This ranking depicts the leading 100 American retailers in 2020, based on U.S. retail sales. In that year, Wal-Mart was the leading American retailer based on U.S. retail sales of about 430.8 billion U.S. dollars.
Wal-Mart was founded by Samuel Moore Walton (1918-1992) in 1962. Wal-Mart's headquarters is situated in Bentonville, Arkansas and operates worldwide under different names (such as Walmex in Mexico and Best Price in India).
Leading retailers in the United States
In this digital age, it seems remarkable that brick-and-mortar retailers have displayed such staying power when it comes to pushing goods through the consumer pipeline. In 2018, the major mass merchants in the top 100 generated sales of 608.5 billion U.S. dollars. In comparison, top 100 supermarkets were slightly stronger, averaging approximately 39.3 billion U.S. dollars in sales in 2018.
The retail industry is in the midst of a customer revolution. The collision of the virtual and physical worlds is fundamentally changing consumers' purchasing behaviors. Consumers are seeking an integrated shopping experience across all channels and expect retailers to deliver this experience. The key drivers of this customer revolution are the rapid adoption of mobile devices, digital media and tablets equipped with shopping apps. In fact, the number of smartphone users in the United States was 261.34 million in 2018 and was forecast to rise to 290.64 million by 2024.
The retail paradigm has shifted from a physical connection point with customers to a multi-pronged approach that crosses both physical and digital channels. The traditional bricks-and-mortar retail store is no longer the dominant medium for purchasing goods. Instead, it serves as one of many potential connection points between customers and a retailer's brand.
Today's consumer is increasingly connected to both the physical and digital space and able to interact with retailers through multiple channels simultaneously. To stay competitive in this ever-evolving landscape, it is imperative for retailers to deliver a seamless customer experience across all channels and provide the right services and products at the right time.
Leading 100 retailers in the United States in 2020, by U.S. retail sales
(in billion U.S. dollars)
All figures are estimates.
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. To arrive at U.S. retail sales figures, a variety of estimation techniques are applied based on publicly disclosed 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. The rankings eliminate fuel sales at locations designated as having a gasoline/fueling station as its primary business.
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National Retail Federation. (July 1, 2021). Leading 100 retailers in the United States in 2020, by U.S. retail sales (in billion U.S. dollars) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 05, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/195992/usa-retail-sales-of-the-top-retailers/
National Retail Federation. "Leading 100 retailers in the United States in 2020, by U.S. retail sales (in billion U.S. dollars)." Chart. July 1, 2021. Statista. Accessed July 05, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/195992/usa-retail-sales-of-the-top-retailers/
National Retail Federation. (2021). Leading 100 retailers in the United States in 2020, by U.S. retail sales (in billion U.S. dollars). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 05, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/195992/usa-retail-sales-of-the-top-retailers/
National Retail Federation. "Leading 100 Retailers in The United States in 2020, by U.S. Retail Sales (in Billion U.S. Dollars)." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Jul 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/195992/usa-retail-sales-of-the-top-retailers/
National Retail Federation, Leading 100 retailers in the United States in 2020, by U.S. retail sales (in billion U.S. dollars) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/195992/usa-retail-sales-of-the-top-retailers/ (last visited July 05, 2022)