1 Wal-Mart $258,681,000 $231,577,000 11.7% $9,054,000 $7,955,000 13.8% 4,906 4,694 4.5% The leader of the pack Bentonville, Ark. flexes its muscle 2 Home Depot 64,816,000 58,247,000 11.3 4,304,000 3,664,000 17.5 1,707 1,532 11.4 Made major move with Atlanta Mexican expansion 3 Kroger 53,790,800 51,759,500 3.9 314,600 1,204,900-73.9 3,774 4,089-7.7 California labor dispute took its toll 4 Target 48,163,000 43,917,000 9.7 1,841,000 1,654,000 11.3 1,553 1,475 5.3 Good-bye Marshall Minneapolis Field, Mervyn's 5 Costco 42,545,552 38,762,499 9.8 721,000 699,983 3.0 420 401 4.7 Labor's darling, but Issaquah, Wash. Wall Street wonders 6 Sears 41,124,000 41,366,000-0.6 3,397,000 1,376,000 146.9 1,970 2,300-14.3 Food and pharmacy in Hoffman Estates, Ill. new Sears Grand units 7 Safeway 35,552,700 34,767,500 2.3 (169,800) (828,100) -- 1,817 1,811 0.3 Another villain as far as Pleasanton, Calif. unions are concerned 8 Albertsons 35,436,000 35,626,000-0.5 556,000 485,000 14.6 2,305 2,287 0.8 Now coast-to-coast Boise, Idaho with Shaw s purchase 9 Walgreen 32,505,400 28,681,100 13.3 1,175,700 1,019,200 15.4 4,227 3,883 8.9 Higher % of front-end Deerfield, lll. sales than chain rivals 10 Lowe's 30,838,000 26,112,000 18.1 1,877,000 1,471,488 27.6 952 854 11.5 Growing store count by Mooresville, N.C. 15% this year 11 Ahold USA 26,951,000 26,251,000 2.7 1,289,000 1,314,000-1.9 1,489 1,330 12.0 Downsizing and Chantilly, Va. consolidating offices 12 CVS 26,588,000 24,181,500 10.0 259,800 196,400 32.3 4,179 4,087 2.3 Eckerd acquisitions in Woonsocket, R.I. Sunbelt 13 Best Buy 24,547,000 20,946,000 17.2 705,000 99,000 612.1 767 1,890-59.4 Vies with discounters Richfield, Minn. by aggressive growth 14 Kmart 23,400,000 30,762,000-23.9 524,000 (2,878,000) -- 1,515 1,831-17.3 Surprising observers in Troy, Mich. post-chapter 11 period 15 JCPenney 17,786,000 17,633,000 0.9 (928,000) 405,000 -- 1,077 3,789-71.6 Looking to Plano, Texas post-questrom era 16 Publix 16,848,277 15,930,602 5.8 660,933 632,404 4.5 801 755 6.1 Has withstood Wal-Mart Lakeland, Fla. onslaught up till now 17 Rite Aid 16,600,449 15,791,278 5.1 83,311 (112,076) -- 3,382 3,405-0.7 Still paying for 20th Camp Hill, Pa. century sins 18 Gap 15,853,790 14,454,709 9.7 1,030,187 477,457 115.8 3,022 3,117-3.0 Sex in the City a far cry San Francisco from "fall into the Gap" S5
May Co. emerges the victor in the battle for Marshall Field, paying $3.2 billion for the company 19 Delhaize America $93,100,000 $146,400,000-36.4% $734,400 $661,600 11.0% 1,521 1,485 2.4% Another European own- Salisbury, N.C. er puzzled in U.S. market 20 Federated Dept. Stores 15,264,000 15,435,000-1.1 693,000 818,000-15.3 450 450 0.0 After co-branding, a national Macy's ad blitz 21 May Dept. Stores 13,343,000 13,491,000-1.1 434,000 542,000-19.9 1,124 867 29.6 May Co. buys Marshall St. Louis, Mo. Field. What s next? 22 TJX 13,327,938 11,981,207 11.2 658,365 578,388 13.8 2,062 1,845 11.8 Bought Bob's Stores Framingham, Mass. out of bankruptcy 23 Staples 113,181,222 11,596,075 13.7 490,211 446,100 9.9 1,559 1,488 4.8 Looking into smaller for- Framingham, Mass. mat for higher returns 24 Office Depot 12,358,566 11,356,633 8.8 276,295 310,708-11.1 1,099 1,038 5.9 Expanding into former Delray Beach, Fla. Kids "R" Us locations 25 Winn-Dixie 