Annual ranking of U.S. sales growth from Kantar and NRF

WASHINGTON – Grocery retailers occupy the top two spots on a ranking of the fastest-growing U.S. retailers in 2022.

Grocers command three of the top five spots on the latest Hot 25 Retailers list, released this week by the National Retail Federation, which collaborates with Kantar in putting together the annual ranking.

Mexico City-based Grupo Comercial Chedraui heads the list, with U.S. sales increasing 137% from 2021. The performance reflects Chedraui’s acquisition of grocery chain Smart & Final, a deal which closed last year.

No. 2 this year is Raley’s Cos., with sales up 73%, in part on contributions from its late-2021 acquisition of Bashas’ Family of Stores, a deal that nearly doubled Raley’s store count and gave the West Sacramento, Calif.-based company a presence in Arizona.

No. 3 this year is Primark Stores Ltd. The London-based clothing and accessories chain posted a 65% increase in its U.S. sales in 2022.

At No. 4 is Schwarz Group, which since 2017 has operated grocery stores in the United States under the Lidl banner. U.S. sales were up 52% last year, according to NRF.

At No. 5 is 7-Eleven, with U.S. sales up 30% from a year earlier, thanks in part to the mid-2021 acquisition of Speedway, which pushed its store count to nearly 14,000.

Retailers in 2022 were starting to move beyond the stresses related to COVID-19, said David Marcotte, Kantar senior vice president, who described the pandemic as a time which was “the best and worst for all retail.”

“For many retailers — particularly in segments like grocery — it has shown up through mergers and acquisitions, Marcotte said. “If you look at the growth in grocery, it’s almost all M&A.”

The acquisition of 22 Numero Uno stores last year pushed Compton, Calif.-based Superior Warehouse Grocers to the No. 6 spot on this year’s list, Marcotte said.

Rounding out the Hot 25 are:

No. 7: BJ’s Wholesale Club, with U.S. sales up nearly 23%.

No 8: Inditex, with U.S. sales up 19.4%.

No. 9: Chico’s, up 18.5%.

No. 10: Ulta Beauty, up 18.3%.

No. 11: Verizon Wireless, up 17.1%.

No. 12: Costco Wholesale, up 16.9%.

No. 13: Grocery Outlet, up 16.2%.

No. 14: Sephora (LVMH), up 15%.

No. 15: Total Wine and More, up 14.6%.

No. 16: Tiffany & Co., up 14.2%.

No. 17: Wine.com, up 14%.

No. 18: Publix Super Markets, up 13.6%.

No. 19: Chewy.com, up 13.6%.

No. 20: Leslie’s Poolmart, up 13.6%

No. 21: Schnucks, up 13.5%.

No. 22: Harbor Freight Tools, up 13.1%.

No. 23: Sherwin-Williams, up 12.8%

No. 24: Lululemon, up 12.8%.

No. 25, H-E-B, up 12.2%.