The global economy is showing some signs of stress, but the 12 months ended June 30, 2006 proved to be another healthy year for the world’s leading retailers. Total retail sales for the Top 250 reached $2.84 trillion. Year-on-year growth, based on this year’s list of companies only, proved even more robust, with an 8.8 percent increase over the group’s prior-year sales of $2.76 trillion. The 10 largest retailers continue to capture market share. These retail powerhouses (sex US companies and four European companies) reported combined sales of $885 billion during the year under review, or 29.4 percent of total Top 250 retail sales. Wal-Mart alone, with $312 billion in retail sales, accounted for more than 10 percent of the total. Despite growing anti-globalisation sentiment, globalization continues throughout the retail world. Slow growth in many mature markets and not-to-be missed opportunities in emerging markets-particularly China, India and Russia-are powerful driving forces. In addition, global diversification is becoming increasingly important as a way to reduce economic, political and other risks.
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