Lowe’s, Home Depot, Best Buy rank as top-performing retail brands in study

Two home-improvement giants and the nation’s leading consumer electronics retailer took the top spots in an overall ranking of retail companies — as chosen by the public.

Reflecting increased consumer demand for home improvement, Lowe’s was the top-performing brand overall in research and data analytics group YouGov’s latest U.S. Retail Rankings 2021, followed by The Home Depot and Best Buy. Rounding out the top five were Barnes & Noble and Ace Hardware. (See end of article for complete list.) The rankings were based on their Index score, which is a measure of overall brand health calculated by taking the average of impression, quality, value, satisfaction, recommend and reputation during a period of 12 months.

Mass Merchandisers/Drug Stores
Target was recognized as the top-performing mass merchandiser. Strong offerings via its website and app, drive-up and delivery services and updated in-store experience likely contributed to the brand’s success, according to YouGov. Rounding out the top five were Costco, Walgreens, CVS Health and Walmart.

Department Stores/Value Fashion
Kohl’s came in at number one in the department store and value fashion segment, followed by Macy’s.  Both brands performed above expectations among back-to-school sales. J.C. Penney, Marshall’s and Burlington rounded out the top five.

The rankings charts below shows the brands with the highest average index score between 1st September 2020 and 31st August 2021. The scores are representative of the general population of adults 18-plus.