Walmart Similar Companies: The Ultimate Retail Giant Comparison Guide (2025)
- Kumar Shubham
- 6 days ago
- 13 min read
Walmart leads the retail industry with its massive network of 11,300 stores in 27 countries and revenue of $611.289 billion. Looking at companies like Walmart reveals powerful competitors such as Amazon, which earned $117.7 billion just from third-party sales.
The retail landscape includes major players that compete with Walmart. Target stands out with remarkable same-store growth of 19.3%, while Alibaba commands an impressive customer base of 903 million active buyers.
Top General Merchandise Retailers Similar to Walmart
Three major competitors stand out in the general merchandise space alongside Walmart. Each retail giant brings its own unique approach to capturing market share in this competitive landscape.
Amazon: The E-commerce Giant
Amazon started as an online bookstore and grew into the e-commerce leader, handling 40% of all U.S. e-commerce sales in 2020. The company's massive product selection and innovative delivery options have altered the map of retail competition with Walmart.
Amazon's market power shows clearly in its numbers. The company pulled in USD 502.20 billion in revenue (TTM) and USD 11.30 billion in net income (TTM). Amazon's U.S. ecommerce market share hit 39.7% in 2024, which is a big deal as it means that it's nearly four times larger than Walmart's 10.6%.
Amazon's growth story speaks volumes. Between 2010 and 2023, Amazon achieved a 24% cumulative annual growth rate (CAGR), leaving Walmart's 3% in the dust. This rapid growth helped Amazon close in on Walmart's total revenue. Consensus estimates for Q4 2024 put Amazon's quarterly revenues at USD 186.00 billion, just ahead of Walmart's expected USD 180.00 billion.
Amazon sets itself apart with a diverse business model. AWS makes up 17% of the company's total 2024 sales and brought in USD 91.00 billion (16%) of Amazon's total revenue in 2023. This mix of businesses helps Amazon earn more than Walmart, with net income expected to reach USD 51.00 billion in 2024 (8% margin) compared to Walmart's USD 20.00 billion (3% margin).
Target: The Trendy Alternative
Target stands out as the trendy, upscale alternative to Walmart. The company runs more than 1,800 stores across North America and matches Walmart closely in store experience and product offerings.
Target's numbers tell an impressive story, with 20% growth outpacing Walmart's 9%. The company's success comes from its focus on quality products and better shopping experiences. Target teams up with prominent stylists and home decorators to create collections that catch the eye of style-conscious shoppers.
Customer satisfaction numbers favor Target heavily. The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) gave Target 80 points in 2025, while Walmart scored just 73 points. Target shines brightest in store layout, cleanliness, merchandise selection, and its mobile app quality.
Target's product mix looks different from Walmart's. Sales spread evenly across beauty care, apparel, home furniture, and food and drink. Target's prices run higher than Walmart's, but customers often feel the better shopping experience and product quality justify the cost.
Costco: The Warehouse Club Leader
Costco runs on a unique membership-based warehouse model that works exceptionally well. The world's third-largest retailer brought in USD 242.29 billion in total revenue for 2023 and counts 71 million paid members.
This warehouse club takes a completely different path than Walmart. Costco keeps its product selection tight to cut costs and passes savings to members. By 2023, Costco grew to over 860 stores worldwide and grabbed 2.3% of the U.S. retail market while leading the warehouse club sector with over 60% market share.
Members stay incredibly loyal to Costco, with 90% renewing their memberships. The 2025 ACSI survey reflects this loyalty, giving Costco 82 points compared to Walmart's 73.
Costco's Kirkland Signature brand has become a powerhouse, matching or beating national brands in quality while keeping prices low. The company leads the world in selling prime beef, organic foods, wine, and rotisserie chicken. Even with inflation pressure, Costco keeps its famous rotisserie chickens and quarter-pound hot dogs at the same price.
The company keeps growing smartly, adding 23 new warehouses in 2023. Costco focuses on higher-income suburban spots where membership sales can cover warehouse costs.
Leading Grocery Stores Competing with Walmart
The grocery sector gives Walmart's market dominance a run for its money. Three grocery chains have carved their own space in the market. Each chain challenges Walmart through unique strategies and customer experiences.
Kroger: America's Largest Supermarket Chain
Kroger leads America's supermarket industry with about 2,800 stores in 35 US states. The company operates under various names like Kroger, Ralphs, and Fred Meyer. Their 2023 sales reached USD 150.04 billion with an operating profit of USD 3.10 billion. The chain serves 11 million customers each day.
Kroger stands as one of Walmart's toughest grocery rivals. The company's workforce of over 500,000 makes it a major US employer. Their market position stays strong even as Walmart grows its grocery business.
