Business Management

Finding a Company's Market Share

Market share is calculated by taking the company's sales over the period and dividing it by the total sales in a given market or industry.  There is no ONE SINGLE source or market share information.  Market share is usually determined by consulting various sources.

Resources

Articles in Journals, Magazines & Newspapers

• Search databases such as NexisUni, Academic Search Complete, Academic OneFile, Business Insights Essentials, to see what has been written about the company. 
• As you search these databases watch for data such as the size of the market in dollars (ex: "the $5.2 million dollar XXXX market"), units of sales, value of shipments or industry sales in addition to phrases such as "market share" and "share of the XXXX market."

Trade Associations & Trade Magazines/Journals

• Trade Associations & Trade Magazines/Journals can be excellent sources of market share data.
• Trade Associations often collect data on industry growth trends, sales figures, product developments, shipments and market share rankings. Try using the resources of an association's web site.

 Industry Statistics

• From the Bureau of the Census.
  • see suggestions on the Recommended Websites tab

• See the Industry Snapshots for an industry overview and information on leading companies

Annual Reports, Filings & Other Company Documents

• Companies may report their own market share in the text of their annual reports and filings, on their Web sites, in press releases and other documents.