DALLAS – For the first time, 7-Eleven Inc. joined BrandZ’s tenth-annual list of the most valuable global brands for 2015, the only convenience-store chain to make the list. While it did not rank in the overall Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2015, it took the No. 17 spot on the retail category list, valued at $7.49 billion.
Apple leads the Top 100 list, followed in the top 10 by Google, Microsoft, IBM, Visa, AT&T, Verizon, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Marlboro rounding out the top 10 overall.
Top 20 Retail Brands
- Alibaba
- Amazon
- Walmart
- The Home Depot
- Ikea
- eBay
- Woolworths
- Aldi
- Costco
- Lowe's
- CVS
- Tesco
- Walgreens
- Target
- Carrefour
- JD.com
- 7-Eleven
- Macy's
- Whole Foods
- Lidl
Other industry-related brands on the list include MasterCard (No. 20), Starbucks (No. 20), Budweiser (No. 33), Subway (No. 40), ExxonMobil, (No. 49), Shell (No. 54), Pepsi (No, 79), BP (No. 81(, KFC (No. 83) and Red Bull (No. 94).
“The appearance of 7-Eleven in the BrandZ Retail Top 20 for the first time confirms the strength of the convenience trend,” according to the report produced by public-relations firm WPP's marketing and brand consultancy Millward Brown. “The convenience store chain operates 55,000 locations worldwide, including a strong presence in Asia.”
Convenience helped drive the success of CVS and Walgreens, which evolved from category-killer drug stores to convenience locations, small enough to easily shop but large enough to offer a wide range that includes not only pharmacy but also grocery.
Convenience also explains the development of "click and collect," a popular phenomenon in Europe that enables consumers to purchase online and pick up from outlets often located along their commuting routes.
Concerned that click and collect would reduce store visits, U.S. retailers have been slower to adopt it, but Walmart tested a click-and-collect system. Meanwhile, Amazon experimented in Manhattan with a one-hour delivery service called Prime Now. Amazon also introduced the Dash Button, a tool that puts replenishment of key items at the customer’s fingertips.
The total brand value of the Top 100 now stands at $3.3 trillion, a 14% increase on 2014 and a 126% growth over the 10 years since the company started the ranking.
"Brand value has risen substantially despite a disruptive decade," said David Roth of WPP. "This is a pivotal moment for brand builders. We're at the threshold of a new normal, and a changing consumer. The past 10 years of valuing brands proves that investing in creating strong, valuable brands delivers superior returns to shareholders."
Dallas-based 7-Eleven--a wholly owned by Tokyo-based Seven & i Holdings Co.--operates, franchises or licenses nearly 10,500 7-Eleven convenience stores in North America. Globally, there are more than 55,800 7-Eleven c-stores in 16 countries. Outside of the United States and Canada, there are close to 47,200 7‑Eleven and other c-stores in Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, China, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. During 2013, 7-Eleven c-stores generated total worldwide sales close to $84.5 billion.
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