Walmart tops most valuable retail brands list

DAYTON, Ohio — Interbrand, a consultancy, has named Walmart the most valuable retail brand for 2013. The retailer retained its top spot from 2012.

Rising through the ranks were Macy's, which increased brand value by 62% and moved up nine spots on the list to #40 and Amazon.com, which moved up to #4 on the list, growing brand value by 46%.

While consumer confidence continues to ebb and flow, energy abounds in the U.S. retail sector. The total brand value of this year’s top 50 brands is up 1.8%. Of the brands that are on the list again this year, 36 of them increased brand value while only 11 declined. The average brand on the list increased its value by over 6%, up from 4% in 2012. The threshold to earn a spot on the U.S. ranking has increased to $836 million; last year it took a brand value of $ 771 million to make the top 50.

There are some notable shifts in the U.S. top 10, but the top three brands hold their positions. Walmart maintains its #1 position by a huge margin with a brand value more than $141 billion, up 1% from last year. Target is in the #2 position with a value of $25 billion, up 7% from 2012. The Home Depot is solid at #3 with a brand value of nearly $23 billion. Amazon makes a big jump to #4 from last year’s #9. CVS/pharmacy is down one spot to #5; its brand value decreased 8%. Coach moves up one position to #6 with an 8% jump over last year, while Walgreens drops one notch to #7 with a 4% decline. Sam’s Club increases brand value by 5% and holds on to the #8 position. eBay ups its rank to #9 and Nordstom increases 7% to join the top 10. Best Buy falls out of the top 10 for the first time in the five years that we’ve ranked the top 50 most valuable retail brands with a brand value decline of 52%, which puts it at #13 on the list.

Three brands—Express, Cabela’s and Anthropologie—join the U.S. Most Valuable Retail Brands this year, while Toys “R” Us, Abercrombie & Fitch and Advance Auto Parts fall out of the ranking.

“The brands that make our list define the retail ecosystem and determine where it’s going,” says Justin Wartell, managing director of Interbrand Design Forum. “Their relevance combined with the influence of new brands with unique business models brings the evolving world of retail into focus—interconnected, immediate, always on, dynamic, memorable and sometimes unexpected.”

Visit BestRetailBrands.com to download the complete report.