UP&S was founded in 1953 by Taylor Ramsey and is now owned by vice-chair Patti Ramsey, his daughter-in-law. United Pipe & Supply (UP&S) is trying to unite plumbing and HVAC specialists all over the Pacific Northwest. Operating through about 35 locations in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, the company distributes equipment and supplies for irrigation, pumping and drilling, and heating and air conditioning. UP&S also provides specification and design consulting for architects, contractors, and designers.

Slumberland has some reclining, bedding, and sofa solutions. Primarily situated in the upper Midwest region of the US, the company operates more than 110 stores in 10 US states. It first opened its doors as a mattress shop and La-Z-Boy specialty shop in 1967, but today Slumberland has extended its reach into furniture for the bedroom, dining room, and living room. The company is a leading retailer of La-Z-Boy upholstery and also sells Natuzzi leather pieces and both Sealy and Simmons mattresses. Franchising has become an increasingly vital part of Slumberland's strategy for expansion.

he regional grocery chain also operates about a half a dozen larger Smith's Marketplace stores (154,000 sq. ft. on average) in Utah that combine full-service grocery, pharmacy, and general merchandise departments. Smith's joined the Kroger family when Kroger, the 1 US grocer, bought its parent, Fred Meyer, in 1999.From a small grocery store founded by Ren Smith in Brigham City, Utah, Smith's Food & Drug Centers has grown into a regional powerhouse with supermarkets in Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, and four other western states. Most of its 130-plus stores are conventional supermarkets with in-store pharmacy departments and many offering bakeries, one-hour photo labs, and other services.

Sheetz stores sell groceries, fountain drinks, baked goods, and made-to-order sandwiches and salads, self-service car washes, as well as discount gas and cigarettes. The company operates more than 360 combination convenience stores and gas stations, mostly in Pennsylvania, but also in five other states (Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia). Founded in 1952 by Bob Sheetz, the company is owned and run by the Sheetz family.

Bernecker's Nursery, Inc. was founded in the 1960s by Leo Bernecker. Bernecker's Nursery has it made in the shade. Bernecker's Nursery raises and distributes shade-acclimated Chamaedorea Seifrizii palms and other tropical indoor plants. The company nurtures the Chamaedorea Seifrizii, which has reed-like stems and feathery fronds, to thrive in either artificial or natural light. Other indoor tropical plants available from Bernecker's are aglaonemas, dracaenas, ficus, rhapis, and spathiphyllums. Customers include interiorscapers and nurseries in the US, Canada, Latin America, and other areas.

Lotte Shopping's department stores offer more than the usual shopping experience. The company is a leading retailer in South Korea with some 30 department and discount stores across the nation. It owns one of the largest retail chains in the country with facilities that are part of vast retail complexes that often include cinemas, shopping malls, hotels, theme parks, and wedding halls. It also has a store in Moscow (opened in 2007). In China, where Lotte Shopping is looking to grow, its 2009 purchase of Times Ltd., an operator of 65 hypermarkets and supermarkets in east China, boosted its retail presence there to about 75 stores. Lotte Shopping, which was established in 1979, is looking to grow overseas.

Balducci's has the right ingredients to attract hungry gourmands.The chain operates half a dozen upscale specialty food stores under the Balducci's name in Connecticut, Maryland, New York,and Virginia.The markets offer such fare as fresh pasta,Wagyu beef,and imported cheeses.It also stocks prepared meals and beer and wine.Louis "Pop" Balducci opened the first Balducci's in Brooklyn in 1915 and expanded to Greenwich Village in Manhattan in 1946.In 2009 the private equity firm Irving Place Capital (formerly Bear Stearns Merchant Banking)sold six Balducci's stores to an investor group led by Jim Demme,senior advisor to the New York City-based investment firm Angelo,Gordon&Co.

RepairClinic.com® provides the do-it-yourself consumer market with the resources needed to fix their household appliances, vacuum cleaners, lawn mowers, and outdoor power equipment. We have an extensive inventory of more than one million parts that we photograph, define, and categorize to make them easier for customers to find and purchase. To assist more than 75,000 individuals each month with free repair help information, we have assembled a vast library of text documents, diagrams, and high-definition videos. We are continuously updating the library and training our employees with current parts and repair information to offer the best customer service possible. Our extraordinary return policy allows any part, including electrical parts, to be returned within 30 days for your money back. And with our same day shipping guarantee on all in stock parts, there is no wonder why more than two million customers nationwide have purchased parts from RepairClinic. RepairClinic began in 1999 in a small, rented office with a team of seven people. By 2004, to accommodate our rapidly growing inventory and staff of over 50 employees, we built a 60,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Canton, MI. We have since added 26,000 sq. ft. and 80 more employees including a team of bi-lingual customer care representatives.

Benetton Group S.p.A. engages in the manufacture and marketing of fashion apparel in wool, cotton, and woven fabrics for men, women, and children primarily in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Benetton Group S.p.A. also provides leisurewear. It sells its apparel products under the brands of United Colors of Benetton Adult and Children, Undercolors, Sisley, Sisley Young, Playlife, and Killer Loop. In addition, the company produces and sells raw materials, such as fabrics, yarns, and labels; and semi-finished products, as well as offers industrial services. It operates a network of approximately 6,000 stores. Benetton Group S.p.A. was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Ponzano, Italy. Benetton Group S.p.A. is a subsidiary of Edizione S.r.l.

Kroger's Fred Meyer Stores subsidiary (acquired in 1999) operates about 125 supercenters, which offer groceries, general merchandise, and jewelry, in the western US.Kroger is the nation's 1 pure grocery chain, but it still must watch out for falling prices; Wal-Mart has overtaken Kroger as the largest seller of groceries in the US. While Kroger has diversified through acquisitions, adding jewelry and general merchandise to its mix, food stores still account for about 85% of sales. The company operates about 3,620 stores, including some 2,465 supermarkets and multidepartment stores, under two dozen banners, in about 30 states. It also runs 775 convenience stores under names such as Quik Stop and Kwik Shop

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