The company's Clicklist system makes shopping easier. Busy families can:
Browse and select groceries online
Pick up orders without entering the store
Save time during busy days
The company's market share has dropped from 11.2% in 2021 to 10.1% in 2023. Walmart still leads the grocery market share, with Kroger and Costco following behind.
Aldi: The Budget-Friendly Option
Aldi has become the go-to store for budget-conscious shoppers since 1976. This German discount retailer's US operations bring in USD 27.00 billion and hold 2.1% of the US grocery market.
Aldi's aggressive pricing strategy beats even Walmart's prices. Price comparisons show Aldi costs less than Walmart in most product categories. A recent comparison found an Aldi shopping basket cost USD 66.11, while Walmart's cost USD 67.63.
The store keeps costs low through smart practices:
Customers rent and return shopping carts with a quarter deposit
No free bags (bring your own or buy Aldi bags)
Small staff without baggers
Simple store layouts for quick shopping
Aldi plans to grow bigger. They announced plans to add 800 new stores by 2028, investing USD 9.00 billion over five years. This includes new stores and converting recently bought Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket locations.
Whole Foods: The Premium Alternative
Whole Foods Market sits at the other end of Aldi's price range. The chain offers premium alternatives to Walmart's grocery items. Amazon bought Whole Foods for USD 13.70 billion in 2017. The store's reputation comes from its high-quality organic and natural food options.
Amazon tried to lower Whole Foods' prices, but they still cost more than Walmart. Bank of America Merrill Lynch found Whole Foods' prices 34% higher than Walmart's. Their produce costs 25% more, and center-of-store items cost 58% more.
Whole Foods stands out from Walmart by offering:
Strict quality standards that ban over 300 ingredients
Large selection of organic and local produce
Unique items not found in regular supermarkets
Special perks for Amazon Prime members
The chain runs about 500 stores across North America and the United Kingdom. They target health-conscious shoppers who don't mind paying more for organic products. This creates a clear alternative to Walmart's value-focused grocery selection.
These three grocery giants show different ways to compete with Walmart. Kroger focuses on size and convenience, Aldi on lowest prices, and Whole Foods on premium quality and specialty products.
Specialty Retailers Challenging Walmart's Dominance
Specialty retailers have staked their claim in the retail scene by offering focused products and experiences that set them apart from Walmart's one-stop-shop model. These category experts excel in specific niches and successfully challenge parts of Walmart's massive merchandise empire.
Home Depot and Lowe's: The Home Improvement Duo
Home Depot and Lowe's rule the home improvement sector. Home Depot holds about one-third of the market share in both online and offline sales. These two giants, along with Amazon and Walmart, control most home improvement spending, each with roughly 15-20% of GMV share.
You'll notice clear differences between these home improvement giants in their store atmosphere. Home Depot goes for an industrial look with orange details and warehouse-style layouts that appeal to professional contractors. Lowe's stores showcase a blue-and-white color scheme with detailed displays and themed product sections. This reflects their slightly different target audiences, though both cater to DIY homeowners and professional builders.
These retailers run huge stores. A typical Home Depot location covers about 105,000 square feet inside plus 24,000 square feet of outdoor garden area. Lowe's stores are bigger, with 112,000 square feet indoors and 32,000 square feet of garden space. By 2022, Home Depot ran 2,303 stores across North America, while Lowe's managed to keep 1,973 locations.
Business Insider's review found that Home Depot offers more choices across departments. However, shoppers could meet their simple home improvement needs at Walmart for "a fraction of the price and time".
Best Buy: The Electronics Specialist
Best Buy became Walmart's main rival in consumer electronics through specialization and better shopping experiences. Best Buy runs 1,779 stores across North America and directly competes with Walmart while offering more electronics products.
Best Buy grabs an impressive 27% of spending in its category compared to Walmart's 15.1%. This edge continues despite Walmart's lower prices because Best Buy shines through other strengths:
Staff members who know their products inside out
Stores with dedicated spaces to test products
Detailed online product information that helps buyers make smart choices
Best Buy's expertise shows clearly in its TV displays. The stores often use darker lighting for TV areas and special Magnolia Home Theater sections that create better viewing environments than Walmart's fluorescent-lit aisles. This focus on specialized experiences helped drive Best Buy's financial success, with yearly revenue hitting $51.76 billion in 2022, a 9.52% increase from the previous year.
Dollar General: The Neighborhood Convenience
Dollar General challenges Walmart differently through quick expansion and focus on underserved markets. The discount chain opens three stores daily across America, putting stores "not even Walmart will go". This bold strategy means Dollar General now has more outlets nationwide than McDonald's.
About 75% of Americans live within five miles of a Dollar General store. These smaller stores (around 10,000 square feet) bring in about $260 per square foot in sales, with typical stores earning over $2 million yearly.
