Amazon’s recent announcement of the Whole Foods acquisition sent a shiver thru the retail industry. We have read any number of articles over the past few years about the death of retail as some traditional retailers (Sears is the oft mentioned example) as internet shopping initiatives have grown by leaps and bounds. Not only do we have big revenue growth from Amazon and Alibaba but continuing innovation from the traditional players like Wal-Mart and Target are changing the operating landscape.
Through all the change (and there will be much more ahead) the retail portion of the global economy continues to roll along. Look at the chart below. In our Global 5000 database we have 419 companies in the Retail & Wholesale Trade industry group. The chart is an index showing the combined revenue growth per year starting in 2006 compared to the total Global 5000 market. The story here is not that retail is on the ropes as some would suggest – rather it is changing and morphing with new technology options and combinations like the Amazon / Whole Foods.
It is probably a safe bet that there will be other combinations as these markets play in the shifting sand. Here is a list of the top 50 global retail/wholesalers that bear watching.
| Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. |
| CVS Caremark Corporation |
| Amazon.com |
| Costco Wholesale Corporation |
| Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. |
| Kroger Company |
| Lidl Stiftung & Co |
| Home Depot, Inc. |
| Carrefour |
| Aldi (ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG) |
| AEON Co Ltd |
| Tesco plc |
| Target Corporation |
| Lowe’s Companies, Inc. |
| Metro AG |
| E.Leclerc SA |
| REWE Group |
| Albertsons LLC |
| Groupe Auchan |
| Finatis SA |
| Les Mousquetaires |
| Sysco Corporation |
| Woolworths Ltd |
| Royal Ahold |
| Foncière Euris |
| Seven & I Holdings |
| Casino Guichard-Perrachon |
| Best Buy Co, Inc. |
| Jardine Matheson |
| Spar International |
| J. Sainsbury |
| IKEA Systems B.V. |
| George Weston Limited |
| Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. |
| Publix Super Markets |
| TJX Companies, Inc. |
| Edeka Zentrale |
| C&S Wholesale Grocers |
| Rite Aid Corporation |
| JD.com |
| Migros Group |
| Wal-Mart de Mexico (Walmex) |
| Delhaize Group |
| Bailian Group |
| Coop Group |
| Macy’s, Inc. |
| Lotte Shopping |
| Rajesh Exports |
| Reyes Holdings |
| William Morrison Supermarkets |
| Systeme U Centrale Nationale S.A. |
| Mercadona SA |
| HE Butt Grocery |
| US Foods |
| Pilot Flying J |
| H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB |
| Sears Holdings Corporation |
| Dollar General Corporation |
| AutoNation, Inc. |
| Suning Commerce Group |
| Wolseley Plc |
| Dollar Tree Stores |
| Companhia Brasileira de Distribuicao (CBD) |
| Penske Automotive Group |
| Groupe Adeo |
| Kohl’s Corporation |
| Staples, Inc. |
| Cumberland Farms Group |
| Performance Food Group |
| Wakefern Food Corporation |
| Whole Foods Market |
| Gap, Inc. |
| Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. |
| Genuine Parts Company |