KROGER JUMPS 5 PLACES IN NRF TOP 100

WASHINGTON -- Kroger Co., Cincinnati, jumped five places to capture the No. 2 spot and lead a strong gain for large supermarkets in the National Retail Federation's annual Top 100 Retailer rankings, released last week.

reports, 10-K statements and analyst comments. Wal-Mart, the Bentonville, Ark.-based mass merchant with sales of $165 billion in 1999, widened its lead as the No. 1 retailer from 1998. Wal-Mart's sales were up by more than 20% in 1999.

Kroger Co., Cincinnati, gained five spots as a result of some 1,200 stores added through acquisition, knocking former runner-up Sears Roebuck and Co., Hoffman Estates, Ill., to the third position.

Albertson's, Boise, Idaho, gained seven spots to No. 5 partly as a result of its acquisition of American Stores, Salt Lake City.

Other food retailers in the top 20 included Safeway, Pleasanton, Calif. (No. 9), Costco Wholesale, Issaquah, Wash. (No. 10); Winn-Dixie, Jacksonville, Fla. (No. 16), and Publix, lakeland, Fla. (No. 19).

Overall, food retailers performed very well, the NRF said, gaining 11.2% in sales from 1998. Consolidation within the industry changed the complexion of the list, with three food retailers in the top 5 (Wal-Mart, Kroger and Albertson's) compared with five general merchandise retailers (Wal-Mart; Sears; Kmart, Troy, Mich.; Target, Minneapolis, and JCPenney, Plano, Texas) in 1998.

"The Triversity Top 100 suggests that retailing appears poised to be dominated by fewer, but much larger players in each segment," said Greg Bandler, vice president of marketing for Triversity.

Drugstores and discount stores made the largest sales gains as a group among the ranked companies, according to the NRF.

Other food companies on the list included Delhaize America, Salisbury, N.C. (No. 24); A&P, Montvale, N.J. (No. 26); Meijer, Grand Rapids, Mich. (No. 28); Supervalu, Minneapolis (No. 33); H.E. Butt Grocery Co., San Antonio, Texas (No. 34); Shaw's Supermarkets, East Bridgewater, Mass. (No. 43) and Giant Eagle, Pittsburgh (No. 47).

New to the list was Whole Foods Markets, Austin, Texas, at No. 94. Internet retailer Amazon.com (No. 93) became the first "pure play" ranked in the top 100, at No. 93, the NRF said.