JD Sports Leads NRF’s “Hot 25”

The top three retailers on the National Retail Federation’s  2025 Hot 25 Retailers list are based overseas, reflecting a surge in international companies seeking to stake a claim in the U.S. The annual list, compiled for the NRF by Kantar, ranks the fastest-growing retailers in the U.S. based on increases in domestic sales between 2023 and 2024.

Here are the top five, listed with their home countries and percentage growth in U.S. sales they experienced during those two years:

1. JD Sports: Lancashire, England (41.5%)
2. Primark: Dublin, Ireland (30%)
3. Fast Retailing: Yamaguchi, Japan (27.7%)
4. Shell USA: Houston (26.8%)
5. Abercrombie & Fitch: New Albany, Ohio (15.2%).

“The 2025 Hot 25 list represents a range of retailers that have experienced impressive growth over the span of a year,” said NRF Chief Economist and Executive Director of Research Mark Mathews. “Acquisitions and expansions led to sales growth for many of this year’s retailers, while several international businesses on the list continued to increase their presence in the United States.”

JD Sports grabbed the top spot on the list following its acquisition of Alabama-based Hibbett in 2024, which allowed it to add 1200 Hibbett, City Gear and Sports Addition stores across 36 states.

A few other highlights from the list:

• Shell’s convenience store unit owes its first appearance on the list to its acquisition of Timewise stores from Landmark and Brewer from Brewer Oil Co. in 2024.
• Amazon returns to the list for the first time since 2021, coming in at No. 11 with 9.4% sales growth between 2023 and 2024. Amazon’s various efforts across physical sales, marketplace services and its growing retail footprint across Amazon stores and Whole Foods earned the company a spot on the list.

“This year’s Hot 25 list is composed of a mix of new and returning retailers that have grown by adapting to the needs of their customers and enhancing the overall shopping experience,” said Kantar SVP of Global Retail and Technology David Marcotte. “Successful retailers will need to continue to invest in in-store technology, offer greater convenience and provide employee management trainings.”

Beyond Shell, other newcomers to the list in 2025 include Sprouts (No. 8), QuikTrip (No. 9), Muji (No. 14), H Mart (No. 16), ampm (No. 17), 99 Ranch Market (No. 20), Wawa (No. 23), Festival Foods (No. 24) and CVS (No. 25).

Click here to see the full list.