Wesfarmers, Woolworths lead list of top 1000 Australian companies

Research firm IBISWorld on Tuesday revealed Australia’s top 1000 companies in 2018, with Wesfarmers and Woolworths placing within the top five.

The list provides an overview of Australia’s corporate landscape, and highlights the largest firms, growing and declining sectors and new businesses to watch in the coming years.

According to the report, over 75 per cent of the companies on the list lifted their revenue over the course of the year, with total revenue across the list having increased 1.5 per cent year on year, while over 70 per cent of businesses remained profitable.

However, after enjoying the top position in 2017, IBISWorld senior industry analyst James Thompson expects Wesfarmers to drop from second position in the list next year due to its demerger from supermarket Coles.

There were a number of new entrants, including online retailer Kogan, which joined the list at number 910 after generating significant revenue due to its expanded service offering and the growth of Kogan Mobile. The online retailer enjoyed annual revenue growth of 10.6 per cent, totalling $231.8 million, over the 2018-19 financial year.

Noni B, which entered the list at number 997, did so off the back of the successful integration of the brands it acquired from Specialty Fashion Group, which delivered revenue growth of 17.8 per cent for the year.

Other notable retailers on the list include:

• Metcash: 26
• Aldi: 49
• JB Hi-Fi: 56
• 7-Eleven: 84
• Harvey Norman: 123
• Cotton On: 157
• Myer: 158
• Super Retail Group: 160
• David Jones: 175
• Costco: 244
• Ikea Australia: 323
• Luxottica: 480
• The Reject Shop: 527
• Accent Group: 612
• Michael Hill: 710
• Nike: 772
• Amazon: 968
• Retail Food Group: 995