TJX, Ross & Burlington help consumers looking to stretch dollars
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2026 Top 100 Retailers List
NRF's Top 100 Retailers ranks the industry’s largest companies according to sales.
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The National Retail Federation’s annual Top 100 Retailers list ranks retailers based on U.S. sales. Walmart remains in the top spot, followed by Amazon, Costco, Kroger and The Home Depot. This series takes a look at power players in select retail categories. Power players are retailers in this Top 100 list with 2025 U.S. sales equal to or greater than 10% of the sales of the category leader.
The apparel and jewelry category continues to be a slow and steady grower in NRF’s Top 100 Retailers, compiled by Kantar. Same-store sales at companies like Victoria’s Secret and Ross Stores grew at 5%, leading the pack. Only Kohl’s posted a dip, of 3.1%.
But the real story, says Kantar senior vice president Dave Marcotte, is the continued appeal of what has traditionally been considered off-market.
TJX Companies and its brands TJMaxx, HomeGoods, Marshalls and others held on to No. 15 on the Top 100 and saw its same-store sales increase by 4% in its apparel brands. That helped the company top $36 billion in retail sales, far outpacing others in the category.
“TJX has moved away from a clearance, markdown model to one that’s close to the middle of the pack,” Marcotte said. “The same can be said for Nordstrom Rack. … They’ve now moved into this high-middle profile in terms of story.”
Still, there is no doubt that consumers are driven by a need to “stretch their dollar,” says Mark Mathews, NRF’s chief economist and executive director of research.
“This inflationary environment that we’re living in isn’t affecting top-line spending, but it’s affecting how people are spending underneath. If you're able to convince the consumer that you are the keenest in terms of pricing, you're going to do well in this environment. But also, there are more and more niche groups of consumers looking for something different and special. Businesses that can cater to those niches are the ones that are going to do well in this environment.”
It’s no surprise, then, that TJX and Ross lead the apparel category in overall sales. Traditional department stores like Gap, Dillards and J.C. Penney Company are in their wake, with Macy’s at $21.68 million. Burlington (No. 45 on the overall Top 100) is growing rapidly, increasing its store count by 9% in 2025. Nordstrom, which includes Nordstrom Rack, saw retail sales top $14.9 billion in 2025.