10. Aldi GmbH & Company oHG:
REVENUE (2008) - $58 BILLION
The German discount store is a world renowned company with influences extending further than simply its native roots. Although predominantly found in numerous locations around Europe; America and Australia also play host to the affordable grocery store.
www.aldi.com
9. Target:
REVENUE (2011) - $67,390
From clothing, to homeware, to electronics, Target has established itself as one of the world’s largest department stores. Its physical presence across the States’ cities has become a common sight, and customers can even make a day of it, with food outlets in-store too.
www.target.com
8. Home Depot:
REVENUE (2011) - $67,997 BILLION
The home improvement and construction store is not only a renowned megastore in the US, but has branches in Canada, Mexico and China. Similarly to Target, it’s the sheer American-style largeness of the store that keeps consumers flooding back.
www.homedepot.com
7. Costco Wholesale:
REVENUE (2011) - $77,946 BILLION
The third largest US retailer is another company who have branched out much further than just North America. East Asia, the UK and Australia can also reap the benefits of what the department store has to offer.
www.costco.com
6. Schwarz Unternehmens Treuhand KG:
REVENUE (2011) - $77.220 BILLION
The exclusively German discount store has managed to rely on its domestic pulling power across Germany’s big cities to fend off the influence of the American contingent. Its cheap prices and typically German efficiency has kept customers happy for decades.
www.schwartz.de/Unternehmen/Unternehmen
5. The Kroger Company:
REVENUE (2011) - $82,189 BILLION
Founded in 1883, the Kroger Company is the closest domestic contender to American giants Wal-Mart, boasting over 3,600 stores in the US. The supermarket chain is just as large in physical size as it has been in revenue and store numbers.
www.kroger.com
4. Metro AG:
REVENUE (2011) - $89,081 BILLION
Germany’s largest retailers have posts across Europe, as well as Asia and Africa, and join Schwarz and Aldi as the Central European country’s flagship stores. It caters for every need, ranging across groceries, electronics, homeware and fashion.
www.metorgroup.de
3. Tesco:
REVENUE (2011) - $94,185 BILLION
Britain’s only entrant is the infamous grocery supermarket, Tesco. Its profit margins actually sit second in the global statistics, while its influence remains global, across 14 countries, covering three continents. Its East Asian contingent is especially profitable alongside the UK’s stores.
www.tesco.com
2. Carrefour:
REVENUE (2011) - $120,297 BILLION
Even three years ago, the French powerhouse could boast 1,395 hypermarkets worldwide, and has as wide a reach as any other global franchise. Unlike many of its international rivals though, Carrefour has hit untouched markets in the Middle East and South America, confirming its overall dominant status.
www.carrefour.net
1. Walmart:
REVENUE (2011) – $421.849 BILLION
By a clear distance, Walmart can be proud to proclaim themselves as the world’s largest retailer. As officially the number one corporate business in terms of revenue, and the biggest private employer on the planet, the Arkansas headquartered cash and carry store is yet to be put under pressure by any rival – be it domestic or international.
Its growing popularity continues to sky-rocket out of the others’ sight, and it is the only retail brand to cast their shadow over every corner of the Earth, leaving no stone unturned, and no continent’s shopping baskets unfilled.
Its 8,500 stores across 15 countries, under various banners, have escalated the brand to incomprehensible heights not just in the retail industry, but in the business world as a whole. Walmart never forgets its roots though, and how could it? Two-thirds of the company’s total sales still generate from their domestic outlets.
www.walmart.com
