If You Invested in These Top 5 Retail Stocks 10 Years Ago, Here’s How Much Money You’d Have Today

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Brick-and-mortar retailers should be used to challenges by now, considering they’ve been losing market share to online retailers for a quarter-century and counting. This helps explain why the retail sector ranks only 103rd out of 145 stock market industries analyzed by data and research platform Wall Street Zen.

Wall Street Zen currently gives the retail sector a “D” rating, which means its overall performance is poor compared with the stock market as a whole. But some retail stocks have dealt with the challenging environment better than others and are performing pretty well right now.

Here’s a look at Wall Street Zen’s top five retail stocks and how much money you would have made with a $500 investment 10 years ago.

Also see how much you’d have today if you invested in these five tech companies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (BBW)

• Closing price May 2015: $16.09
• Number of shares with $500 investment: 31
• Closing price June 4, 2025: $46.16
• 10-year return: 187%
• Current value: $1,430.96

The DIY toy chain is one of the better turnaround stories on Wall Street, rising from the ashes of a stock price that traded for less than $2 a share as recently as 2020. Retail experts credit Build-A-Bear’s improved branding and merchandising and a move to expand its customer base to include more adults.

ODP (ODP)

• Closing price May 2015: $92.70
• Number of shares with $500 investment: 5.4
• Closing price June 4, 2025: $17.74
• 10-year return: -81%
• Current value: $95.80

ODP is the only stock on the list that has seen a decline in value over the past decade. It qualifies as a “retail” stock because its holdings include the Office Depot and Office Max chains, though much of its business comes from business and technology solutions.

It’s not easy to see why ODP ranks as a top retail stock, considering that its share price is down in 2025 and financial growth has been sluggish. But the company did beat analyst estimates in its latest quarter, and some see it as a good value buy.

Ulta Beauty (ULTA)

• Closing price May 2015: $152.62
• Number of shares with $500 investment: 3.3
• Closing price June 4, 2025: $465.64
• 10-year return: 205%
• Current value: $1,536.61

Ulta is a leader in the health and beauty retail space and has made a strong financial comeback in recent years thanks to “robust comparable sales growth, strategic wins, and an aggressive share buyback program,” according to TipRanks.

Winmark Corp. (WINA)

• Closing price May 2015: $91.93
• Number of shares with $500 investment: 5.4
• Closing price June 4, 2025: $421.03
• 10-year return: 358%
• Current value: $2,273.56

Winmark specializes in resale stores such as Play It Again Sports and Once Upon A Child — which is a good business to be in as inflation-weary consumers opt for lower prices. Although Winmark’s stock performance has been choppy over the last year, shares keep trending higher thanks to steady financial growth.

Casey’s General Stores (CASY)

• Closing price May 2015: $87.19
• Number of shares with $500 investment: 5.7
• Closing price June 4, 2025: $448.25
• 10-year return: 414%
• Current value: $2,555.03

Casey’s has been around since 1959 and operates under the Casey’s and Casey’s General Store brands. The Motley Fool calls the company a “quiet outperformer” thanks in part to a loyal customer base in the small Midwestern towns it mainly serves. Investors 10 years ago would’ve seen a healthy gain of over 400%.

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