- Walmart remains atop the NRF’s Top 100 Retailers list, which ranks the industry’s largest companies by U.S. sales. The retailer had U.S. sales of $568.7 billion, representing 7% growth.
- Amazon was the second-largest retailer with $273.7 billion in U.S. sales, representing 9% growth. Costco came in third with $183 billion, about 4% growth.
- Others in the Top 10 included Kroger, The Home Depot, CVS Health, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Target, Lowe’s and Albertsons. Though there were some moves within that list, many of the Top 10 remained the same as last year.
“I would say you could take last year’s list and just flip it over for 2025,” said David Marcotte, senior vice president of global retail and technology for Kantar, which compiled the list, in a statement.
Overall, however, some categories are seeing more strength (and weaknesses) than others. Drugstores, for instance, are not doing as well as had been expected prior to the COVID emergency. While CVS and Walgreens managed to remain in the Top Ten by diversifying their offerings and having generally large footprints. Rite Aid fell from number 29 on last year’s list to number 40 this year, with a 22% decline in sales.
Meanwhile, electronics buyers are holding onto their smartphones, televisions and other devices longer, leading to a longer use cycle and fewer trips to the store. Thus, Best Buy, the country’s largest electronics retailer, saw a 5% drop in U.S. sales (to $38.1 billion) and fell two places to number 18.
Discretionary spending on pets has also leveled off after spiking during the pandemic. PetSmart experienced only a 1% growth in retail sales, while Petco saw a 2% decline. (Online retailer Chewy, meanwhile, saw a 6% increase, suggesting some of the shift may be toward online shopping, particularly as both PetSmart and Petco also had declining store locations.)
