Two Convenience Store Retailers Earn Spots on Top 50 Global Retailers List

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The parent companies of 7-Eleven Inc. and Circle K landed on the National Retail Federation's (NRF) 2022 Top 50 Global Retailers list.

The list, compiled in partnership with marketing data, insight and consultancy company Kantar, recognizes the 50 most impactful international retailers based on their operations at the start of 2021.

Tokyo-based Seven & i Holdings, the parent company of Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven, took the No. 9 spot, moving up from No. 13 last year. With 18,834 stores internationally and $30.71 billion in international revenue, the company earned 94.6 ranking points.

Laval, Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., the parent company of the global Circle K convenience store brand, took the No. 37 spot. With 10,585 stores internationally and $11.57 billion in international revenue, the company earned 24.5 ranking points.

According to NRF, Walmart continues to be the world's largest retailer, having made significant investments in omnichannel marketplaces, in-store services and fulfillment models. Amazon.com came in second, Schwarz Group came in at No. 3 and Aldi came in fourth. Costco came in as a newcomer to the top five, rising from No. 6 the previous year.

"The second year of the global pandemic challenged global retail in 2021 as it did in 2020," said David Marcotte, senior vice president, global insights and technology at Kantar. "And, just as in 2020, global retail emerged with far more revenue and profit as it managed changes in shopper needs and routines."

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 rankings, retailers must have a direct investment in at least three countries.

The Top 50 Global Retailers' methodology uses a system in which points are given to retailers based on their domestic and international retail revenues. To qualify for this year’s rankings, companies had to meet several criteria. Both publicly and privately owned companies were considered, and the businesses were reviewed between January and March 2022.

Washington, D.C.-based NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association. Retail is the nation's largest private-sector employer, contributing $3.9 trillion to annual GDP and supporting one in four U.S. jobs.

Other Notable Rankings

Both 7-Eleven and Couche-Tard are key players in the U.S. convenience channel and consistently appear in the Convenience Store News Top 100. In 2021, 7-Eleven's acquisition of Enon, Ohio-based Speedway LLC from Findlay, Ohio-based Marathon Petroleum Corp. solidified its position at No. 1. The deal diversified 7-Eleven's presence to 47 of the 50 most populated metro areas in the United States, and expanded its total U.S. store count to 12,973 locations as of June 2021 — broken out to 5,282 company-operated stores and 7,691 franchise stores.

Couche-Tard earned the No. 2 spot on the CSNews 2021 Top 100 list with 5,833 convenience stores in the U.S. as of June 2021.

7-Eleven and Circle K also earned spots on Entrepreneur's 2022 Franchise 500. 7-Eleven landed at No. 9, and Circle K took the No 52 spot.