C-store Companies Land on NRF's Top 50 Global Retailers List
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Retail Federation (NRF) unveiled the Top 50 Global Retailers, a ranking of the 50 most impactful influential retailers based on their operations from the start of 2024.
NRF partnered with Kantar, to produce the rankings. Kantar's ranking methodology uses a system in which points are given to retailers based on their domestic and international retail revenues. To qualify for the list , retailers need to have a direct investment in at least three countries.
[Read more: Six Industry Players Land on NRF's Top 100 List]
This year, three convenience store and fuel retailing companies landed on the list. They are:
- No. 8: Seven & i Holdings Co. Ltd. — The Tokyo-based operator has $90 billion in total company revenue and 41,128 stores worldwide. It received 100 points.
- No. 27: Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. — The Laval, Quebec-based parent company of Circle K has $18 billion in total company revenue and 13,167 stores worldwide. It received 32 points.
- No. 49: OXXO (FEMSA) — Based in Mexico, OXXO has $20 billion in total company revenue and 28,844 stores worldwide. It received 15 points. OXXO is operated by FEMSA, which acquired Delek's U.S. retail assets in late 2024.
This past August, Couche-Tard made an unsolicited bid for Seven & i. Most recently, the companies gave potential buyers of their U.S. convenience stores until the end of March to express their interests and address antitrust concerns. Interested buyers will need to demonstrate a plan to address regulatory hurdles in the United States. This has been a top concern for Seven & i, parent company to 7-Eleven Inc., which recently pointed to the failed merger of Albertsons and Kroger grocery stores as a warning for retailers looking to divest thousands of locations without a market-tested buyer that is well-positioned to preserve the competitive landscape, as Convenience Store News previously reported.
Of the retailer's 80,000-plus stores, more than 13,000 are U.S. convenience stores with fuel operations, and most are under franchise ownership. The Thai conglomerate CP Holdings also operates many 7-Eleven franchises in Thailand. The retailer's 7Now ecommerce and fulfillment division continues to grow and expand in the U.S. and Japan.
FEMSA made its entry into the U.S. convenience store channel when it officially picked up 100% of equity interests in Delek US Holdings subsidiaries that operated its retail business, Delek US Retail. The deal, which was announced on Aug. 1, carried a $385 million price tag, including the purchase of inventories.
The full Top 50 Global Retailers list, as well as Kantar's methodology, is available online.
NRF, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a trade association that passionately advocates for the people, brands, policies and ideas that help retail succeed.