817,000 | Camp Hill, Pa. | 4536 | -0.20% | $26,817,000 | 100% | -1% | |
17 | Macy's | $25,700,000 | Cincinnati | 825 | -4.80% | $25,778,000 | 100% | -5% | |
18 | TJX Companies | $25,367,000 | Framingham, Mass. | 2777 | 7.70% | $33,270,000 | 76% | 4% | |
19 | Aldi | $23,491,000 | Batavia, Ill. | 2084 | 9.60% | $104,077,000 | 23% | 7% | |
20 | Dollar General | $21,987,000 | Goodlettsville, Tenn. | 13322 | 8.50% | $21,987,000 | 100% | 7% | |
21 | H-E-B Grocery | $21,145,000 | San Antonio, Texas | 321 | 3.10% | $22,507,000 | 94% | 3% | |
22 | Dollar Tree | $20,449,000 | Chesapeake, Va. | 14108 | 1.90% | $20,713,000 | 99% | 4% | |
23 | Sears Holdings | $19,200,000 | Hoffman Estates, Ill. | 1370 | -13.20% | $20,037,000 | 96% | -15% | |
24 | Kohl's | $18,752,000 | Menomonee Falls, Wis. | 1169 | -2.40% | $18,752,000 | 100% | 0% | |
25 | Verizon Wireless | $17,515,000 | New York | 6839 | 3.50% | $17,515,000 | 100% | -4% | |
26 | Meijer | $16,711,000 | Grand Rapids, Mich. | 231 | 4.00% | $16,711,000 | 100% | 4% | |
27 | Wakefern / ShopRite | $16,000,000 | Keasbey, N.J. | 353 | 1.90% | $16,000,000 | 100% | 5% | |
28 | Ace Hardware | $15,833,000 | Oak Brook, Ill. | 4363 | 4.80% | $16,774,000 | 94% | 1% | |
29 | Starbucks | $15,775,000 | Seattle | 13172 | 11.70% | $21,316,000 | 74% | 5% | |
30 | Whole Foods Market | $15,011,000 | Austin, Texas | 432 | 1.50% | $15,649,000 | 96% | 5% | |
31 | 7-Eleven | $14,323,000 | Dallas | 8256 | 4.70% | $96,836,000 | 15% | 2% | |
32 | Nordstrom | $14,265,000 | Seattle | 336 | 1.70% | $14,562,000 | 98% | 7% | |
33 | Subway | $13,945,000 | Milford, Conn. | 26932 | 0.30% | $28,090,000 | 50% | -2% | |
34 | AT&T Wireless | $13,435,000 | Dallas | 2004 | -3.10% | $13,435,000 | 100% | -5% | |
35 | Ross Stores | $12,864,000 | Pleasanton, Calif. | 1532 | 7.80% | $12,874,000 | 100% | 6% | |
36 | BJ's Wholesale Club | $12,502,000 | Westborough, Mass. | 214 | -2.20% | $12,502,000 | 100% | 1% | |
37 | J.C. Penney Co. | $12,471,000 | Plano, Texas | 1006 | -0.60% | $12,547,000 | 99% | -1% | |
38 | Gap | $12,373,000 | San Francisco | 2387 | -1.80% | $16,146,000 | 77% | -1% | |
39 | Bed Bath & Beyond | $12,008,000 | Union, N.J. | 1490 | 0.70% | $12,216,000 | 98% | 1% | |
40 | SUPERVALU | $11,526,000 | Eden Prairie, Minn. | 1588 | -1.00% | $11,526,000 | 100% | 0% | |
41 | L Brands | $11,361,000 | Columbus, Ohio | 2755 | 3.60% | $12,173,000 | 93% | 1% | |
42 | Burger King Worldwide | $10,702,000 | Miami | 8121 | 3.50% | $26,819,000 | 40% | 4% | |
43 | Menard | $10,659,000 | Eau Claire, Wis. | 305 | 4.30% | $10,659,000 | 100% | 4% | |
44 | BI-LO | $10,612,000 | Jacksonville, Fla. | 731 | -1.40% | $10,612,000 | 100% | -3% | |
45 | Health Mart Systems | $9,950,000 | Omaha, Neb. | 4745 | 2.10% | $15,966,000 | 62% | 3% | |
46 | YUM! Brands | $9,432,000 | Louisville, Ky. | 17504 | -51.30% | $31,708,000 | 30% | 1% | |
47 | Hy-Vee | $9,239,000 | West Des Moines, Iowa | 242 | 4.30% | $9,239,000 | 100% | 0% | |
