Top Retailers
07/27/2012
Retailers are the primary original source for buying returns. As a buyer, you want to get your inventory directly from these guys. You don't want to buy from other liquidators. If you do, you are likely paying unnecessary markups, getting lots that have been culled for the best quality merchandise, and buying merchandise that has been shipped from seller to buyer at least once.
The challenge is gaining access to purchase from them. Most of these companies will maintain a very short list of buyers with whom they have done business for many, many years. It is an old boys network and can take years to break into the inner circle who are welcome to buy. This is a big part of why the liquidation business has developed a somewhat negative reputation. When non-economic (to the company) factors impact the allocation of goods, it is inevitable that you will encounter some bad actors who pay or demand kickbacks or other benefits in order to steer inventory into someone's hands.
Here is a list of the top 42 non-food retailers, by sales, worldwide.
|
|
Company |
Headquarters |
Sales |
|
1 |
Wal-Mart |
Bentonville, Ark. |
$421,886,000 |
|
2 |
Target |
Minneapolis |
$65,815,000 |
|
3 |
Walgreen |
Deerfield, Ill. |
$63,038,000 |
|
4 |
The Home Depot |
Atlanta |
$68,000,000 |
|
5 |
Costco |
Issaquah, Wash. |
$78,394,000 |
|
6 |
CVS Caremark |
Woonsocket, R.I. |
$57,511,000 |
|
7 |
Lowe's |
Mooresville, N.C. |
$48,815,000 |
|
8 |
Best Buy |
Richfield, Minn. |
$49,887,000 |
|
9 |
Sears Holdings |
Hoffman Estates, Ill. |
$41,267,000 |
|
10 |
Safeway |
Pleasanton, Calif. |
$38,445,000 |
|
11 |
SUPERVALU |
Eden Prairie, Minn. |
$30,975,000 |
|
12 |
Rite Aid |
Camp Hill, Pa. |
$25,196,000 |
|
13 |
Publix |
Lakeland, Fla. |
$25,072,000 |
|
14 |
Macy's |
Cincinnati |
$24,938,000 |
|
15 |
Ahold USA / Royal Ahold |
Washington, D.C. |
$56,245,000 |
|
16 |
Delhaize America |
Salisbury, N.C. |
$27,445,000 |
|
17 |
Amazon.com |
Seattle, Wash. |
$32,923,000 |
|
18 |
Kohl's |
Menomonee Falls, Wis. |
$18,391,000 |
|
19 |
Apple Stores / iTunes |
Cupertino, Calif. |
$20,134,000 |
|
20 |
J.C. Penney |
Plano, Texas |
$17,753,000 |
|
21 |
TJX |
Framingham, Mass. |
$21,970,000 |
|
22 |
Meijer |
Grand Rapids, Mich. |
$15,319,000 |
|
23 |
True Value |
Chicago |
$16,738,000 |
|
24 |
H-E-B |
San Antonio |
$16,091,000 |
|
25 |
Dollar General |
Goodlettsville, Tenn. |
$13,035,000 |
|
26 |
ShopRite |
Elizabeth, N.J. |
$11,800,000 |
|
27 |
Gap |
San Francisco |
$14,503,000 |
|
28 |
BJ'S Wholesale Club |
Natick, Mass. |
$10,876,000 |
|
29 |
Nordstrom |
Seattle |
$9,624,000 |
|
30 |
Staples |
Framingham, Mass. |
$16,320,000 |
|
31 |
Ace Hardware |
Oak Brook, Ill. |
$10,200,000 |
|
32 |
Toys "R" Us |
Wayne, N.J. |
$17,559,000 |
|
33 |
Whole Foods Markets |
Austin, Texas |
$8,970,000 |
|
34 |
Bed Bath & Beyond |
Union, N.J. |
$8,785,000 |
|
35 |
Aldi |
Batavia, Ill. |
$36,620,000 |
|
36 |
Army Air Force Exchange |
Dallas |
$8,309,000 |
|
37 |
Limited Brands |
Columbus, Ohio |
$8,778,000 |
|
38 |
Menard |
Eau Claire, Wis. |
$8,032,000 |
|
39 |
Verizon Wireless |
Basking Ridge, N.J. |
$61,510,000 |
|
40 |
Family Dollar |
Matthews, N.C. |
$7,867,000 |
|
41 |
Ross Stores |
Pleasanton, Calif. |
$7,868,000 |