Top 10 Retailers Around the World
#7 Costco Wholesale
Country of Origin: U.S.
Countries of Operation: 9
Annual Revenue: $88.915 billion (as of 2011)
The seventh largest retailer in the world, Costco Wholesale Corporation was founded in 1983 in Kirkland, Washington by James D Sinegal and Jeffrey H Brotman and as of 2009 it employs 147,000 people. As of 2012, it is the fifth largest retailer in the United States and also the largest membership warehouse club chain in the U.S. It is the first company in America to grow from zero to $3billion in sales in less than six years. Costco was put at the 25th position on the Fortune 500 in the year 2010 and in the year 2008, the ACSI (American Customer Satisfaction Index) placed Costco at number one in the specialty retail store industry. The company focuses on selling products at low prices, mostly at high volume. The goods are usually bulk-packaged and marketed and it aims at large families and businesses. During the beginning days, the company preferred to sell only boxed products, later it started selling other products that are more difficult to handle, such as fresh food products, meat, seafood, dairy products, flowers, clothing, books, home appliances, jewelry etc.
