Amazon leaps big, Walmart tops on most valuable global retailers list

Recently, Kantar Retail and BrandZ published a study on the Top 20 Most Valuable Global Retailers complied out of the Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands. Topping the list of global brands was Google, followed by IBM, Apple, Microsoft and Coca-Cola. The retail list--which focuses on businesses that sell directly to the public--contains some well-known American giants of retail and a few companies mostly unknown to U.S. consumers.

Only ten retail brands were a part of the larger 100 most valuable brands list; though brands such as Louis Vuitton, H&M, Zara and Gucci cracked the top 100, they are categorized as apparel businesses rather than retailers.

David Roth, Owner of BrandZ and CEO of WPP, the world's largest communications group employing 140,000 people in 107 countries, offered some insight on how the retail list was compiled in an interview with WalletPop.

"Historically, we have always categorized Gap, H&M and Zara in the apparel category rather than retail," said Roth. "Next year, we expect that we will move those brands into the retail category."

BrandZ is a brand equity database that contains information from more than 1 million consumers in 30 countries. Their consumer information is combined with financial and business performance and the Millward Brown Optimor calculates the brand value. And the top 10 are...