48 | Good Neighbor Pharmacy | $9,207,000 | Chesterbrook, Pa. | 2753 | 4.20% | $9,207,000 | 100% | -6% | |
49 | Giant Eagle | $9,042,000 | O'Hara Township, Pa. | 424 | 1.50% | $9,042,000 | 100% | -1% | |
50 | Wendy's | $8,975,000 | Dublin, Ohio | 5739 | 0.30% | $10,208,000 | 88% | 0% | |
51 | AutoZone | $8,859,000 | Memphis, Tenn. | 5231 | 4.40% | $10,261,000 | 86% | 3% | |
52 | Dunkin' Brands Group | $8,830,000 | Canton, Mass. | 11366 | 7.60% | $10,857,000 | 81% | 4% | |
53 | O'Reilly Auto Parts | $8,593,000 | Springfield, Mo. | 4829 | 7.90% | $8,593,000 | 100% | 6% | |
54 | Wegmans Food Market | $8,299,000 | Rochester, N.Y. | 92 | 5.10% | $8,299,000 | 100% | 3% | |
55 | Staples | $8,275,000 | Framingham, Mass. | 1255 | -6.10% | $11,389,000 | 73% | -4% | |
56 | Army / Air Force Exchange | $8,076,000 | Dallas | 1030 | 2.00% | $8,076,000 | 100% | -6% | |
57 | Dick's Sporting Goods | $7,922,000 | Coraopolis, Pa. | 794 | 9.00% | $7,922,000 | 100% | 7% | |
58 | QVC | $7,667,000 | West Chester, Pa. | 0.60% | $10,229,000 | 75% | N.A. | ||
59 | Sherwin-Williams | $7,580,000 | Cleveland | 3889 | 8.10% | $8,122,000 | 93% | 2% | |
60 | Alimentation Couche-Tard | $7,420,000 | Tempe, Ariz. | 5251 | 1.40% | $11,071,000 | 67% | -2% | |
61 | Ascena Retail Group | $7,091,000 | Suffern, N.Y. | 4816 | 50.20% | $7,249,000 | 98% | 26% | |
62 | Toys "R" Us | $7,049,000 | Wayne, N.J. | 874 | -3.10% | $12,738,000 | 55% | -5% | |
63 | Office Depot | $6,996,000 | Boca Raton, Fla. | 1441 | -5.10% | $11,357,000 | 62% | -8% | |
64 | Darden Restaurants | $6,907,000 | Orlando, Fla. | 1538 | 2.50% | $6,934,000 | 100% | 1% | |
65 | DineEquity | $6,879,000 | Glendale, Calif. | 3495 | -4.80% | $7,697,000 | 89% | 0% | |
66 | Ikea North American Svcs. | $6,789,000 | Conshohocken, Pa. | 43 | 6.60% | $48,197,000 | 14% | 8% | |
67 | Tractor Supply Co. | $6,780,000 | Brentwood, Tenn. | 1738 | 8.90% | $6,780,000 | 100% | 17% | |
68 | WinCo Foods | $6,676,000 | Boise, Idaho | 110 | 6.50% | $6,676,000 | 100% | 7% | |
69 | PetSmart | $6,484,000 | Phoenix | 1403 | 3.40% | $6,874,000 | 94% | 5% | |
70 | Chick-fil-A | $6,437,000 | Atlanta | 2112 | 4.90% | $6,437,000 | 100% | 6% | |
71 | Dillard's | $6,071,000 | Little Rock, Ark. | 293 | -5.00% | $6,071,000 | 100% | -1% | |
72 | Foot Locker | $5,852,000 | New York | 2288 | 5.00% | $8,044,000 | 73% | -1% | |
73 | GameStop | $5,518,000 | Grapevine, Texas | 3992 | -14.50% | $8,027,000 | 69% | -1% | |
74 | Burlington Coat Factory | $5,497,000 | Burlington, N.J. | 583 | 9.20% | $5,552,000 | 99% | 5% | |
75 | Signet Jewelers | $5,494,000 | Akron, Ohio | 2983 | -0.60% | $6,368,000 | 86% | 3% | |
76 | Domino's Pizza | $5,335,000 | Ann Arbor, Mich. | 5371 | 10.90% | $10,874,000 | 49% | 3% | |
77 | Defense Commissary Agency | $5,250,000 | Fort Lee, Va. | 238 | -4.50% | $5,250,000 | 100% | -1% | |
78 | Panera Bread Company | $5,242,000 | St. Louis | 2036 | 5.70% | $5,242,000 | 100% | 3% | |
79 | AVB Brandsource | $5,221,000 | Tustin, Calif. | 2933 | 2.40% | $5,394,000 | 97% | 1% | |
