Retail Trade Industry Classification Codes (SIC & NAICS)
Retail Trade Industry Codes
Updated: 2025
The Retail Trade sector includes establishments primarily engaged in selling merchandise in small quantities to the general public, typically without significant transformation of the goods. This sector covers store-based retailers, auto dealers, supermarkets, specialty shops, warehouse clubs, and nonstore and e-commerce sellers. Retail classifications support channel strategy, consumer spending analysis, competitive benchmarking, site selection, and taxation and licensing workflows. Accurate SIC and NAICS codes ensure consistent rollups for merchandise categories, retail formats, and geographic markets.
Regulators, economic analysts, and policymakers use these classifications to monitor consumer spending, track format shifts between physical and digital channels, and evaluate local retail health for zoning, permitting, and community development programs.
SIC Coverage: 52 (Building Materials & Garden Supply), 53 (General Merchandise),
54 (Food Stores), 55 (Automotive Dealers & Gasoline Service Stations), 56 (Apparel & Accessories),
57 (Home Furniture & Furnishings), and 59 (Miscellaneous Retail).
NAICS Range: 44–45
SICCODE.com assigns industries to the Retail Trade sector when their primary activity involves selling goods to final consumers through physical stores, direct selling, or electronic and other nonstore channels. SIC codes are included when merchandise sales to the general public are the dominant revenue source, while wholesaling, warehousing, and pure services are placed in their respective sectors.
SIC vs. NAICS Structure for Retail Trade
| SIC Structure | NAICS Structure |
| Retail activity is distributed across multiple 2-digit divisions (52–57, 59) covering building materials, general merchandise, food, automotive, apparel, home goods, and miscellaneous retail. | Retailers are consolidated into Sector 44–45, with subsectors defined by merchandise groups and store formats, including motor vehicles, furniture, building materials, food, health products, gas stations, and other retail. |
| SIC emphasizes traditional store types such as department stores, grocery stores, apparel shops, and specialty retailers, with limited explicit treatment of pure-play e-commerce. | NAICS explicitly incorporates e-commerce and nonstore retailers into Retail Trade, allowing more granular analysis of online, catalog, and direct-selling channels. |
| Gasoline service stations and automotive dealers are classified within Retail (SIC 55), reflecting their role in serving household and consumer markets. | NAICS distinguishes motor vehicle and parts dealers, furniture and home furnishings stores, and other key subsectors to support modern retail network and merchandising analysis. |
Major SIC Subsectors (Linked to Official 2-Digit Pages)
- SIC 52 — Building Materials, Hardware & Garden Supply Stores
- SIC 53 — General Merchandise Stores
- SIC 54 — Food Stores & Supermarkets
- SIC 55 — Automotive Dealers & Gasoline Service Stations
- SIC 56 — Apparel & Accessory Stores
- SIC 57 — Home Furniture, Furnishings & Equipment Stores
- SIC 59 — Miscellaneous Retail (including specialty shops and nonstore retailers)
NAICS Structure Within Retail Trade (Linked)
- NAICS 44 — Retail Trade (Motor Vehicle, Furniture, Building Materials, Food, Health Care, Gas Stations)
- NAICS 45 — Retail Trade (Sporting Goods, Musical Instruments, Books, General Merchandise)
Both SIC and NAICS organize retail businesses by the merchandise sold, the format of the sale (store, e-commerce, or other nonstore channels), and the methods used to reach consumers. SIC codes separate traditional store types into distinct 2-digit groupings, while NAICS consolidates retailers under Sector 44–45 and then subdivides them by merchandise lines and format. Used together, these structures support consistent analysis of market share, format shifts, consumer spending trends, and store network growth across regions and channels.
Insights & Research for Retail Trade
Classification data helps compare brick-and-mortar retailers, e-commerce sellers, and marketplace participants within the same merchandise categories and trade areas.
SIC & NAICS codes support site selection, trade-area analysis, and competitive density reviews for chains, franchises, and independent retailers planning new locations or formats.
Retailers, suppliers, and media partners segment targets by store type, merchandise focus, and format when designing offers, co-marketing, and loyalty programs.
Financial institutions and processors rely on accurate retail classifications for underwriting, rate assignment, fraud monitoring, and portfolio risk scoring tied to specific retail segments.
How These Classifications Are Used
Retail Trade SIC and NAICS codes are used by retailers, wholesalers, brands, landlords, payment providers, and analysts to categorize store types and selling channels. They support market sizing, competitive mapping, franchise and chain reporting, and targeting of specific store formats for merchandising and advertising. Accurate classification ensures that financial reporting, tax calculations, lease and co-tenancy analysis, and regulatory disclosures reflect the true nature of retail activity across both physical and digital channels.
Get Help With Retail Trade Classification
If you need assistance determining the correct SIC or NAICS code for a retail business, our classification experts can review merchandise lines, selling channels, and store formats to identify the appropriate category and support compliance, underwriting, or market analysis needs.
Related Classification Clusters
- NAICS 42 — Wholesale Trade (upstream distribution and inventory channels)
- NAICS 48–49 — Transportation & Warehousing (logistics, fulfillment, and last-mile delivery)
Reviewed and verified by the SICCODE.com Expert Review Team.