This can’t be right

New research into the most competitive retail companies in America leaves out some of the nation’s most successful retailers, including Target. The wRating Corp. said it used a patented system, in which consumers rated how well companies are meeting their expectations and their willingness to pay more, if any, to have their expectations met. The company combines the consumer rating and pricing power with financial analysis to measure each company’s risk and competitive strength. Based on that methodology, wRating’s determine Coach, Jos. A Bank, Aeropostale, Amazon and Timberland were the five most competitive retail companies. In addition to Target, retailers such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowes, Staples, Best Buy, Costco and pretty much every other major retailer were left of the list of the top 20 companies culled from a universe of 169 retailers.

“Our rankings are highly unique,” according to the study. “Most lists rank companies by either financial or consumer performance. With our scores, we combine the two performance areas in a single metric centered around a core concept -- durable advantage.”

If you say so. Regardless of methodology, hard to understand how a list of the most competitive retail companies with a durable advantage doesn’t include any operators regarded as today’s industry leaders.