Top 10 Largest Retail Corporations Globally in 2022

CVS Health, headquartered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, is an American healthcare company that owns CVS Pharmacy, a major retail pharmacy chain. Founded in 1963 by Stanley Goldstein, Sidney Goldstein, and Ralph Hogland in Lowell, Massachusetts, CVS started as a health and beauty store chain. The company aims to enhance access to healthcare and personal wellness by being a trusted partner in navigating the healthcare system, reducing costs, and delivering meaningful health moments. With over 9,000 locations across the United States, CVS Health ranks as the third-largest retail company globally by revenue in 2022. Its Health Benefits segment provides traditional and voluntary health insurance products along with related services like Pharmacy, Dental, and more.

The Home Depot, Inc. is the largest U.S. retailer for home improvement products, offering tools, building materials, equipment, and services. Headquartered in Cobb County, Georgia, with a postal address in Atlanta, the company primarily operates stores in North America. Home Depot specializes in hardware stores that sell construction materials and home improvement products. Its outlets are predominantly located across North America.

Additionally, The Home Depot, Inc. manages several hardware stores throughout the U.S., as well as across all 10 provinces in Canada, and all 32 states in Mexico, including Mexico City. The company offers a wide range of building materials and home improvement products, lawn and garden supplies, and various services such as installation and equipment rentals.

Costco Wholesale Corporation is an American multinational corporation operating a chain of large, membership-only retail warehouses. The company offers a variety of products, including packaged food, groceries, automotive supplies, toys, hardware, sports equipment, jewelry, electronics, clothing, and health and beauty aids. Additionally, it provides gas station and pharmacy services.

Costco operates its membership-based retail warehouses primarily in North America, with select locations in Asia and Latin America. As of 2020, Costco ranked as the fifth-largest retailer in the world and, as of 2016, was the world's largest retailer of beef, organic foods, rotisserie chicken, and wine. In 2021, Costco ranked 10th in the Fortune 500 list and remains one of the top 10 largest retailers globally by total revenue.

Target originally began as a discount division of the Dayton-Hudson Corporation in the 1960s. It wasn't until the 1980s that the company began expanding rapidly, and by the 1990s, the Target brand had firmly established itself. Target Corporation is a major American retailer headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the eighth-largest retailer in the United States and a component of the S&P 500 index. On a global scale, Target ranks as the seventh-largest retailer in the world today.

Target Corporation sells a wide variety of products both online and in stores primarily across the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. It began its nationwide store expansion in the 1980s and introduced new store formats under the Target brand in the 1990s. In addition to a broad range of general merchandise, the company also sells food, including dry and perishable groceries, dairy, and frozen items, all at discounted prices. Some of its in-house brands include Archer Farms, Pillowfort, Wine Cube, and Simply Balanced.

Walgreens has been operating since 1901 in Chicago, Illinois, and its headquarters is still located near Deerfield. Walgreens is the second-largest pharmacy chain in the U.S. and offers much more than prescription and over-the-counter medications. Walgreens Boots Alliance, based primarily in the U.S., provides pharmacy services in Europe, with its headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois. It owns the Walgreens and Boots pharmacy chains, along with several pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution companies.

The company was formed on December 31, 2014, when Walgreens acquired the remaining 55% stake in Alliance Boots. As of 2021, Walgreens Boots Alliance ranked 16th in the Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations by revenue. Additionally, Walgreens is involved in wholesale business, supplying medications, medical products, and related services to doctors, healthcare centers, and hospitals. It was the eighth-largest retailer globally in 2022.

Lowe's is a home improvement retailer that operated 1,971 locations worldwide in 2021, slightly down from 1,974 stores the previous year. Lowe's is the second-largest retailer in the U.S. hardware and home improvement market, following its main competitor, The Home Depot. Lowe's has shown steady sales growth from 2013 to 2021.

Lowe's serves around 20 million customers each week at approximately 2,000 locations across the U.S. and Canada. The largest Lowe's stores are located in Virginia, Florida, and the Midwest U.S. as of 2022. As a leading hardware retailer, Lowe’s stores are popular among those looking for help with DIY projects. According to the latest annual report, Lowe's global revenue exceeded $96 billion, up from nearly $90 billion in 2020. On average, customers spent about $85.67 per visit in 2020.

Inditex Group is one of the world’s largest fashion retailers, generating around 27.72 billion euros in revenue in 2021, a significant increase of about seven billion euros compared to the previous year. By 2021, Inditex operated eight distinct brands: Zara, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home, and Uterqüe. The largest of these is Zara, accounting for approximately 70% of the group's total revenue. Bershka is the second-largest, contributing eight percent of the total revenue.

Zara is a fast-fashion brand with over 2,500 retail locations worldwide, all owned by Inditex, including around 1,200 stores across Europe. Zara is best known for offering trendy and affordable women’s clothing but also has a wide range of men’s and children’s apparel. From 2016 to 2021, Zara's global brand value increased from approximately $10 billion to $13.2 billion, peaking at $18.4 billion in 2019.

Amazon.com Inc. is a global e-commerce retailer offering a wide variety of products and services primarily through websites and mobile apps. In 2022, it was ranked as the second-largest retailer in the world. Amazon is recognized as “one of the most influential economic and cultural forces globally” and is also one of the most valuable brands in the world. It is considered one of the five major U.S. tech companies, alongside Alphabet, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft.

Additionally, Amazon offers various subscription and web services, including online entertainment and cloud computing. The company also designs and sells devices such as the Kindle e-reader, Fire tablets, Fire TV, and electronics like Echo and Alexa. Amazon sells groceries through its subsidiary, Whole Foods Market Inc.

Walmart is one of the largest retail companies in the world as of 2022, with a total revenue of $572.8 billion. Walmart is a multinational retail corporation founded by Sam Walton in Rogers, Arkansas, in 1962, and incorporated on October 31, 1969, under Delaware Corporation Law. Its headquarters is located in Bentonville, Arkansas. The company operates a chain of supercenters, discount department stores, and grocery stores primarily in the United States.

Founded by Sam Walton in 1962, Walmart also owns and operates Sam's Club retail warehouses. In addition, Walmart has 10,593 stores and clubs in 24 countries, operating under 48 different brand names. According to the 2020 Fortune Global 500 list, Walmart ranked as the largest company in the world by revenue, generating $548.743 billion. It is also the world’s largest private employer, with 2.2 million employees.

Alibaba is a multinational technology company based in China, specializing in e-commerce, retail, internet services, and technology. Founded on June 28, 1999, by Jack Ma, the company’s headquarters is in Hangzhou, China. Alibaba is one of the top ten global retailers and e-commerce companies. It serves as a leading platform for global wholesale trade, connecting millions of buyers and suppliers worldwide.

Alibaba originated as a B2B platform that allowed numerous Chinese manufacturers to sell to international buyers. Over time, it has rapidly expanded into multiple sectors, including retail. While Alibaba remains a primarily Chinese corporation, it is quickly branching into new areas, recruiting local manufacturers, and growing its banking services. Alibaba became the largest physical retailer in the market after acquiring Auchan RT-Mart in China.