12,168,383 12,334,353-1.3 239,230 86,866 175.4 1,073 1,073 0.0 Struggling against super- Jacksonville, Fla. centers in most areas 26 Toys "R" Us 11,566,000 11,305,000 2.3 88,000 229,000-61.6 1,500 1,595-6.0 Slammed by discount- Wayne, N.J. ers, sues Amazon.com 27 Meijer* 11,100,000 11,400,000-2.6 N.A. N.A. -- 158 156 1.3 Competitors attacking Grand Rapids, Mich. from all angles 28 7-Eleven 10,881,716 9,884,000 10.1 64,094 12,777 401.6 5,784 5,775 0.2 Has go-ahead to open stores in Beijing, China 29 A&P 10,812,462 10,096,781 7.1 (145,639) (193,509) -- 633 645-1.9 This, says CEO Haub, Montvale, N.J. is turnaround year 30 H-E-B* 10,625,000 9,850,000 7.9 N.A. N.A. -- 308 295 4.4 Innovations include a San Antonio shoe store in one unit 31 SuperValu Retail 10,551,235 9,848,230 7.1 443,968 436,537 1.7 1,483 1,417 4.7 Biggs supercenters a Eden Prairie, Minn. presence 32 Kohl's 10,282,100 9,120,287 12.7 521,200 643,381-19.0 542 457 18.6 Maintaining store growth Menomonee Falls, Wis. even as income slides 33 Circuit City 9,745,400 9,953,530-2.1 (89,300) 82,300 -- 599 611-2.0 Now owns 900-unit Richmond, Va. InterTAN in Canada 34 Limited 8,934,091 8,444,654 5.8 716,810 501,739 42.9 3,911 4,036-3.1 Raised dividend, so things must be going well 35 CCA Global Partners* 8,000,000 6,015,000 33.0 N.A. N.A. -- 3,200 2,750 16.4 Former Carpet Co-op Earth City, Mo. runs Carpet One chain 36 Dillard's 7,598,900 7,911,000-3.9 9,300 (398,400) -- 328 333-1.5 Higher margins, but Little Rock, Ark. lower comp-sales for year 37 Dollar General 6,871,992 6,100,404 12.6 301,000 264,946 13.6 6,700 6,113 9.6 Adding groceries in larg- Goodlettsville, Tenn. er format Market stores 38 BJ's Wholesale Club 6,724,219 5,859,702 14.8 102,866 130,866-21.4 150 140 7.1 House2Home, nee Home- Natick, Mass. Base, leases still cost 39 Nordstrom 6,491,673 5,975,076 8.6 242,841 90,224 169.2 179 175 2.3 Opening first stores in Seattle Boston, Hawaii S7
Family Dollar, a hit with penny-pinchers, is opening three stores nearly every two days 40 CompUSA* $6,250,000 $6,000,000 4.2% N.A. N.A. -- 295 225 31.1% Acquired Good Guys for CE expertise 41 Saks 6,055,055 5,911,122 2.4 82,827 24,244 241.6 376 356 5.6 Club Libby Lu stores Birmingham, Ala. now number 19 42 Barnes & Noble 5,951,015 5,269,335 12.9 151,853 99,948 51.9 842 2,117-60.2 Completed repurchase of on-line unit 43 Menard* 5,600,000 5,400,000 3.7 N.A. N.A. -- 170 165 3.0 Secretive company in Eau Claire, Wis. trouble with IRS 44 AutoZone 5,457,123 5,216,431 4.6 315,668 251,790 25.4 3,219 3,068 4.9 Growing with enhanced Memphis, Tenn. senior management team 45 Amazon.com 5,263,699 3,932,936 33.8 35,282 (149,933) -- 0 0 -- Turned a profit, looking Seattle for gold in jewelry 46 OfficeMax* 5,000,000 4,775,563 4.7 N. A. 73,724 -- 975 990-1.5 Acquired by Boise Cleveland Cascade in December 47 QVC 4,889,000 4,362,000 12.1 785,000 737,000 6.5 0 0 98% owned by Liberty West Chester, Pa. Media 48 Foot Locker 4,779,000 4,509,000 6.0 207,000 144,000 43.8 3,610 3,625-0.4 Back to just doing it with Nike 49 Family Dollar 4,750,171 4,162,652 14.1 247,475 216,929 14.1 5,034 4,673 7.7 Opening 3 stores nearly Matthews, N.C. every 2 days 50 Giant Eagle* 4,710,000 4,400,000 7.0 N.A. N.A. -- 222 205 8.3 Growing Ohio footprint Pittsburgh in former Big Bear units 51 