The Katz Group is one of Canada's leading drug store operators with over 1,800 drug stores across the country. In addition to its retail operations, the Katz Group owns and operates Canada's only national mail order pharmacy business, Rexall Direct (formerly known as Meditrust Pharmacy Inc.), one of Canada's largest institutional pharmacy operations.

Selfridges Retail Limited Company Profile Manhattan has Macy's; London has Selfridges. With 540,000 sq. ft. of selling space, the flagship Selfridges & Co. department store is still one of the biggest stores in the world and one of the top shops on London's posh Oxford Street. Selfridges also runs two smaller department stores in Manchester and a fourth location in Birmingham. The upmarket retailer sells a wide selection of brand-name fashion apparel, electronics, and housewares, but it aims to entertain as well with 15 in-store bars, cafes, and restaurants and a nearby 250-room, four-star hotel.

Family-owned and -operated Von Maur runs about 25 upscale department stores in 10 midwestern states, offering its customers amenities such as an interest-free credit card, free gift wrapping, and free shipping within the US. The stores range in size from 42,000 to 203,000 sq. ft. and offer clothing from brands such as Burberry, Kenneth Cole, and Tommy Bahama. Distinguishing itself from the rest of the pack, the Von Maur chain has avoided advertising and big blowout sales; it even closes up shop on traditional retailer high-dollar days such as the Fourth of July. The von Maur family opened its first store in Davenport, Iowa, in 1872.

Mailing more than 180 million catalogs a year, Hanover Direct sells home fashions (The Company Store, Domestications), as well as men's and women's apparel (International Male, Silhouettes, and Undergear). Each catalog has a corresponding e-commerce site. In addition to its own websites, Hanover Direct also sells its products through affiliated third-party websites, such as Amazon.com. The company makes Scandia Down brand comforters and pillows for sale in its catalogs, on its websites, and several retail outlet stores. Hanover Direct is owned by the New York-based hedge fund Chelsey Capital.

Bergdorf Goodman has been doing business at its prime location since 1901. Ladies who lunch love to shop at Bergdorf Goodman, a Fifth Avenue purveyor of luxury women's apparel, handbags, precious and designer jewelry, makeup, perfume, shoes, and tableware, as well as men's accessories, by designer labels such as Chloe, Giorgio Armani, and Marc Jacobs. Owned by the upscale department store operator Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman operates two opulent stores across from each other on 58th Street in Manhattan, that ring up about 13% of Neiman's total revenue. The smaller store, which opened in 1991, is devoted exclusively to men. The elite retailer also sells via a catalog and a website.

Walter E. Smithe Furniture, more commonly referred to as Smithe Furniture, sells mid-priced to high-end home furnishings through about a dozen locations in Illinois and Indiana. The company also offers leather and fabric upholstery customization options, as well as furniture reupholstering. Brothers Walt (president and general manager), Tim (VP of sales), and Mark (general counsel) Smithe took the reins of the family-run company from their father, and today (thanks to their TV ad campaigns), the three are the faces of the furniture retailer. Smithe Furniture traces its founding back to 1945.

Marks and Spencer Group plc, through its subsidiaries, engages in retailing clothing, food, and home products in the United Kingdom and internationally. It offers clothing, including womenswear, lingerie, menswear, school wear, and kids wear; flowers, gifts, cards and stationery, books, compact discs, and digital versatile discs (DVDs). The companys home and furniture products include bedroom furniture, beds and mattresses, cabinet furniture, conservatory and outdoor products, dining tables and chairs, and sofas and armchairs for living and dining rooms, kitchen, home offices, bedrooms, and bathrooms; and cookware, dinnerware, home accessories, household electricals, lighting, luggage, soft furnishings, storage products, and towels and bathmats. In addition, it sells TVs, blu-rays, and DVD players; home cinema products; hi-fi and radios;

Harrow Stores sells outdoor home furniture, above ground swimming pools and spas, backyard accessories, and seasonal items (it is particularly known for its Christmas decorations) through several stores in New York and a single location in New Jersey. Harrow's, owned by Ken Ehrlich, emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in late 2007.

Wal-Mart Stores is an irresistible (or at least unavoidable) retail force that has yet to meet any immovable objects. Bigger than Europe's Carrefour, Tesco, and Metro AG combined, it's the world's #1 retailer with 2.1 million employees in more than 8,400 stores, including about 800 discount stores, 3,100 combination discount and grocery stores (Wal-Mart Supercenters in the US and ASDA in the UK), and 595 Sam's Club warehouses. Wal-Mart's international division (25% of sales) is growing at a fast pace; it's the #1 retailer in Canada and Mexico and it has operations in Asia (where it owns a 95% stake in Japanese retailer SEIYU), Europe, and South America. Founder Sam Walton's heirs own about 45% of Wal-Mart.

Craving Italian fashions? La Rinascente operates more than a dozen upscale la Rinascente department stores in cities across Italy. The company's flagship store near the Duomo in Milan -- Italy's fashion capital -- accounts for about 50% of sales. The retailer also operates the UPIM chain of some 340 company-owned and franchised stores throughout Italy and a single concept store in Rome called Jam. La Rinascente tempts shoppers with luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Gucci. Aldo and Senatore Borletti founded La Rinascente in 1917. Today the company is owned by its chairman, the Italian entrepreneur Maurizio Borletti (Aldo's grandson)

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