The Chinese mainland has been a battleground for foreign chain stores for years as the country boasts one of the largest markets in the world. Its total retail sales increased 13.1 percent year on year in 2013 to 23.44 trillion yuan ($3.75 trillion), the National Bureau of Statistics said.

Let's look at the largest foreign-funded chain stores in the mainland measured by revenues, according to a list released by the China Chain Store & Franchise Association.

 

No 1 RT-Mart International Ltd

Chinese mainland revenue of the Taiwan-based hypermarket reached 80.12 billion yuan in 2013, an increase of 10 percent year on year. By the end of 2013, the company had 264 stores here.

 

No 2 Wal-Mart Stores

Wal-Mart Stores is an American multinational retail corporation that runs chains of large discount department and warehouse stores. The company is the world's largest public corporation, according to the Fortune Global 500 list in 2014, the biggest private employer in the world with more than two million employees, and the largest retailer in the world. Last year revenue totaled 72.21 billion yuan in the Chinese mainland, an increase of 24.5 percent year on year. By the end of 2013, the company had 407 stores here.

 

No 3 Yum!

Yum! is a United States-based Fortune 500 corporation. Yum! operates four licenses: Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut and WingStreet restaurants worldwide. In 2013, the company's Chinese mainland revenue totaled 50.2 billion yuan, a decrease of 3.8 percent year on year. By the end of 2013 the company had 6,000 stores here.

 

No 4 Carrefour

Carrefour is a French multinational retailer. It is one of the largest hypermarket chains in the world and the fourth largest retail group in the world in terms of revenue (after Wal-Mart, Tesco and Costco).In 2013, the company's Chinese mainland revenue totaled 46.71 billion yuan, an increase of 3.2 percent year on year. By the end of 2013, the company had 236 stores here.

 

No 5 Five Star Appliance

Five Star Appliance is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Best Buy Co, an American multinational consumer electronics corporation. In 2013, the company's revenue totaled 26.6 billion yuan in the Chinese mainland, with an increase of 10 percent year on year. By the end of 2013, the company had 189 stores here.

 

No 6 Tesco

Tesco PLC is a British multinational grocery and general merchandise retailer and the second-largest retailer in the world, measured by revenues.In 2013, the company's estimated revenue totaled 20.5 billion yuan in the Chinese mainland, an increase of 2.5 percent year on year. By the end of 2013, the company had 144 mainland stores.

 

No 7 Parkson

Parkson is an Asian-based department store operator with stores across cities in Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. In 2013, the company's estimated revenue totaled 20.45 billion yuan in the Chinese mainland, an increase of 4.3 percent year on year. By the end of 2013, the company had 58 stores here.

 

No 8 Golden Eagle International Shopping Centers

Hong Kong-funded Golden Eagle International Shopping Centers earned revenue of 18.79 billion yuan in the Chinese mainland in 2013, an increase of 0.7 percent year on year. By the end of 2013, the company had 27 mainland stores.

 

No 9 Metro Group

Metro Group is a German diversified retail and wholesale group. It is the fifth-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues. In 2013, the company's revenue totaled 17.5 billion yuan in the Chinese mainland, an increase of 14.4 percent year on year. By the end of 2013, the company had 75 stores in the mainland.

 

No 10 Lotte Mart

Lotte Mart is an East Asian hypermarket that sells a variety of groceries, clothing, toys, electronics and other goods, with headquarters in Japan and South Korea. In 2013, the company's estimated revenue totaled 15.5 billion yuan in the Chinese mainland, down five percent year on year. By the end of 2013, the company had 110 stores here.