The cumulative valuation of the global top 25 retailers by market capitalization rose 8% quarter-on-quarter to $270 billion in Q1 2023, according to London-based data and analytics company GlobalData.

Some of the retail giants, such as Amazon and Walmart (the US), Inditex (Spain), Ahold Delhaize (Netherlands), Alibaba (China), Kering (France), and Adidas (Germany), posted growth in their market capitalisation.

Ragupathy Jayaraman, Business Fundamentals Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The global retail industry’s growth is set to be driven by social commerce, metaverse, and experiential retail, despite inflationary pressures and interest rate hikes.”

Adidas was the biggest gainer in the top 25 global retail stocks, with a 29.5% quarter-on-quarter growth in market capitalisation in Q1 2023. However, the company anticipates a €1.2 billion hit in revenue, mainly due to the termination of its partnership with Kanye West’s Yeezy brand. 

Spanish multinational clothing chain Inditex witnessed a $20 billion surge in its valuation in the first quarter of 2023. 

Despite a minor decline in the middle of Q1 2023, Amazon’s stock gained momentum towards the end of the quarter and reached a valuation of $1.06 trillion compared to $856 billion at the end of Q4 2022. 

Jayaraman stated that the global retail landscape will likely be influenced by various factors such as consumer behaviour, technology, consumption habits, and housing prices throughout 2023, although the industry is poised for growth.

(Editing by Seban Scaria seban.scaria@lseg.com)