UK’s top retailers ranked

Tuesday, February 9, 2016 - 09:40 by Sarah Collinson

In the latest report from IRUK, the 500 most prominent retailers nationwide have been assessed across all of the platforms on which they operate, with the five biggest firms all offering a strong online presence.

E-commerce giant, Amazon, managed to take the top spot, ahead of high street mainstays, Argos and Boots. The top five was rounded out by House of Fraser and John Lewis, indicating that there is plenty of room for department stores and traditional brands to make an impact in the modern marketplace.

Of the 100 biggest retailers nationwide, the proportion offering people the opportunity to place an order via safe shopping online and get it delivered during off-peak times, such as on a Sunday, has doubled over the course of the last 12 months.

There are also twice as many e-commerce sites allowing customers to pick specific delivery slots for the items they order, rather than having to wait around all day for an item to arrive.

Almost a quarter of the 500 retailers assessed were found to offer customers a dedicated mobile application that lets them make purchases, rather than forcing them to use a mobile site instead.

Furthermore, the report found that price is an important asset of organisations looking to take on Amazon, with 50 per cent of the UK’s 50 biggest outlets choosing to price big-selling products lower than this American interloper.

From a consumer perspective, this report shows that prices are falling, competition is increasing and the convenience of safe shopping online is greater now than ever before. And while Amazon may be dominant, it does not have a stranglehold on the market but is, instead, encouraging high street firms to improve their online offerings and embrace a modern approach to retail that is making the UK a global leader in this area.