绝大多数情形，商店的租金是按照面积大小来计算的，而一家商店的业绩，一般也多是按照每平方英尺的年度销售量来核算和比较的。这也是为什么，商店都知道在店面面积的使用上精打细算，尽可能提高业绩。

那么，今天的美国，到底有哪些店的盈利能力最强呢？

以前的第一名是Tiffany，现在被苹果零售店占据。

美国很多商业购物中心（Mall）大店的每平方英尺的年度销售额不会高于400美元，而苹果却能够做到5647美元，Tiffany则有3085美元，Couch包店做到了1824美元。

最让人难以相信的恐怕是GameStop店的业绩。这家平常看上去不怎么地的店，却名列第六名，做到了1021美元，而且，它的店面还不算小，至少和Couch店相比是这样。

再者，这家卖游戏商品的店，时常还会在一个半平方英里的地方，开上三家！在我们附近看到的就是这样的情形。

从零售店的业绩，我们能够看到一段时期内美国经济的走向特点。

The Most Profitable Stores in America

February 22, 2012

6. GameStop
> Sales per square foot: $1,021
> (not on RetailSails list)
> Revenue/net income (millions): $9,665 /$403
> Gross margin: 27.3%
> 2011 stock price change: 5.5%

The world’s largest video game retailer does not have the high growth rates the other retailers on this list have. It does, however, have over 6,600 locations. GameStop (NYSE: GME) has a stronghold on the used game market, which produces much better profit margins than new hardware or software. The company will have to stay focused as increasing competition tries to move in on that segment. Its most powerful competition may not be other video game retailers. More and more games are now directly downloaded to and played on smartphones and tablet PCs.

5. True Religion Apparel
> Sales per square foot: $1,096
> (No. 9 on RetailSails fastest growing list)
> Revenue/net income (millions): $420/$45.0
> Gross margin: 64.8%
> 2011 stock price change: 55.3%

True Religion Apparel (NASDAQ: TRLG) has grown from its 2002 founding into a $420 million global company with distribution in 50 countries. The company has grown in a niche market, as its average selling price of jeans in the full price stores reached $260 in the fourth quarter of 2011. True Religion also sells its products through other major retailers, which include department store Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN).

4. Lululemon Athletica
> Sales per square foot: $1,800
> (No. 8 on RetailSails fastest growing list)
> Revenue/net income (millions): $875 /$165
> Gross margin: 57.6%
> 2011 stock price change: 36.3%

Another relative newcomer to retailing, Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ: LULU) is a yoga-inspired athletic apparel company, which shared its first retail space with a yoga studio. The firm was founded in 1998 in the Canadian city of Vancouver. Revenue has soared recently, and doubled between the firm’s fiscal 2009 and fiscal 2011 years. Lululemon recently raised guidance for fourth-quarter sales and earnings. The retailer only has over 150 stores and has opened several a month for the past year, so it is likely to be able to continue to grow.

3. Coach
> Sales per square foot: $1,824
> (not on RetailSails list)
> Revenue/net income (millions): $4,481/$951
> Gross margin: 72.3%
> 2011 stock price change: 10.4%

Best known for its high-end leather handbags, Coach (NYSE: COH) also sells wallets, shoes and novelty accessories. Its primary markets are the U.S. and Japan, which account for almost 90% of sales. One of the examples of the international growth of Coach is that it has individual e-commerce sites in 21 different companies.

Also Read: Twelve

2. Tiffany
> Sales per square foot: $3,085
> (No. 25 on RetailSails growth rate list)
> Revenue/net income (millions): $3,557 /$442
> Gross margin: 59.2%
> 2011 stock price change: 6.4%

Diamonds are small and pricey, so it should come as no surprise to that a luxury jeweler is on a list featuring sales per square feet. Tiffany (NYSE: TIF) opened its first store in 1837. The luxury jeweler is well known for its Tiffany Blue color, association with Hollywood films and its flagship Fifth Ave store, which is one of the most expensive locations in the world for a retail store. In contrast to Apple, which is a relatively new retail brand, Tiffany has been in business since 1937.

1. Apple
> Sales per square foot: $5,647
> (No. 5 on the RetailSails top 25 growth list)
> Revenue/net income (millions): $127,841 /$32,982
> Gross margin: 42.4%
> 2011 stock price change: 25.6%

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is a relative newcomer to the retail scene, with its first store opening in 2001. The stores, which feature genius bars for providing advice and repairs, have become a mecca for its fans. It is not uncommon to see die-hard fans lining up outside the stores, sometimes for dasy, before a new product launch. In the latest quarter alone, Apple sold 37 million iPhones through all its sales channels. Broader signs of Apple’s success are that its global revenue rose 73% to $46.3 billion, and its $477 billion market capitalization, which is the highest of any public company in the world.