Walmart tops US PoweRanking … again

Walmart retained its top spot among retailers in Kantar’s 2018 US PoweRanking report, slightly edging The Kroger Co. Walmart has held the top spot for 22 consecutive years, according to Kantar, a data, insight and consultancy company.

PepsiCo earned the top position among suppliers in for the third consecutive year. PepsiCo solidified its position as a best-in-class partner, topping the competition in all nine metrics measured by the study, according to Kantar.

PoweRanking is an assessment of best-in-class manufacturers and retailers. Chosen by their peers, leaders are ranked on a range of factors from strategic metrics to business fundamentals.

Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart maintained its lock on the top position “due to clarity of strategy, supply chain, digital resources and manufacturer belief in future performance,” Kantar stated in a press release.

Cincinnati-based Kroger earned the second position on the retailer list for the third consecutive year, while Amazon moved up to the number three position. Meijer moved up one position to sixth and CVS entered the top 10 driven by the clarity of their health strategy.

“Walmart is famous for [its] clarity of strategy and supply chain expertise. Not only [is it] positioned well to win strategically and operationally, but [it also has] the financial resources and talent that has both skill and grit,” said Dan Raynak, chief client officer at Kantar Consulting, in a statement.

Download the 2018 PoweRanking Executive Summary here.