| 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 Sales Improve After Two Year Slump | 10 |
| 3) Department Stores Streamline While Outlet Stores Proliferate | 12 |
| 4) Discounting and Discount Stores Evolve | 13 |
| 5) Private Label Brands Grow in Share of Total Store Sales | 14 |
| 6) Sophistication and Success for Direct Marketers and Non-Store Sales | 15 |
| 7) Apple Sets the Bar for Showcase Stores and Super-Merchandisers | 18 |
| 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) Location-Based Advertising and Mobile Advertising on Cellphones Grow Quickly | 20 |
| 11) Groupon and Other Coupon Firms Compete Aggressively for Consumers’ Attention | 22 |
| 12) Retail Technologies Leap Ahead | 22 |
| 13) RFID Drives Inventory Management Evolution | 24 |
| 14) Self Service Retail and Travel Technologies Take Off | 26 |
| 15) Retailers Eye Expanding Middle Class, Move into Emerging Markets, Including China, India and Brazil | 27 |
| 16) Lifestyle Centers and Super-Regional Malls Falter/Mall Glut Anticipated | 29 |
| 17) Entertainment-Based Retailing, including Power Towns | 30 |
| 18) Retail Sales Begin to Rebound but Shopping Center Leasing Remains Problematic | 31 |
| 19) Malls Morph to Stay Afloat | 32 |
| 20) Luxury Item Sales Rebound | 32 |
| 21) LOHAS-Socially Conscious Consumers Create Challenges and Opportunities for Advertisers and Marketers | 33 |
| 22) How to Interpret Reports of Retail Sales | 34 |
| Chapter 2: Retail Industry Statistics | 37 |
| U.S. Retail Industry Overview | 38 |
| Annual Consumer Price Index, 1915-2011 | 39 |
| Exports, General Imports & Trade Balance in Goods, U.S.: 1981-3rd Quarter 2011 | 40 |
| Total U.S. Retail Sales & Annual Percent Change: 1992-2011 | 41 |
| U.S. Retail Trade Corporation Statistics, Q2 2011 | 42 |
| Total Estimates of Annual Sales of Merchant Wholesalers: 2005-2011 | 43 |
| Total Monthly Sales and Inventories of Merchant Wholesalers: Monthly, through September 2011 | 44 |
| Retail & Food Services Sales by Kind of Business, U.S.: Monthly, through September 2011 | 46 |
| Retail & Food Services Sales by Kind of Business, U.S.: 2005-September 2011 | 48 |
| Estimated Quarterly U.S. Retail Sales, Total & E-Commerce: 1st Quarter 2003-3rd Quarter 2011 | 50 |
| Total U.S. Disposable Income, Expenditures & Gross Domestic & National Product Per Capita: 1960-2011 | 51 |
| Average Annual U.S. Household Expenditures: 2005-2010 | 52 |
| Distribution of Total U.S. Annual Household Expenditures, by Major Category: 2010 | 53 |
| Top 10 Retail Websites, U.S.: November 12, 2011 | 54 |
| Resident Population Estimates by Age, U.S.: 2004-2010 | 55 |
| Employment in the Retail Industry, U.S.: 2005-October 2011 | 56 |
| Chapter 3: Important Retail Industry Contacts | 57 |
| (Addresses, Phone Numbers and Internet Sites) | |
| Chapter 4: THE RETAIL 500: | |
| Who They Are and How They Were Chosen | 87 |
| Industry List, With Codes | 88 |
| Index of Companies Within Industry Groups | 90 |
| Alphabetical Index | 102 |
| Index of U.S. Headquarters Location by State | 106 |
| Index of Non-U.S. Headquarters Location by Country | 111 |
| Index by Regions of the U.S. Where the Firms Have Locations | 112 |
| Index by Firms with International Operations | 127 |
| Individual Data Profiles on Each of THE RETAIL 500 | 131 |
| Additional Indexes | |
| Index of Hot Spots for Advancement for Women/Minorities | 604 |
| Index by Subsidiaries, Brand Names and Selected Affiliations | 606 |