RadioShack 4,649,300 4,577,200 1.6 298,500 257,800 15.8 7,042 7,200-2.2 Less manufacturing Fort Worth, Texas means more retailing 52 Shaw's Supermarkets 4,630,000 4,450,000 4.0 N.A. N.A. -- 191 185 3.2 Bought by Albertsons E. Bridgewater, Mass. early this year 53 Blockbuster 4,533,500 4,460,400 1.6 (983,900) (1,627,600) -- 8,900 9,100-2.2 Buying game retailer Rhino Video Games 54 Longs Drug Stores 4,526,524 4,426,273 2.3 29,764 6,702 344.1 470 457 2.8 Bought a mail service Walnut Creek, Calif. pharmacy business in '03 55 Bed Bath & Beyond 4,477,981 3,665,164 22.2 399,470 302,179 32.2 581 496 17.1 Housing boom or no, Union, N.J. chain keeps growing 56 Hy-Vee* 4,240,000 4,200,000 1.0 N.A. N.A. -- 219 215 1.9 Hy-Vee increasing fuel West Des Moines, Iowa centers at combo units 57 Big Lots 4,174,383 3,868,550 7.9 81,175 76,557 6.0 1,432 1,380 3.8 Adding furniture to its closeout merchandise 58 Pathmark 3,991,300 3,937,700 1.4 16,500 13,300 24.1 142 144-1.4 Could be hurt by more Carteret, N.J. Wal-Mart supercenters 59 Ross Stores 3,920,583 3,531,349 11.0 374,551 201,178 86.2 568 507 12.0 Readying an even Newark, Calif. deeper discount format 60 Borders Group 3,731,000 3,514,700 6.2 122,100 111,700 9.3 1,225 1,249-1.9 Exploring neighborhoods Ann Arbor, Mich. in Detroit, Chicago S9
Advanced Auto Parts, No. 2 in auto parts retailing, shifted income growth into high gear with a gain of 92 percent 61 Sherwin Williams $3,575,000 $3,302,000 8.3% N.A. N.A. -- 2,688 2,643 1.7% Added 45 new, 29 relo- Cleveland cated stores in 2003 62 Advance Auto Parts 3,493,696 3,287,883 6.3 124,935 65,109 91.9 2,539 2,435 4.3 Ended Western Auto Roanoke, Va. wholesale biz 63 Wegman's* 3,300,000 3,025,000 9.1 N.A. N.A. -- 85 79 7.6 Highly market-focused Rochester, N.Y. stores hurt rivals 64 Raley's* 3,200,000 3,200,000 0.0 N.A. N.A. -- 134 150-10.7 Another who benefited W. Sacramento, Calif. from labor dispute 65 ShopKo Stores 3,196,909 3,252,809-1.7 39,120 (144,819) -- 359 364-1.4 Launched Drug Express Green Bay, Wis. retail stores 66 Whole Foods Markets 3,148,593 2,690,475 17.0 103,687 84,491 22.7 145 135 7.4 NYC flagship a block- Austin, Texas buster tourist attraction 67 Neiman Marcus Group 3,098,124 2,948,332 5.1 109,303 99,574 9.8 51 49 4.1 Bergdorf Goodman finally gets a website 68 Michaels Stores 3,091,256 2,856,373 8.2 177,845 140,297 26.8 967 918 5.3 Nurturing ReCollections Irving, Texas chain very slowly 69 PETsMART 2,996,051 2,695,184 11.2 139,549 88,855 57.1 643 583 10.3 Pet services gained Phoenix, Ariz. 28% in Q1 of this year 70 Dollar Tree Stores 2,799,872 2,357,836 18.7 177,583 145,220 22.3 2,513 2,263 11.0 Sales growing at better Chesapeake, Va. than 15% so far in '04 71 Payless ShoeSource 2,783,300 2,878,000-3.3 (100) 105,800 5,066 4,992 1.5 Dipping a toe in Topeka, Kan. Japanese market 72 The Pantry 2,776,361 2,494,064 11.3 11,504 1,804 537.7 1,259 1,289-2.3 Bought 138 Golden Sanford, N.C. Gallons from Ahold USA 73 Stock Building Supply* 2,767,500 2,600,000 6.4 N.A. N.A. -- 226 223 1.3 Former Carolina Hold- Raleigh, N.C. ings chain holds its own 74 Williams-Sonoma 2,754,000 2,361,000 16.6 157,200 124,400 26.4 512 478 7.1 Looking past housewares San Francisco to more home goods 75 Stater Bros. 2,753,774 2,666,346 3.3 10,127 11,789-14.1 157 156 0.6 Jack Brown