retailer vs distributor

retailer and distributor both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
retailer	Yes	No	No	No
distributor	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, distributor is a hypernym of retailer; that is, distributor is a word with a broader meaning than retailer:

Other hypernyms of retailer include distributer, merchandiser, merchant.

retailer (noun)	distributor (noun)
a merchant who sells goods at retail	electrical device that distributes voltage to the spark plugs of a gasoline engine in the order of the firing sequence
	a company that markets merchandise
	someone who markets merchandise
	a person with authority to allot or deal out or apportion