which steadily encroached on Ford's lead. The gap in share between the two narrowed from 2 clear percentage points in 2003 to under 1 point for 2007, before widening again since 2008. For 2016, SMMT

however, in a generally falling US market, the gap has widened slightly not narrowed. According to Beverage Digest research for 2009, Pepsi-Cola had 9.9% share of the all-channel retail CSD market by

There are also significant gaps in its non-spirits portfolio. Guinness is its only beer and in 2015, Diageo agreed to divest virtually all of its small wine business, mostly to Treasury Wines Estates.

weight has failed to help Adidas group narrow that gap further, and if anything it has continued to fall behind the leader. By 2014, SportsOneSource estimated Reebok's share of the US market to have slumped

closing the gap on its stablemate in 2016 with sales of 648k vehicles. Like all manufacturers, Kia's Korean sales have come under pressure, settling at 535k units in 2016, or around 29% market share.

IBM closed the gap with Microsoft during 2002, agreeing to acquire Rational software development tools, for $2.1bn. More recently the group has mounted a series of further acquisitions. In 2005 it agreed

it would take on UK high street clothing retailers Gap and Next, following negotiation of an exclusive licence to import Cherokee American clothing, already sold exclusively through Target stores in the

American-born Maureen Chiquet, recruited from Gap Inc's Banana Republic in 2003, was appointed as global CEO in 2007. In a surprise development, she was ousted as CEO in Jan 2016, apparently as a result

gradually closing the gap with Interbank during the 1970s. In 1974, Americard followed Interbank into the international market. However customers outside the US didn't take to the BankAmericard name,

ascendancy. The gap between those two brands has continued to widen ever since. Last full revision 18th May 2016 * Archive page for historical reference only. This page is no longer being actively updated