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Walmart and Amazon lead the 2025 U.S. retail rankings, as stable leadership among top retailers.
The National Retail Federation’s 2025 Top 100 Retailers list confirms Walmart’s dominant position, with $568.7 billion in annual U.S. sales, solidifying its lead as Amazon holds steady in second. The rankings reflect a period of stability among top chains even as retail trends shift under changing consumer priorities, inflationary pressures, and evolving global trade dynamics.
The top 100 U.S. retailers, compiled by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Kantar, show a sector led by familiar names: Walmart, Amazon, Costco, Kroger, and Home Depot. With Walmart and Amazon together accounting for over $842 billion in U.S. sales, the list continues to highlight the dominance of a few well-positioned companies.
Walmart’s growth reflects strong performance in essential goods, supply chain agility, and digital investment. Meanwhile, Amazon’s scale in ecommerce and logistics keeps it firmly entrenched despite slower growth relative to its peak pandemic years.
“While the companies at the top of the list... reflect those that have remained nimble to a changing landscape,” said David Marcotte of Kantar.
The top 13 retailers remained mostly unchanged, underscoring the resilience of the biggest players in navigating shifting consumer behaviors and operational challenges. Target slipped slightly to eighth, while Boots Alliance moved up to seventh.
Several retail trends intersect with broader logistics and trade issues:
Retailers that combine strong supply chain operations with deep consumer insights are maintaining competitive advantages—even in a period of elevated costs and trade volatility.
“The modern retail environment increasingly demands a nuanced understanding of consumer needs, digital transformation, and a commitment to customer engagement,” said Mark Mathews, NRF’s executive director of research.
Outside the top ranks, NRF noted that drugstore chains saw notable declines, particularly Rite Aid, which fell from No. 29 to No. 40 amid weak front-end sales. Even with demand for health services remaining stable, general merchandise sales underperformed.
The pet retail sector, a pandemic-era outperformer, is now stabilizing. Both PetSmart and Petco experienced slight decreases in store counts and sales, reflecting more normalized pet ownership and discretionary spending in the category.
For supply chain professionals and freight brokers, the NRF’s 2025 retailer rankings offer insights into evolving demand patterns and partnership opportunities:
The biggest takeaway: retailers that align digital, fulfillment, and customer experience strategies will continue to rise, while those slow to adapt risk slipping in both market position and operational efficiency.
Source: NRF | FreightWaves
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