Nike and Decathlon lead as the world’s largest sports retailers

Decathlon, the French chain of stores dedicated to the sale and distribution of sports equipment, climbed positions, closing in on Nike, which remained the largest global sports apparel retailer. The data are from the Global Powers of Retailing 2023 ranking prepared by the professional services firm Deloitte.

The U.S. multinational again reached 59th place in the ranking, as it did last year, while Decathlon climbed seven positions in the same period, from 82nd to 75th.

Also rising in the Deloitte ranking were Dick’s Sporting Goods, which climbed 14 places to enter the top 100, and JD Sports, which climbed 34 places to 141st.

On the other hand, Adidas fell three places in the ranking, from 118th to 121st.

Foot Locker, meanwhile, regained ground after falling in last year’s ranking and climbed 16 positions to 129th.

In the case of Frasers Group, owner of Sports Direct, the increase was 33 positions, reaching 195th place.

Lululemon, which entered the list for the first time in 2022, recorded the biggest rise in the sector, advancing from 239th to 196th, a rise of 43 positions.

Also in the ranking is U.S. sporting goods retailer Academy Sports+Outdoors, which fell 18 places to 174th.

Sports retailers gain markets

Across the world’s top 250 retail companies, annual revenues increased by more than 8 percent, up from the previous year’s 5 percent growth.

Apparel and accessories, which includes sporting goods, posted the strongest annual sales growth, with an increase of more than 31 percent.

The top 10 of the world’s leading retailers remained virtually unchanged.

Walmart once again leads the ranking, with Amazon and Costco completing the podium.

The only change was made by the Chinese e-commerce company JD.com, from 9th to 7th place, overtaking the British-American-Swiss holding company Walgreens Boots and the German discount supermarket chain Aldi, which fell one place each, to 8th and 9th, respectively.

The top-ranked Spanish company in Deloitte’s ranking is Inditex, which rises ten places to 35th.

In the national ranking, Mercadona is in second place, maintaining its 37th position, and the podium is completed by El Corte Inglés, which rises four positions to 93rd.

Global Powers of Retailing historical leaders

Global Powers of Retailing is an annual report that ranks the world’s retail companies by revenue.

The report is published by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and has been in existence for over 25 years.

It aims to provide information on the global retail industry and identify trends and challenges facing the sector.

The Global Powers of Retailing is funded by Deloitte, a multinational professional services network that provides audit, consulting, tax and advisory services. Deloitte is one of the so-called “Big Four” accounting firms and has a global presence in more than 150 countries.

Over the years, the Global Powers of Retailing report has featured some of the world’s leading retail companies. Historical leaders include Walmart, Carrefour, Tesco and Costco.

Walmart has been the number one company on the list for several years, with revenues exceeding $500 billion in 2020, $600 billion in 2021 and more than $611 billion in 2022, as we detailed last week in Investor Times.

Amazon, Alibaba and JD.com are other companies that have risen in the rankings in recent years due to their e-commerce dominance.

Other global company rankings

In addition to the Global Powers of Retailing, other similar rankings are generated around the world.

For example, the Forbes Global 2000 list, which includes firms from different sectors, including retail.

The Fortune Global 500 also ranks the world’s largest companies by revenue. However, the Global Powers of Retailing report focuses specifically on the retail industry and provides an in-depth analysis of the trends and challenges facing the sector.

According to the 2021 Global Powers of Retailing report, the coronavirus pandemic had a major impact on the global retail industry, with a large number of companies struggling to adapt to social distancing and reduced foot traffic.

However, the report notes that some retailers were able to thrive in this environment, particularly those with a strong e-commerce presence.