80 | Big Lots | $5,200,000 | Columbus, Ohio | 1432 | 0.20% | $5,200,000 | 100% | -1% | |
81 | Academy Sports + Outdoors | $5,133,000 | Katy, Texas | 227 | 13.70% | $5,133,000 | 100% | 9% | |
82 | Jack in the Box | $5,058,000 | San Diego | 2954 | 0.60% | $5,058,000 | 100% | 2% | |
83 | Speedway | $5,007,000 | Enon, Ohio | 2733 | -3.60% | $5,007,000 | 100% | -1% | |
84 | Saks Fifth Avenue / Lord & Taylor | $4,999,000 | New York | 198 | 2.90% | $12,890,000 | 39% | 12% | |
85 | Williams-Sonoma | $4,850,000 | San Francisco | 601 | 2.00% | $4,998,000 | 97% | 2% | |
86 | Neiman Marcus | $4,771,000 | Dallas | 91 | -4.10% | $4,950,000 | 96% | 0% | |
87 | Michaels Stores | $4,736,000 | Irving, Texas | 1234 | 5.70% | $5,197,000 | 91% | 4% | |
88 | True Value Co. | $4,665,000 | Chicago | 4392 | 3.70% | $4,710,000 | 99% | -2% | |
89 | Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance | $4,614,000 | Bolingbrook, Ill. | 974 | 24.20% | $4,614,000 | 100% | 11% | |
90 | Shell Oil Company | $4,526,000 | Houston | 4830 | -0.60% | $5,156,000 | 88% | -2% | |
91 | Sonic | $4,520,000 | Oklahoma City | 3557 | 3.50% | $4,520,000 | 100% | 1% | |
92 | Exxon Mobil Corporation | $4,518,000 | Irving, Texas | 3355 | 2.70% | $11,346,000 | 40% | -1% | |
93 | Belk | $4,209,000 | Charlotte, N.C. | 294 | 0.80% | $4,209,000 | 100% | -1% | |
94 | H&M | $4,113,000 | New York | 468 | 8.20% | $31,631,000 | 13% | 13% | |
95 | Advance Auto Parts | $4,080,000 | Roanoke, Va. | 4425 | -1.70% | $4,106,000 | 99% | 4% | |
96 | Sprouts Farmers Market | $4,046,000 | Phoenix | 253 | 12.60% | $4,046,000 | 100% | 17% | |
97 | Stater Bros. Holdings | $4,038,000 | San Bernardino, Calif. | 169 | 1.70% | $4,038,000 | 100% | 1% | |
98 | Petco Animal Supplies | $4,021,000 | San Diego | 1489 | 4.00% | $4,025,000 | 100% | 4% | |
99 | Save Mart Supermarkets | $3,871,000 | Modesto, Calif. | 206 | -1.90% | $3,871,000 | 100% | -9% | |
100 | CKE Restaurants | $3,861,000 | Carpinteria, Calif. | 3058 | 4.00% | $4,688,000 | 82% | 2% |
The Top 100 Retailers are ranked by 52/53-week annual retail sales. In almost all instances, sales used to rank companies are for retail activity in the United States only; footnotes are provided when this is not the case. To arrive at U.S. retail sales figures, a variety of estimation techniques are applied based on publicly dislosed information. For this reason, the figures presented do not always match the companies' official public filing reports.
Company revenues from non-retailing operating segments are removed unless otherwise noted; system-wide sales are provided when the operation is a franchise.
In keeping with the methodology used in previous years, the rankings eliminate fuel sales at locations designated as having a gasoline/fueling station as its primary business.
What constitutes a segment Power Player? Any retailer with 2016 U.S. sales equal to or greater than 10 percent of the sales of the category leader.