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DAYTON, Ohio — CVS/pharmacy and Walgreens again finished in the top 10 among Interbrand’s U.S. Most Valuable Retail Brands list for 2013, though each drug chain fell a notch from last year.
The branding consultancy said Tuesday that CVS is the No. 5 most valuable U.S. retail brand this year, down from No. 4 in 2012, while Walgreens is the nation’s No. 7 most valuable retail brand, down from No. 6 last year.
The ascension of Amazon to No. 4 this year, from No. 9 in 2012, nudged down the position of the two pharmacy chains on Interbrand’s list of the top 50 most valuable U.S. retail brands.
Walmart held onto its No. 1 position as the nation’s most valuable retail brand for 2013.
Rounding out the top 10 most valuable U.S. retail brands for 2013 are Target (No. 2, same as in 2012), Home Depot (No. 3, same as in 2012), Coach (No. 6, up from No. 7 in 2012), Sam’s Club (No. 8, same as in 2012), eBay (No. 9, up from No. 10 in 2012) and Nordstrom (No. 10, up from No. 11 in 2012).
Best Buy fell from the top 10, finishing No. 13 in 2013 after coming in at No. 5 last year. Macy’s was this year’s biggest riser, climbing nine spots on the list to No. 40.
Also making the top 50 in 2013 from the food/drug/mass retail channel were Publix (No. 11), Costco (No. 14), Dollar General (No. 15), Whole Foods Markets (No. 34), Dollar Tree (No. 38) and Family Dollar Stores (No. 45).
Interbrand said the total brand value of this year’s top 50 brands is up 1.8%. Of the brands on the list again this year, 36 increased their brand value and 11 declined in brand value. The average brand on the list increased its value by over 6%, up from 4% in 2012.
The threshold to earn a spot on the U.S. ranking has increased to $836 million; last year, it took a brand value of $ 771 million to make the top 50, Interbrand said.
"The brands that make our list define the retail ecosystem and determine where it’s going," stated Justin Wartell, managing director of the Interbrand Design Forum. "Their relevance combined with the influence of new brands with unique business models brings the evolving world of retail into focus — interconnected, immediate, always on, dynamic, memorable and sometimes unexpected."
Interbrand gauges brands according to such characteristics as how well they stay relevant to changing customer needs; the speed and responsiveness of corporate decision making; how well they manage the customer experience in stores and through digital channels; and their ability to optimize, scale and measure.
"Last year was an exciting and value creating year in retail. The total value of the strongest retail brands increased," Wartell added. "This trend should continue as these brands live the principles that have made them strong: the relentless pursuit of meaningful customer knowledge, an efficient decision-making culture, a commitment to the new definition of retail and the determination to optimize and scale with purpose. That’s the recipe for success in 2013."
