Fastest-growing US retailer is a northern import

Scott Eells | Bloomberg | Getty Images. Saks is focusing on the convergence of technology and employees in its stores, Marc Metrick says.

What do a traditional department store, a flash-sale site and a clothing and accessories manufacturer have in common?

While each operates its own distinct business model, Saks parent company Hudson's Bay, online shopping site Zulily (NASDAQ: ZU), and G-III (NASDAQ: GIII)-which holds licenses for Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger-are all among the 10 fastest-growing retailers in the U.S.

Each year, the National Retail Federation's Stores Magazine and Kantar Retail team up on the Hot 100 Retailers list, which outlines the retail companies that posted the greatest increase in U.S. sales over the past year. It includes all public and private companies with more than $300 million in annual sales.

"Our list is a mix of established retailers like Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN) and Kroger (NYSE: KR) along with newer players like Zulily and Choxi [formerly NoMoreRack.com]," said Stores' editor, Susan Reda. "All are focused on growth objectives and keeping customers in the center of every decision."

Read More 14 retailers shaking up the industry

Also making waves on the list are six names that didn't crack the top 10, but have appeared on every list since its inception in 2006. Those include 18th-ranked Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY) (62), Tractor Supply Co. (NASDAQ: TSCO) (38), Dick's Sporting Goods (NYSE: DKS) (53), Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR) (57) and Ross Stores (NASDAQ: ROST) (70).

For the Top 10 fastest-growing retailers from 2013 to 2014, see below.





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