20 Largest Retailers in the World

Published on March 15, 2023 at 10:08 am by Ramish Cheema in Business, Lists

In this piece, we will take a look at the 20 largest retailers in the world. For more retailers, head on over to 5 Biggest Retailers in the World.

The retail industry is one of the largest sectors in the world, and one that has been disrupted by the internet and technology revolution. While traditionally retailers were limited to the brick and mortar operating model, the growth of the internet and the increasing use of smartphones and computers has forced them to place their operations online and created new areas such as last mile delivery.

Subsequently, some of the biggest retailing companies in the world are online retailers, with this fact holding true for none other than Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), whose massive success all over the world has made its founder Mr. Jeff Bezos one of the world’s richest men. Additionally, out of the myriad of industries out there, the retail sector is one of the most valuable since its value is often estimated not in billions but in trillions of dollars. For instance, a research report from The Business Research Company outlines that the global retail market was worth $23.65 trillion in 2021 and it will grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.3% to sit at $26.3 trillion by the end 2022. From then until 2026, the research firm believes that the industry will continue to grow at a 10.1% CAGR and be worth $38.71 trillion by the end of the forecast period.

Adding to this, business consulting firm McKinsey believes that retailers will have to transform their business operations if they want to stay ahead in today’s evolving environment. In a recent post, it shares that retail companies have to broaden their horizons to include new avenues such as omni-channel businesses, asset development such as logistics management, monetization of their ecosystems to benefit from trends such as big data analytics, and adding services such as pet care and travel to their portfolio.

Today we’ll look at the retail giants of the world to find out the biggest players in the industry. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the largest players are Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS), and Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT).

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Our Methodology

We conducted thorough research to pick the biggest retail companies in the world and then ranked them by their latest twelve month revenue. When the revenue details were not available, we used data from Deloitte for the latest figures.

Largest Retailers in the World

20. Aeon Co., Ltd. (OTCMKTS:AONNF)

Latest Twelve Month Revenue: $65.4 billion (1JPY = 0.0073USD)

Aeon Co., Ltd. (OTCMKTS:AONNF) is a Japanese retailer that is one of the oldest companies on our list as it was set up in 1758. The firm has operations all over the world and it has merchandise stores, supermarkets, discount stores, and other properties in its portfolio.

Aeon Co., Ltd. (OTCMKTS:AONNF) joins CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), and Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) are some of the biggest retailers in the world.

19. Edeka Group

Latest Twelve Month Revenue: $72.4 billion

Edeka Group is one of Germany’s biggest retailers. The firm is headquartered in Hamburg, and it has thousands of stores. Edeka is also one of the oldest retailers in the world since it was set up in 1907. The company has all kinds of stores in its portfolio, ranging from hypermarkets to supermarkets and online grocery services.

18. REWE Group

Latest Twelve Month Revenue: $76.18 billion

REWE Group is a German private co-operative that is headquartered in Cologne. It traces its roots back to 1927 and has a wide variety of retail outlets in its portfolio such as supermarket chains, discount stores, convenience stores, home improvement stores, and beauty chains. Its facilities are located in several European countries.

17. Tesco PLC (LON:TSCO.L)

Latest Twelve Month Revenue: $76.18 billion (1GBP =1.20USD)

Tesco PLC (LON:TSCO.L) is a British business that has almost 5,000 stores in different countries such as the U.K., Ireland, Hungary, and other countries. The firm is headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, the United Kingdom, and it also operates a chain of convenience stores.

16. Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Latest Twelve Month Revenue: $76.7 billion

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) is an American company headquartered in Boise, Idaho. The firm operates food and drug stores through several different brands such as Star Market, Tom Thumb, and Randalls.

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) is diversifying its operations, as the firm announced in February 2023 that it is launching a digital health platform. 39 of the 943 hedge funds part of Insider Monkey’s Q4 2022 survey had bought the firm’s shares.

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)’s largest investor is Stephen Feinberg’s Cerberus Capital Management which owns 151 million shares that are worth $3 billion.

15. Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd. (TYO:3382.T)

Latest Twelve Month Revenue: $79 billion (1JPY = 0.0073USD)

Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd. (TYO:3382.T) is a Japanese firm headquartered in Tokyo. It owns and operates a variety of retailing properties such as discount stores, convenience stores, supermarkets, and department stores. The firm has also expanded its operations to cover banking and real estate.

14. LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton, Société Européenne (OTCMKTS:LVMUY)

Latest Twelve Month Revenue: $83.78 billion (1EUR = 1.06USD)

LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton, Société Européenne (OTCMKTS:LVMUY) is a French luxury goods company that sells different products such as wine, champagne, perfumes, cosmetics, and fashion products. The firm operates through boutiques, departments in other stores, and electronic commerce.

13. Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. (AMS:AD.AS)

Latest Twelve Month Revenue: $91.92 billion

Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. (AMS:AD.AS) is a Dutch grocery store company that is headquartered in Zaandam, the Netherlands. The firm owns and operates convenience stores, supermarkets, hypermarkets, drug stores, and other properties in the U.S. and Europe.

12. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Latest Twelve Month Revenue: $95 billion

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) is an American firm based in Mooresville, North Carolina. It sells home improvement products such as tools, flooring, plumbing, and lawn supplies through its stores.

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) expanded its product portfolio in February 2023 when it entered into a partnership with one of America’s oldest tool manufacturers to bring the latter’s products to its stores. Insider Monkey took a look at 943 hedge funds for their December quarter of 2022 investments and found out that 68 had bought the firm’s shares.

Out of these, Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square is Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)’s largest investor. It owns 10 million shares that are worth $2 billion.

11. Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT)

Latest Twelve Month Revenue: $109 billion

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) operates retail stores in the U.S. with close to two thousand locations under its umbrella. The firm is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT)’s earnings report for the fourth quarter and full year 2022 released at the end of February 2023 saw the firm warn investors about a potential slowdown this year. 48 of the 943 hedge funds part of Insider Monkey’s December 2022 poll had bought the firm’s shares.

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT)’s largest investor in our database is Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management which owns 5 million shares that are worth $759 million.

10. ALDI

Latest Twelve Month Revenue: $120 billion

ALDI is a German discount supermarket chain that is one of the largest in the world. The firm has close to ten thousand stores, all in more than a dozen countries. It is headquartered in Essen and Mulheim in Germany and was set up in 1946.

9. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Latest Twelve Month Revenue: $132 billion

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) is an American pharmaceutical retailer headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. The firm sells health, wellness, beauty, and other products.

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) is selling a part of its Deerfield facilities, outlining that it is accommodating the shifts resulting from a hybrid working environment. Insider Monkey took a look at 943 hedge funds for their fourth quarter of 2022 investments to discover that 42 had bought the firm’s shares.

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)’s largest investor is Peter Rathjens, Bruce Clarke, and John Campbell’s Arrowstreet Capital which owns 5.9 million shares that are worth $223 million.

8. JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD)

Latest Twelve Month Revenue: $144 billion (1CNY = 0.14USD)

JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD) is a Chinese company that provides an online retailing platform for a variety of different products such as home appliances, fresh produce, and technology products. The firm is headquartered in Beijing, China.

Battling a tough global economic environment, JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD) announced in January 2023 that it is closing down its electronic commerce operations in Indonesia and Thailand. 64 of the 943 hedge funds part of Insider Monkey’s Q4 2022 research had bought the firm’s shares.

JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD)’s largest investor is Chase Coleman and Feroze Dewan’s Tiger Global Management LLC which owns 21 million shares that are worth $1.2 billion.

7. The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Latest Twelve Month Revenue: $146 billion

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) is an American company that was set up in 1883 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The firm operates warehouse stores, department stores, and food and drug stores.

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) is modernizing its fulfillment facilities, as the firm announced in February 2023 that it is opening an Ocado spoke facility covering 70,000 square feet in Austin, Texas. As last year’s fourth quarter ended, 42 of the 943 hedge funds surveyed by Insider Monkey had bought the firm’s shares.

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)’s largest investor. It owns 50 million shares that are worth $2.2 billion.

6. Schwarz Gruppe

Latest Twelve Month Revenue: $153 billion

Schwarz Gruppe is a German company headquartered in Neckarsulm, Germany. The firm has close to 13 thousand stores that are located in dozens of countries all over the world, where it operates through its Lidl and Kaufland brands.

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Schwarz Gruppe, CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS), and Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) are some of the biggest retailers in the world.

Click to continue reading and see 5 Largest Retailers in the World.