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WASHINGTON — The largest U.S. retailers have maintained their edge during the past year by launching new strategies, augmenting the in-store experience and reengineering both logistics and digital commerce capabilities, according to the annual Top 100 Retailers list released last month by the National Retail Federation and Kantar Consulting.
The 10 largest retailers on the list remain the same as last year, with Walmart the largest, followed by Kroger Co. Amazon.com, however, jumped to No. 3 from No. 7, with Costco Wholesale Corp. slipping from third place to fourth and Home Depot Inc. dropping from fourth to fifth. Walgreens remains at No. 6, with CVS Pharmacy dropping to seventh place from fifth. Unchanged are No. 8 Target Corp., No. 9 Lowe’s Cos. and No. 10 Albertsons Cos.
Most of the companies showed sales growth last year, but Amazon experienced the largest percentage growth as it expanded its online presence into brick-and-mortar retail with the acquisition of Whole Foods Market and provided new services such as grocery delivery and Prime Wardrobe.
“We find ourselves at a point in U.S. retail evolution where key players are moving from a more divided approach of ‘online’ versus ‘bricks-and-mortar’ strategies to those that cater to the more holistic reality of shoppers and commerce,” said Kantar Consulting senior vice president of insights and operations Sara Al-Tukhaim. “This will continue to pave the way for exciting and innovative retail partnerships, targeting growth both within and increasingly outside the realm of retail.”