Hometown Glory

The top stores in America have a Texas bent: Lone Star State's prominent on 100 best list

The National Retail Federation's publication Stores Magazine has revealed the Top 100 Retailers of 2013 and Texas makes a strong showing. Eleven Lone Star State companies make the list, which was determined by 2012 sales, with one local business holding down a spot in the Top 25.

H-E-B, headquarters in San Antonio (No. 23) - The grocery store reported $18.2 billion sales last year, up 8.2 percent from 2011. H-E-B has more than 350 stores in Texas and Mexico and more than 80,000 employees. With 17,000 employees in the Houston-area alone, it's one of the largest private employers in the region. Who knows what kind of numbers 2013 will bring after the introduction of Whataburger's bottled "fancy" condiments and fry-flavored potato chips?

J.C. Penney, Plano HQ (No. 29) - The department store must have felt confident enough with its sales to drop Paula Deen's line of merchandise.

Whole Foods, Austin HQ (No. 35) - With any luck, the rising popularity of quinoa and gluten-free gummy bears will keep this grocery chain in the black.

7-Eleven, Dallas HQ (No. 37) - Thanks, Big Gulp.

Army Air Force Exchange, Dallas HQ (No. 43) – This government agency, which provides reduced-price merchandise on military bases, has been stirring up controversy lately.

AT&T Wireless, Dallas HQ (No. 54) – AT&T certainly raised the bar, with sales growing nearly 17 percent from the previous year — the fourth largest growth of any Top 100 company.

GameStop, Grapevine HQ (No. 68) – Optimists believe active, educational and humanitarian video games have the potential to be this year's big sellers.

Dell, Round Rock (No. 83) - Dell is one of only two online-only companies to make the list; the other is Amazon.com at No. 11. "In this digital age, it seems remarkable that bricks-and-mortar retailers have displayed such staying power," writes Stores reporter David Schulz. "Truth is, more than 15 years into the dot-com revolution, online transactions account for less than 15 percent of total retail sales."

Neiman Marcus, Dallas HQ (No. 84) - How will becoming a publicly traded company affect the luxury retailer?

Michaels Stores, Irving HQ (No. 88) - Nearly $4 billion is a lot of Mod Podge!

RadioShack, Fort Worth HQ (No. 98) - Really?

The Top 5 companies overall? Walmart, Kroger, Target, Costco and Home Depot.

H-E-B was ranked #23 on the list of Top Retailers, 2013.

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This Week's Hot Headlines

Austin restaurant chain bowls over River Oaks and more popular stories

Photo by Becca Wright

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Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, including restaurant openings and a major acquisition for MFAH. Plus, where to celebrate New Year's Eve in Houston. Catch up on our most popular stories below, then visit this guide to the best Christmas weekend events.

1. Meet the men behind River Oaks' new destination for bowls and broth. On this episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Honest Mary’s founder Nelson Monteith and COO Andrew Wiseheart joined CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Austin-based restaurant that just opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

2. Houston's only Michelin-recognized Tex-Mex restaurant now open in Bellaire. It didn’t take Sambrooks Hospitality Group long to turn Mandito’s into Candente. First announced in September, the restaurant’s second location officially opened December 22.

3. 25 Houston restaurants celebrating New Year's Eve with caviar, bubbles, and more. Houston restaurants are ringing in the new year with indulgent menus featuring caviar, lobster, and steak, along with plenty of bubbly.

4. Houston museum acquires historic Masonic lodge property for new greenspace. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has acquired a prime parcel to expand its campus in the Museum District.

Holland Lodge masonic building The building at 4911 will be torn down for the new greenspace. Holland Lodge No. 1, A.F. & A.M./Facebook

5. Houston's richest residents, best suburbs, and more top city news in 2025. As 2025 comes to a close, we're looking back at the stories that defined Houston this year. These are the City Life stories that captured Houston's attention.