US retail king Walmart has toppled Royal Dutch Shell from top spot on the Fortune Global 500 list of the world’s biggest companies, based on total revenues.
Walmart Stores reported $US476.3 billion ($A515.34 billion) in revenues for 2013 as it ramped up international business.
Royal Dutch Shell of the Netherlands, which reigned for the prior two years, slipped to second place as revenues fell to $US459.6 billion.
Two Chinese energy companies – Sinopec Group and China National Petroleum – held the third and fourth spots, ahead of US oil and gas giant ExxonMobil.
The US still had the most companies on the Fortune 500 list “for now”, Fortune said on Monday, but with diminished strength.
There were 128 US companies on the list, reporting a combined $US8.6 trillion in revenues, down from 132 last year.
The number of Chinese companies on the list grew by six to 95, reporting $US5.8 trillion in revenues.
Meanwhile, there were 150 European companies this year, slipping from 151 last year.
“Global business is back,” Fortune said.
“After limping through a worldwide financial crisis and economic slowdown, the 500 largest companies ranked by revenues shattered all sorts of performance records in 2013.”
Their combined revenues rose to $US31.1 trillion, a gain of 2.5 per cent from 2012, while profits skyrocketed 27 per cent to nearly $US2 trillion.
Rounding out the top 10 were energy companies BP of Britain and China’s State Grid, car makers Volkswagen (Germany) and Toyota (Japan), and Switzerland-based commodities company Glencore.
Banks dominated the list with 55 companies, followed by energy companies (40) and car makers (33).
The Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, was the highest ranked bank as revenues surged 11.3 per cent to $US148.8 billion.
In the technology sector, South Korea’s Samsung was the largest, holding the 13th spot, ahead of US rival Apple, which moved up four places to 15.
Fortune said there were a record 17 women as CEO’s of Fortune Global 500 companies. Making the list for the first time were Mary Barra of General Motors, Nishi Vasudeva (Hindustan Petroleum), Arundhati Bhattacharya (State Bank of India) and Lynn Good (Duke Energy).
AFP