Many communities have mixed feelings about Dollar General's growth. While Walmart's bigger stores employ dozens of workers, Dollar General locations usually hire just six people compared to 14 at independent grocery stores. The chain's aggressive pricing often hurts local businesses, especially grocery stores that operate on thin margins where "cutting into a grocery store's sales even a small bit can endanger its survival".
Dollar General's effect goes beyond just money in some markets. The chain stocks mostly packaged foods instead of fresh produce, leading to criticism about creating or worsening food deserts in low-income areas. These worries have pushed some towns like Buhler, Kansas to say no to Dollar General's expansion plans, choosing to protect their community over possible price benefits.
International Retail Giants Similar to Walmart
Major retail giants around the world have become powerful walmart similar companies. Each one adapts their strategies to local markets as they expand internationally. These giants have created unique approaches that both mirror and differ from Walmart's business model.
Carrefour: The European Powerhouse
Carrefour, the French multinational retailer, is a major international competitor to Walmart. It operates in 30 countries with more than 13,500 stores worldwide. The company's earnings reached USD 87.89 billion in 2021, showing impressive growth of 6.64%. It employs over 319,565 people globally.
The company created the hypermarket concept in Europe and became an early pioneer in one-stop shopping destinations. Carrefour started its international expansion before Walmart. It entered Spain, Brazil, Argentina, and Taiwan during the 1970s and 1980s. This early move gave them significant advantages in these markets.
The Asian economic crisis of 1997/98 and Argentine financial crisis of 2001/02 made Carrefour change its strategy. They focused on:
Organic growth rather than acquisitions
Market leadership in existing territories
Multi-format expansion with smaller discount stores
Carrefour has done well in markets where Walmart struggled. Their success comes from worker-friendly systems and fair wages that match European labor expectations.
Alibaba: China's Retail Phenomenon
Alibaba Group is China's answer to Walmart's retail dominance. They run four major e-commerce platforms for different market segments:
Alibaba.com – Asia's largest B2B platform for wholesale global trade
AliExpress – B2C marketplace connecting consumers with Chinese manufacturers
Tmall – Premium B2C marketplace focused on branded products
Taobao – C2C platform for small vendors and individual sellers
Alibaba has grown to an impressive scale with over 903 million active buyers across its platforms. The company now operates in 200 countries and competes with Walmart globally.
Alibaba opened its marketplace to American suppliers in 2019. Their breakthroughs in payment systems (Alipay) and logistics (Cainiao Network) have boosted their competitive edge. They can now deliver international shipments within two days in some markets.
Regulatory issues led to a USD 2.75 billion fine for Alibaba in 2021. They had to stop exclusive merchant deals. All the same, analysts expect 7% revenue growth and 14% earnings growth for fiscal 2024. This shows the company's strength as a Walmart alternative.
Tesco: The UK Market Leader
Tesco rules British retail with about 27% market share. They lead the UK grocery market clearly. The company started by selling groceries from London's East End market stalls in 1919. Now they run over 4,500 stores across 12 countries.
Tesco's revenue hit USD 84.14 billion in 2022. This makes them the world's 15th largest retailer with USD 73.89 billion in sales. They competed with Walmart since 1999 when Walmart bought ASDA Group Ltd. Walmart ended up selling ASDA in 2021.
Tesco's multiple retail formats work really well. They have small Express stores (like their Fresh & Easy U.S. chain) and massive 60,000-square-foot Tesco Extra hypermarkets. Their format flexibility and sophisticated data mining through Dunnhumby (which Tesco mostly owns) gives them unique customer insights.
Tesco's private-label goods make up to 60% of sales in many countries. Some premium products like Tesco Finest chocolate or yogurt sell for 50% more than brands like Cadbury and Danone.
The company's financial performance stands out. They offer a higher dividend yield of over 4.5% compared to other major retailers. Their debt management is better too, with net debt of USD 12 billion.
How to Choose Between Walmart and Similar Stores
Choosing between walmart similar companies comes down to understanding how each store can affect your shopping experience. You need to know what matters most to you—price, quality, location, or service—before making your choice.
Price Comparison Strategies
Walmart's "Everyday Low Prices" (EDLP) strategy is the life-blood of its business model. The company keeps prices low consistently rather than relying on frequent sales. This approach is different from competitors like Target that focus more on profit margins with slightly higher prices.
To shop strategically:
Walmart works best for bulk purchases and everyday essentials because their aggressive supplier negotiations lead to lower prices consistently
Target's store-brand items sometimes cost less than Walmart's versions despite what most people think
Note that Walmart's price matching policy backs up its low-price image by matching competitors' prices
Target and Walmart's total basket costs end up being quite similar despite individual item price differences.
