• by Sarah Mahoney , July 5, 2023

The National Retail Federation just released its 2023 annual ranking of the top retailers in the U.S., with Walmart, Amazon and Costco holding steady in the top three positions.

But the report, conducted with Kantar and based on an analysis of calendar 2022 sales, shows plenty of scrambling within the top ten.

Kroger rose to No. 4, knocking Home Depot down a notch. Target, climbing one place to No. 6, and CVS Health Corp., moving up to No. 8, muscled past Walgreens, which dropped from No. 6 to No. 8. 

Lowe’s, Albertson’s and Apple rank No. 9, 10 and 11, just as they did last year.

The dollar amounts controlled by the top three dwarf many other players, with long-time leader Walmart posting $499.65 billion in U.S. retail sales in 2022, followed by Amazon’s $232.46 billion and Costco’s $164.15 billion.

Barnes & Noble, No. 100 and the smallest on the list, had $3.75 billion in U.S. sales in 2022.

The NRF notes most retailers grew at more or less the same rate, with inflation elevating dollar sales across-the-board.

An exception is big-box stores, which were especially dynamic “as customers become more comfortable with the value proposition of membership fees,” says David Marcotte, Kantar’s senior vice president, in the report.

One notable jump is Signet Jewelers, which owns chains like Zales, Jared and Kay Jewelers. It continued its gains, rising ten spots on the list to No. 56.

Department stores mostly continue to hold their own, despite some slippage. Macy’s loses a rung to rank No. 22, and both Kohl’s (No. 30) and Dillard’s (No. 65) fall three spots, and JC Penney tumbles to No. 59, from No. 48 in last year’s report. Hudson’s Bay, the parent of Saks Fifth Avenue, dropped a notch to No. 85.

Nordstrom rose two notches to No. 31.