Dive Brief:
- Alibaba is now the most valuable retail brand in the world, according to BrandZ’s annual ranking of the top 100 global brands—making it more valuable than Amazon and Wal-Mart.
- Already an iconic presence in China, the huge e-commerce firm entered the list at No. 13, helping lift the entire retail category up by 24%.
- Aldi, Costco, Home Depot, Macy’s, and 7-Eleven were retailers that also climbed in the rankings.
Dive Insight:
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has eclipsed Amazon and Wal-Mart in the 2015 BrandZ ranking of the world’s 100 most valuable brands less than a year after its $25 billion IPO on the New York Stock Exchange. The company’s Taobao and Tmall platforms accounted for a whopping 70% of online retail sales in China in 2013. Another Chinese marketplace, JD.com, entered the list at No. 16.
Other gainers include 7-Eleven, which climbed to No. 17 worldwide, German discount supermarket chains Aldi and Lidl, and Costco. Macy’s ongoing omnichannel initiative helped it join the top 20 for the first time at No. 18, and home-improvement chains Home Depot and Lowe’s also grew, with the former now the fourth-most recognized retail brand worldwide.
Other big-box retailers weren’t so lucky, with Ikea, Target and Carrefour slipping in the rankings. Britain’s biggest retailer, Tesco, slipped from No. 6 in 2014 to No. 12 in 2015.
