| A Short Retail Industry Glossary | i |
| Introduction | 1 |
| How To Use This Book | 3 |
| Chapter 1: Major Trends Affecting the Retail Industry | 7 |
| 1) Introduction to the Retail Industry | 7 |
| 2) Wal-Mart Dominates as the World' Biggest Retailer (and now America' Biggest Grocer) | 9 |
| 3) Department Stores have Evolved into Giant Apparel, Cosmetics and Accessories Stores | 10 |
| 4) Discounting and Discount Stores Evolve | 13 |
| 5) Private Label Brands Boom | 13 |
| 6) Sophistication and Success for Direct Marketers | 14 |
| 7) Rise of Showcase Stores and Super-Merchandisers | 17 |
| 8) For the Long Term in the U.S, a Decline in Consumer Spending and Debt, along with an Increase in Saving | 19 |
| 9) Bricks, Clicks and Catalogs Create Synergies While Online Sales Growth Slows | 19 |
| 10) GPS and Location Based Services (LBS) Ehance Cellphone Subscriptions | 21 |
| 11) Retail Technologies Leap Ahead | 22 |
| 12) RFID Drives Inventory Management Evolution | 24 |
| 13) Self Service Retail and Travel Technologies Take Off | 26 |
| 14) Retailers Find New Markets in China While India' Retail Industry Sees Lukewarm Growth/Russia Attracts Retail Interest | 27 |
| 15) Lifestyle Centers and Super-Regional Malls Falter/Mall Glut Anticipated | 29 |
| 16) Entertainment-Based Retailing, including Power Towns | 30 |
| 17) Shopping Center Tenants Face Slow Sales/Store Closings force Landlords to Become Creative | 31 |
| 18) Malls Morph to Stay Afloat | 32 |
| 19) Luxury Item Sales Slow/Discreet Discounts Become the Norm | 32 |
| 20) LOHAS- Socially Conscious Consumers Create Challenges and Opportunities for Advertisers and Marketers | 33 |
| 21) How to Interpret Reports of Retail Sales | 34 |
| Chapter 2: Retail Industry Statistics | 37 |
| U.S. Retail Industry Overview | 38 |
| Annual Consumer Price Index, 1913-2009 | 39 |
| Exports, General Imports & Trade Balance in Goods, U.S.: 1981-3rd Quarter 2009 | 40 |
| Types of U.S. Shopping Centers | 41 |
| Total U.S. Retail Sales & Annual Percent Change: 1992-2009 | 42 |
| U.S. Retail Trade Corporation Statistics, Q2 2009 | 43 |
| Total Estimates of Annual Sales of Merchant Wholesalers: 2002-2008 | 44 |
| Total Monthly Sales and Inventories of Merchant Wholesalers: Monthly, through August 2009 | 45 |
| Retail & Food Services Sales by Kind of Business, U.S.: 2003-September 2009 | 47 |
| Retail & Food Services Sales by Kind of Business, U.S.: Monthly, through September 2009 | 49 |
| Estimated Quarterly U.S. Retail Sales, Total & E-Commerce: 1st Quarter 2001-2nd Quarter 2009 | 51 |
| Total U.S. Disposable Income, Expenditures & Gross Domestic & National Product Per Capita: 1960-2009 | 52 |
| Average Annual U.S. Household Expenditures: 2003-2008 | 53 |
| Distribution of Total U.S. Annual Household Expenditures, by Major Category: 2008 | 54 |
| Resident Population Estimates by Age, U.S.: 2002-2010 | 55 |
| Employment in the Retail Industry, U.S.: 2003-September/October 2009 | 56 |
| Chapter 3: Important Retail Industry Contacts | 57 |
| Addresses, Telephone Numbers and Internet Sites | |
| Chapter 4: THE RETAIL 500: | |
| Who They Are and How They Were Chosen | 85 |
| Industry List, With Codes | 86 |
| Index of Rankings Within Industry Groups | 88 |
| Alphabetical Index | 101 |
| Index of Headquarters Location by U.S. State | 105 |
| Index of Non-U.S. Headquarters Location by Country | 110 |
| Index by Regions of the U.S. Where the Firms Have Locations | 111 |
| Index of Firms with International Operations | 126 |
| Individual Profiles on each of THE RETAIL 500 | 131 |
| Additional Indexes | |
| Index of Hot Spots for Advancement for Women/Minorities | 622 |
| Index of Subsidiaries, Brand Names and Selected Affiliations | 624 |