Product Quality Considerations
Product quality perceptions change by a lot between stores like Walmart. Target has built a reputation for better grocery quality. Shoppers report fewer problems with opened packages or past-prime produce.
Walmart usually gets specific electronics models made to hit lower price points. These models might look similar but can be different from those sold elsewhere. Manufacturers adjust specifications to meet Walmart's aggressive pricing needs.
Of course, store brands show these differences—Target's private labels are seen as higher quality even though prices stay similar.
Location and Convenience Factors
Your shopping experience depends heavily on store location. Before choosing a store:
Look at parking options and public transportation access
Think about how close stores are to your daily routes since convenient locations boost impulse buys
Check store layouts—Walmart stores are usually bigger (sometimes over 180,000 square feet), while competitors have more navigable formats
Walmart's network of over 4,700 U.S. stores makes shopping convenient for many people. This often makes it the default choice regardless of other factors.
Customer Service Expectations
Customer satisfaction surveys show Walmart scores below industry averages consistently. In 2024, Walmart scored 74 on the customer satisfaction index, which was nowhere near the supermarket average of 79.
Service-focused shoppers should know:
Target does better with staff availability and store cleanliness
Walmart streamlines processes instead of offering personal interaction
Specialty retailers are a great way to get knowledgeable help for specific purchases
Your priorities help determine which retailer works best for you—whether you want the lowest prices (Walmart), a better shopping atmosphere (Target), or expert advice (category-specific retailers).
The Future of Retail Competition in 2025
Walmart similar companies will face major changes in the retail world by 2025. These companies must adapt with fresh ideas to stay ahead. The market's winners will be decided by tech advances, what shoppers want, and how green they can be.
Emerging Retail Technologies
Stores similar to walmart are changing faster with AI-powered tools. When stores use AI chatbots during sales, they see 15% better results. About 60% of retail buyers say AI tools help them predict what to stock much better. The numbers show promise - 7 in 10 retail leaders plan to use AI for individual-specific experiences this year.
The way we shop in stores is getting a tech upgrade:
Stores without cashiers and robot stockers are now common
Delivery trucks that drive themselves give more options
Small automated warehouses will grow a lot in five years, with 64% of leaders expecting big growth
Changing Consumer Preferences
Shoppers have completely changed how they buy things. About 73% of people worldwide shop differently now, and most look for better value. The numbers tell the story - 7 out of 10 shoppers are ready to try new brands, even for things they keep taking.
Gen Z buyers, worth $9.8 trillion globally, want something different. They look for shopping options both online and in stores, and they love buying through social media. About 69% follow their favorite brands or ones they might buy. This makes social platforms crucial for walmart competitors.
Sustainability as a Competitive Edge
Green practices are no longer just nice extras - they drive business success. About 67% of shoppers just need brands to make eco-friendly products more available and cheaper. Another 59% want to know more about what companies do to help the environment.
Places like walmart see green investments as a way to stay strong, and 86% of business leaders agree with this viewpoint. Stores that use circular business models, eco-friendly packaging, and honest marketing about their green efforts see better customer loyalty and stand out from others.
Conclusion
The retail industry runs on a variety of approaches. Amazon dominates e-commerce while Costco succeeds with its membership model. Walmart may be the biggest player, but each competitor brings something special to the table through competitive pricing, superior quality, or specialized services.
The retail landscape will transform significantly as technology and sustainability shape its future, and consumers' choices will determine their shopping success.
FAQs
Q1. Who is Walmart's biggest competitor in the retail space?
Amazon is widely considered Walmart's biggest competitor, particularly in e-commerce. Amazon's rapid growth and innovative approaches have allowed it to narrow the revenue gap with Walmart in recent years.
Q2. What store offers a similar shopping experience to Walmart?
Target is often viewed as the most similar to Walmart in terms of store experience and product offerings. Target positions itself as a slightly more upscale alternative, focusing on trendier merchandise and a more enjoyable shopping atmosphere.
Q3. How does Costco compete with Walmart?
Costco competes with Walmart through its membership-based warehouse model, offering bulk products at discounted prices. Costco is known for its high-quality store brand (Kirkland Signature), excellent customer service, and loyal customer base.
Q4. What grocery stores are major competitors to Walmart?
Key grocery competitors to Walmart include Kroger, America's largest supermarket chain; Aldi, known for its budget-friendly options; and Whole Foods, which offers premium organic and natural food alternatives.
Q5. How are retailers adapting to compete with Walmart in the future?
Retailers are increasingly adopting technologies like AI-powered chatbots and automated fulfillment centers to enhance efficiency. They're also focusing on sustainability initiatives and adapting to changing consumer preferences, particularly those of younger generations like Gen Z, to remain competitive against Walmart.