Walmart (NYSE:WMT) is the second-largest company in the world by revenues at $469.2 billion, according to rankings by Fortune that were released on Monday (July 8).
That puts Walmart just $12.5 billion behind Royal Dutch Shell, which topped Fortune’s annual Global 500 list at $481.7 billion. To get to the second spot, Walmart overtook Exxon Mobil ($449.9 billion).
Other companies that own retailers that ranked high on the list (excluding energy companies that also own gas stations and convenience stores) include #18 Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.A), #19 Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), #40 CVS Caremark (NYSE:CVS), #59 Carrefour, #63 Tesco, #67 Costco (NASDAQ:COST), #72 Kroger (NYSE:KR), #87 Metro, #106 Home Depot (NYSE:HD), #113 Target (NYSE:TGT) and #120 Walgreens (NYSE:WAG). Apple was also the second most profitable company on the list, according to the Huffington Post.
Walmart being near the top is no great surprise, but the fact that it trailed Shell by only 2.6 percent—and beat every other energy company on what has been a traditionally energy-heavy list—says something significant about the rise of retail (and, perhaps, the decline of oil companies). Based on how the top companies are growing (or not), Walmart could take the top spot next year.
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But even more significant may be the fact that all the top U.S. retailers on the Forbes list except Walgreens rose in the rankings from last year. Walgreens dropped 13 spots, while European retail giants Carrefour, Tesco and Metro also all fell back.
Date: July 8, 2013