Walmart Remains No. 1 Retail Brand

The global Best Retail Brands report, which is produced in collaboration with Interbrand’s retail experience group, Design Forum, ranks the top 50 North American and European retail brands by brand value, as well as the top retail brands from across Latin America and the Asia-Pacific.

Even with a 6 percent decline in brand value, Walmart preserves an enormous margin over its closest competition. In addition to being No. 1 in North America, Walmart is also the most valuable retail brand in the world, with a brand value of $131,877 billion.

H&M is the No. 1 brand in Europe (brand value of USD $18,168 billion), while Woolworths took the top spot in Asia-Pacific (USD $4,948 billion) and Natura leads in Latin America (USD $3,156 billion).

The report also suggests that major retailers are looking beyond their

"The world's best retail brands understand the complex and challenging relationships between analog and digital and have been quick to address changing shopper behaviors,” says Dirk Defenbaugh, managing director, Interbrand Design Forum. “By integrating the physical and virtual, making purchasing easier, enhancing service and using storytelling, these leading brands are reimagining their offers, and creating unique experiences for consumers that convert browsers into buyers."

North America Highlights?

For 2014 the total value of the top 50 North American retail brands is up by $18 billion.

This is the first year that Canadian brands have been ranked alongside U.S. brands for a North America list. Three Canadian brands make the Top 50 for North America: Shoppers Drug Mart (No. 28, down 5 percent), Lululemon Athletica (No. 29, down 13 percent) and Canadian Tire (No. 38, down 3 percent).

The top five retail brands in the region maintain their positions from 2013 and include (in order) Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Amazon and CVS Pharmacy.

This year’s top risers include Macy’s (brand value up 383 percent), Whole Foods (up 173 percent), Amazon (up 27 percent) and Cabela’s (up 27 percent).

Chico's (No. 50) makes the list for the first time and Advance Auto Parts (No. 46) returns to the list after falling off in 2013, while five brands fell out of the Top 50–Guess, Big Lots, Rent-A-Center, Radio Shack and Anthropologie.