says he's Colton, Calif. ready for Wal-Mart 76 Burlington Coat Factory 2,724,691 2,602,830 4.7 64,957 66,864-2.9 335 319 5.0 First five months of '04 Burlington, N.J. have been tough going 77 84 Lumber* 2,600,000 2,400,000 8.3 N.A. N.A. -- 455 450 1.1 No frills format, deep Eighty Four, Pa. discounts drive growth 78 Retail Ventures 2,594,206 2,450,719 5.9 (4,446) (3,665) -- 279 262 6.5 Value City, Filene's Basement, DSW 79 Price Chopper* 2,525,000 2,475,000 2.0 N.A. N.A. -- 105 102 2.9 Executes well in one- Schenectady, N.Y. stop-shopping niche 80 Harris Teeter 2,431,632 2,349,650 3.5 93,622 88,773 5.5 143 143 0.0 Markets are more com- Charlotte, N.C. petitive than ever 81 Trader Joe's* 2,425,000 2,300,000 5.4 N.A. N.A. -- 214 211 1.4 Albrecht Bros. idiosyn- Monrovia, Calif. cratic stores a U.S. hit S11
HSN is tuned in to shoppers desires; revenue growth is up 16 percent 82 Linens 'n Things $2,395,272 $2,184,716 9.6% $74,825 $69,246 8.1% 440 391 12.5% Opening 45 to 50 stores Clifton, N.J. again this year 83 Casey's General Stores 2,369,142 2,158,057 9.8 36,466 39,806 3.9 1,331 1,290 3.2 Swapped LIFO for FIFO Ankeny, Iowa on fuel inventories 84 Berkshire-Hathaway Retail 2,310,000 2,103,000 9.8 165,000 166,000-0.6 360 355 1.4 When shareholders Omaha gather, Borsheims shines 85 Charming Shoppes 2,285,680 2,412,409-5.3 40,639 (2,770) -- 2,227 2,248-0.9 Heavy focus on plus- Bensalem, Pa. size businesses 86 Belk 2,264,900 2,242,000 1.0 N.A. 84,000 -- 225 214 5.1 Coming into the 21st Charlotte, N.C. century with new 'tude 87 Luxottica Retail 2,263,291 2,083,486 8.6 305,120 301,120 1.1 3,382 2,796 21.4 Will the Cole National acquisition go through? 88 Medicine Shoppe* 2,240,000 2,100,000 6.7 N.A. N.A. -- 1,400 1,200 16.7 Acquired Medicap St. Louis Pharmacies last year 89 Home Shopping Network 2,230,400 1,922,200 16.0 222,900 101,500 119.6 0 0 -- Key component in St. Petersburg, Fla. Diller's InterActive Corp. 90 Zale 2,212,241 2,191,727 0.9 (40,645) 143,932 -- 2,235 2,295-2.6 Strong bridal business driving growth 91 Schnuck Markets* 2,200,000 2,150,000 2.3 N.A. N.A. -- 100 92 8.7 Non-food merchandise St. Louis major part of offerings 92 Save Mart* 2,200,000 1,980,000 11.1 N.A. N.A. -- 123 122 0.8 Benefited from So. Cal Modesto, Calif. labor dispute last fall 93 Pep Boys 2,134,270 2,097,777 1.7 45,400 47,932-5.3 595 629-5.4 Still trying to repair the Philadelphia knocks and pings 94 Roundy's Retail* 2,100,000 2,000,000 5.0 N.A. N.A. -- 111 105 5.7 Owns more than half Pewaukee, Wis. Wisconsin grocery market 95 Weis Markets 2,042,499 1,999,364 2.2 54,576 59,149-7.7 191 193-1.0 Adding superstores, Sunbury, Pa. self-checkout lanes 96 Tiffany 2,000,045 1,706,602 17.2 215,517 189,894 13.5 141 131 7.6 Launching a string of pearl stores 97 Ingles Markets 1,991,093 1,960,462 1.6 16,994 14,733 15.3 198 199-0.5 Revamped ad program Asheville, N.C. added to bottom line 98 Footstar 1,973,000 2,300,000-14.2 N.A. N.A. -- 2,963 3,600-17.7 Closed Just For Feet still West Nyack, N.Y. causing problems 99 Brooks Pharmacy* 1,932,800 1,325,000 45.9 N.A. N.A. -- 330 250 32.0 Eckerd acquisition Warwick, R.I. makes it major player now 100 Pier 1 Imports 1,868,243 1,754,867 6.5 118,001 129,386-8.8 1,179 1,074 9.8 Same-store sales Fort Worth, Tex. decline depressed earnings S13