How much is a brand worth? If the brand in question happens to be Walmart, the answer is an eye-popping $139 billion, according to Interbrand Design Forum’s ranking of the top 50 U.S. retail brands by brand value. The study calculates the financial net worth of retail brands based on three metrics: the brand’s financial performance, the role the brand plays in driving consumer selection, and the ability of the brand to secure the delivery of expected future earnings.

What’s in a brand? Resiliency for one thing. That’s one of the key takeaways from Interbrand Design Forum’s annual ranking of the 50 most valuable U.S. retail brands. The study is based on the idea that retail brands have a financial net worth that can be measured through three metrics: the brand’s financial performance; the role the brand plays in driving consumer selection; and brand strength, or the ability of the brand to secure the delivery of expected future earnings.