U.S. Retail Industry Companies on the Annual 2010 Most Admired Companies List

See Also:

• 2011 Most Admired Retailers
• 2011 Least Admired Retailers
• Most Admired in 2011: What Wal-Mart Is Not
• Most Admired Consumer Survey

The company that was designated to be the “most admired” in 2010 by Fortune Magazine is classified as a retailer, but retailing is only part of its business. Apple was not only the top ranked company on the U.S. retail industry most admired list, it was also the top ranked of all U.S. companies. And while there are many reasons that Apple’s product development helped it earn its number one ranking, its retail innovation and people management are equally admirable in the retail part of its business.

One surprise on the 2010 Most Admired list of retailers is Toyota. Obviously the rankings were completed before gas pedals stuck, cars crashed, lawsuits were filed, and millions of cars were recalled. This is a great example of how the admiration that it took decades to build can be lost almost overnight. In any industry you’re only as good as your last product or service, and when you lose the admiration of consumers, you lose just about everything.

It is good to remember that the Most Admired Companies list was not compiled by consumers, however. If consumer opinion had weighed in, it is likely that companies like ExxonMobil, AT&T, and Wal-Mart would have ranked a little bit lower on the list because they are not completely admirable from a customer viewpoint.

Four ways to view the list of 2010 Most Admired Retail Companies:

• Retail Companies in the Most Admired Top 50
• Retailers Most Admired for Innovation, Management and Social Responsibility
• Retailers Most Admired for Investment Potential and Competitiveness
• Complete List of Retail Admiration Rankings

See Also:

• 2011 Most Admired Retailers
• 2011 Least Admired Retailers
• Most Admired in 2011: What Wal-Mart Is Not
• Most Admired Consumer Survey