2019 - Worlds Largest Discount Store Chains by Revenue

Looking at a global comparison of the World's Largest Discount Store Chains in 2019, it appears that discount retailing is dominated by European retailers in Germany, Turkey, and Portugal, as well as chains in the United States,

While many retailers who made the 2018 list moved up or down in rankings by a few spaces, there were a few larger instances of discount stores changing their place in global rankings. Discount retailers in Japan, Brazil, and Chile lost ground and no longer appear in the top 250. Discount retailers in South Korea and the United Kingdom expanded their global presence and moved into the top 250.

Defining Discount Retailers

Discount retailers are defined by their pricing model, which offers prices that are substantially lower than those of their competitors and generally well below manufacturer's suggested retail prices. This list excludes any department stores, hypermarkets, and specialty chains, even though they might sell discounted merchandise within their niche.

The following list shows a comparison of the world's largest discount store chains, according to annual revenue figures compiled based on financial results in 2018, published in the Deloitte 2019 Global Powers of Retailing report.

Comparisons can be made between different discount chains in different countries. The 2018 and 2010 Largest Discount Chains rankings, if available, are also included to show the upward or downward progress each largest discount retail chain has made,

What Is a Hypermarket?

Only retail chains that are strictly classified as discount are included in this list. For instance, although the world's largest retail chain, Walmart, happens to be a retail discount chain, it is considered to be a hypermarket, which is a separate retailing category, so it will not appear on this discount retailers list.

Hypermarkets, a term not commonly used in the United States, are stores that serve as a hybrid of a department store and a supermarket. Discount department stores like Target are also excluded from this list.

The list that follows is arranged according to the 2019 revenue rankings, with the largest discount retail chain listed first. The revenue results behind these 2019 ranking numbers were generated in FY 2018.

Discount Retail Chains Ranked Among the 250 Largest Retailers In the World:

(sorted alphabetically by country)

Denmark

Salling Group (formerly Dansk Supermarked A/S)

2019 Ranking - #116

2018 Ranking - #114

2010 Ranking - #78

Germany

NORMA Unternehmens Stiftung

2019 Ranking - #239

Schwarz Unternehmens Treuhand KG

2019 Ranking - #5

2018 Ranking - #4

2010 Ranking - #5

Aldi Einkauf GmbH & Company oHG

2019 Ranking - #8

2018 Ranking - #8

2010 Ranking - #9

Italy

Gruppo Eurospin

2019 Ranking - #168

2018 Ranking - #187

2010 Ranking - N/A

Norway

NorgesGruppen ASA

2019 Ranking - #104

2018 Ranking - #93

Reitangruppen AS

2019 Ranking - #141

2018 Ranking - #134

2010 Ranking - #88

Portugal

Jeronimo Martins, SGPS S.A.

2019 Ranking - #55

2018 Ranking - #56

2010 Ranking - #94

Russia

X5 Retail Group N.V.

2019 Ranking - #47

2018 Ranking - #62

2010 Ranking - #104

South Korea

Lotte Shopping Co., Ltd

2019 Ranking - #65

Spain

Distribuidora Internacional de Alimentacion S.A.

2019 Ranking - #105

2018 Ranking - #98

Turkey

BIM (Birleski Magazalar A.A.)

2019 Ranking - #150

2018 Ranking - #149

2010 Ranking - #241

A101 Yeni Mağazacılık A.S

2019 Ranking - #237

United Kingdom

B&M European Value Retail S.A.

2019 Ranking - #229

United States

Dollar General Corp.

2019 Ranking - #42

2018 Ranking - #46

2010 Ranking - #82

Dollar Tree Inc.

2019 Ranking - #46

2018 Ranking - #49

Big Lots, Inc.

2019 Ranking - #184

2018 Ranking - #183

2010 Ranking - #174

Save-A-Lot Food Stores Ltd.

2019 Ranking - #220

2018 Ranking - #197

The History of Discount Retail

Looking at the history of discount retailing in the U.S., the retailing shift to a discount pricing model took hold in full force in the U.S. during the Baby Boom era.

1879 - Frank Woolworth opened a discount variety store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in June 1879. His initial $300 investment was borrowed from a friend.

1900s - The first Stein Mart store was opened by Russian immigrant Sam Stein. The store sold general merchandise until 1932. There was just one Stein Mart store until 1977 when the store was duplicated in other locations, and the chain expanded rapidly.

1930 - Charles C. Loehmann opened a women's store selling manufacturer overruns of high-quality fashions in the Bronx of New York. By 1981 he had sales of 160 million with stores in 21 states.

1946 - Polish immigrant Max Kohl opened Kohl's Food Stores in Milwaukee, WI, which grew to be a 50-store chain before it was purchased by the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company. It wasn't until 1962 that Max Kohl opened the first Kohls discount department store.

1955 - J. L. Turner and Son Wholesale stores were renamed Dollar General. At that time the discount chain sold only merchandise that cost only $1.00 or less.

1962 - The first store with the Wal-Mart name opened In Rogers, AK.

1962 - The first Dress Barn store opened in Stamford, CT by Roslyn Jaffe with a focus on selling wear-to-work, designer-style women's clothing at discount prices.

1964 - The first Consumer Value Store (CVS) selling discount health and beauty products were opened by Ralph Hoagland and Stanley Goldstein. The CVS name was used for the first time in 1969 when the discount retail chain was acquired by the Melville Corporation.

1965 - The Dayton Company opened the first mass-market discount store called Target.

1985 - The first American IKEA store opened in Philadelphia. The name comes from the owner Ingvar Kamprad ("IK") plus the initials of his hometown and village Elmtaryd and Agunnard.("EA")."

1991 - The first Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) store opened in Dublin, Ohio.