Sears Out at Second – Kroger In

Although Wal-Mart easily retained its 1998 ranking as the nation's largest retailer, a 1999 growth spurt earned Kroger the number two spot on STORES Magazine's (published by the NRF) listing of “The Triversity Top 100 retailers.”

Wal-Mart (Bentonville, Ark.), posted sales of $165 billion. However, the acquisition of several chains (including Fred Meyer and Ralph's), increased the Kroger fleet by 1,200 stores and practically doubled its earnings. The sales volume for the Cincinnati-based company was more than $45 billion, which helped it leap five spots from 1998. Sears dropped to third, followed by Home Depot (fourth) and Albertson's (fifth).

According to the NRF, the industry had a stellar year in 1999, posting sales of almost $3 trillion combined.

Triversity Inc. (Toronto) offers transaction management and customer relationship management solutions for physical and online retailers. For more information visit www.triversity.com.