World's Largest Department Store Chains

Target, Macy's, Kohl's, Marks & Spencer Top the List

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By
Barbara Farfan
Barbara Farfan
  • University of Georgia

Barbara Farfan is a retail industry expert with more than 20 years as a business consultant for the retail and publishing industries.

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Updated on 05/30/19

When you look at lists of the largest department and discount department store chains around the world, the United States seems to hold the position as the leader in department store retailing.

Largest Share of Total Industry Sales

Many of the largest U.S. retail chains also have a leading share of annual global department store sales. According to the 2018 Global Department Store Retailing report published by research firm GlobalData in the U.K., these are the retail chains with the biggest global department store market shares:

  • 6.4% Macy’s (U.S.)
  • 4.7% Sears (U.S.)
  • 4.3% Kohl’s (U.S.)
  • 3.0% Marks & Spencer (U.K.)
  • 2.9% Nordstrom (U.S.)
  • 2.7% Isetan Mitsukoshi (Japan)
  • 2.4% El Corte Ingles (Spain)
  • 2.4% JC Penney (U.S.)

Even though American department store chains seemingly dominate, that same department store retailing report predicts the biggest department store growth in the world will happen in China, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region in the near future. Department store retailing in North America, Europe and Japan is expected to decline during that same period.

Largest Department & Discount Department Store Chains

The largest department store and discount department store retail chains in the world are listed below. The list was compiled from the 2018 Global Powers of Retailing report, which is published each year by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and STORES Magazine.

The number in the left column represents the ranking that each company received out of the top 250 global retail chains, when compared on the basis of annual revenues based on 2016 performance. Retailers not marked with a country of origin are based in the U.S.

The Stores List

#1 Wal-Mart

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#13 Target

#32 TJX, including TJ Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, Winners

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#37 Macy's

#45 Sears Holdings

#52 Kohl's

#65 Nordstrom

#67 Marks & Spencer Group plc (U.K.)

#71 El Corte Ingles S.A. (Spain)

#73 Ross Stores

#77 JCPenney

#83 Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. (Japan)

#87 Hudson’s Bay Company (Canada)

#95 S.A.C.I. Falabella (Chile)

#107 J. Front Retailing Co., Ltd. (Japan)

#118 Central Retail Corporation Ltd. (Thailand)

#129 H2O Retailing Corporation (Japan)

#130 Takashimaya Co. Ltd. (Japan)

#133 Don Quijote Co., Ltd. (Japan)

#155 Dillard's

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#169 Coppel S.A. de C.V. (Mexico)

#172 Burlington Coat Factory

#185 Lojas Americanas S.A. (Brazil)

#190 Neiman Marcus

#191 Woolworths Holdings Limited (South Africa)

#196 El Puerto de Liverpool, S.A.B. de C.V. (Mexico)

#211 Tokyu Corporation (Japan)

#228 Chongqing Department Store Co., Ltd (China)

#235 Dashang Co. Ltd. (China)

#250 Intersport Deutschland eG (Germany)

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