Retailing is a brutal industry for all but a select few companies. If the company doesn't have a large scale and/or a leading market share, then it's less likely to be able to generate consistent sales and earnings growth. And even if it does have these characteristics, it can struggle with low profit margins because rivals are always willing to cut prices.

Retailing giants (NYSE: WMT) and Lowe's (NYSE: LOW) stand out as winners in this difficult operating environment. And while the two companies don't excel in every arena, both of them bring some attractive factors to the table.

But not everyone has the available capital to invest in multiple retailers to help fill out a diversified portfolio. Let's compare the two retailers to see which is the better investment fit today.

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Source Fool.com