Each year Forbes Magazine compiles and publishes its "Global 2000" list, which ranks businesses around the world based on each company's sales, profits, assets, and market value. The list provides a comprehensive comparison of publicly traded companies from all industries in every country on the globe.
The "Global 2000" rankings are much different from the "Global 500" list compiled and published by Fortune Magazine each year. While Fortune considers only total revenue when creating its rankings, the list makers at Forbes view the label of "largest" from a more holistic perspective. This is why there are many discrepancies when you compare the "Global 2000" list with the "Global 500" list in 2009.
It is notable that so many companies in the global retail industry were able to maintain and improve their rankings, despite a massive worldwide retail recession in 2008. While the performance of global retailing suffered in the economic downturn, their financial results were less tragic than other industries, which allowed them to post numbers that were strong, from a relative comparison point of view.
Below is the list of global retail organizations that were ranked on the Forbes Global 2000 list that was published in 2009 (based on 2008 performance.) The number in the left column indicates the number ranking given to the company, when compared to all publicly traded companies which provided verifiable data to the list's compilers.
(See also Global Store Openings and Expansion.)
2009 Forbes Magazine's Global 2000 Retail Industry List:
8 Wal-Mart, US
83 CVS Caremark, US
127 Home Depot, US
137 Target, US
166 Lowe's, US
186 Walgreen, US
257 Costco Wholesale, US
288 PPR, France
298 Best Buy, US
457 Ebay, US
459 Staples, US
469 Marks & Spencer, UK
477 Aeon, Japan
494 Kohl's, US
520 Amazon.com, US
561 H&M Hennes & Mauritz, Sweden
597 Kingfisher, UK
640 Gap, US
655 TJX Cos, US
706 Lotte Shopping, South Korea
718 Macy's, US
728 JC Penney, US
739 Sears Holdings, US
774 Shinsegae, South Korea
845 Yamada Denki, Japan
880 Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, Japan
895 Home Retail Group, UK
904 AutoZone, US
935 Shoppers Drug Mart, Canada
962 Sherwin-Williams, US
966 Esprit Holdings, Hong Kong/China
1002 Bed Bath & Beyond, US
1016 Fast Retailing, Japan
1039 Falabella, Chile
1055 Suning Appliance, China
1058 Cencosud, Chile
1095 Next, UK
1101 GameStop, US
1106 Arcandor, Germany
1165 Grupo Elektra, Mexico
1208 Nordstrom, US
1232 Rite Aid, US
1271 Ross Stores, US
1307 Liberty Media-Interactive, US
1352 Family Dollar Stores, US
1362 Daiei, Japan
1364 Canadian Tire, Canada
1384 Inchcape, UK
1412 Limited Brands, US
1482 DSG International, UK
1517 Advance Auto Parts, US
1557 El Puerto de Liverpool, Mexico
1601 J Front Retailing, Japan
1603 Dollar Tree, US
1627 Fastenal, US
1671 D'Ieteren, Belgium
1676 Takashimaya, Japan
1689 AutoNation, US
1714 Office Depot, US
1734 Carphone Warehouse, UK
1817 Penske Automotive Gp, US
1845 Soriana, Mexico
1888 O'Reilly Automotive, US
1902 Pendragon, UK
1906 BJ's Wholesale Club, US
1925 CarMax, US
1998 Kesa Electricals, UK
2009 Top Rankings for World's Largest Retailers from the Forbes Global 2000Annual Lists Ranks Retail Sales, Profits, Assets and Market Value Worldwide
By Barbara Farfan, About.com Guide
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