Established in 1953, Damartex opened its first store in Paris four years later. Today it operates about 140 stores (under the name Damart), primarily in France and Belgium. France accounts for nearly two-thirds of Damartex company's sales. Damartex also sells its products via mail order and its Web site. Damartex may not be tres chic with the youngsters, but it is hip to the older generation. Damartex uses thermolactyl fiber to make undergarments, men's and women's apparel, sleepwear, socks and hosiery, and accessories (scarves and footwear), which it sells to the growing senior-citizen market. Its thermal pieces are also marketed to snow skiers.

The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates department stores in the mid-size and metropolitan markets of the United States. Its stores offer brand-name apparel and accessories for women, men, and children, as well as provide cosmetics, home furnishings, footwear, intimate apparel, and juniors' apparel. As of January 30, 2010, the company operated 278 stores under various nameplates, including the Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's, and Younkers in 23 northeastern, midwestern, and upper Great Plains states; and under the Parisian nameplate in Detroit, Michigan.

SOK is made up of about 35 independent regional cooperative societies that produce the group's services. Food and grocery account for half of SOK's overall business its market brands include ABC!, Alepa, Prisma, S Market, and Sale. The group was founded in 1904.Suomen Osuuskauppojen Keskuskunta (SOK Corporation) knows a thing or two (or 1,500) about retail. The Finnish group is active in grocery, combination convenience store/gas station, department store, specialty goods, hotel and restaurant, auto trade, and hardware services via 1,590 locations in its home country, throughout the Baltic nations, and Russia.

Boston Green Goods, Inc. was founded in 1998 by president and CEO Mercia Tapping. Hey, you -- want to buy some allergies? OK, so Boston Green Goods (dba AllergyBuyersClub.com) doesn't sell allergies, but it does sell relief to allergy sufferers. The company operates a website marketing eco-friendly products that help to rid the home of airborne and surface allergens. Offerings include air and water purifiers, dehumidifiers, furnace filters, and vacuum and steam cleaners, as well as mold- and dust mite-resistant mattresses, hypoallergenic bedding, home decor, and household cleaners. The site also provides news and information on a range of health topics, from allergies to water quality.

E-machitown is happy to lend its bank of servers and Web-hosting expertise to those who are willing to shell out a little Yen. The company, owned by Japan's largest reseller of mobile phones and formerly named Crayfish, provides Web-hosting services in Japan. As part of its business, e-machitown offers an e-mail service called DESKWIN, resells Internet advertising space, and develops custom software products. Since early 2009, e-machitown has been a 15% owner in a Tokyo joint venture named Alibaba Japan that sells products online. Telecommunications services provider Hikari Tsushin, which specializes in cell phone and Internet services and distribution among other things, owns 82% of e-machitown.

The firm was founded by Bill Crutchfield in 1974 and was one of the first electronics retailers to launch an e-commerce site. In 2009 it launched a mobile version of its site. Crutchfield's catalog is mailed to about 6 million households. Crutchfield wants you to lean on it when choosing consumer electronics. The company sells high-tech wares via its website, catalog, and two retail stores in Virginia. Its products include TVs, DVD players, stereos, gaming systems, digital cameras and camcorders, and MP3 players. Crutchfield also sells automotive audio and video products, such as speakers, amplifiers, overhead screens, and navigation systems. It carries major brands, including Sony, Bose, Pioneer, and Kenwood.

Dollar General's at ease with living off the crumbs of Wal-Mart. The retailer commands a chain of more than 9,000 discount stores in 35 states, primarily in the southern and eastern US, the Midwest, and the Southwest. Offering basic household items, such as cleaning supplies and health and beauty aids, as well as some apparel and food, it targets low-, middle-, and fixed-income shoppers. Stores are generally located in small towns off the radar of giant discounters. Its big-city stores (about 30% of its total) are situated in lower-income neighborhoods. Some 25% of its merchandise is priced at $1 or less. Two years after being taken private by affiliates of KKR and Goldman Sachs, the chain went public in 2009.

Neiman Marcus department stores offer high-fashion, high-quality women's and men's apparel (from such labels as Chanel and Prada), shoes and accessories, fine jewelry, china, crystal, and silver. The company operates about 40 Neiman Marcus stores in some 20 states and Washington, DC, as well as two Bergdorf Goodman stores in New York City and more than 25 Last Call clearance center outlets that sell marked down goods. Its mail-order and e-commerce business, Neiman Marcus Direct, distributes catalogs (which offer apparel, home furnishings, and gourmet foods) under the Neiman Marcus By Mail and Horchow names. The upscale retailer is owned by Newton Holding.

The Buckle, Inc. operates as a retailer of casual apparel, footwear, and accessories for young men and women in the continental United States. Its casual apparel products include denims, casual bottoms, tops, sportswear, and outerwear. The Buckle also sells its products online. As of March 23, 2010, it operated 408 retail stores in 41 states under the ‘Buckle’ and ‘The Buckle’ brand names. The Buckle was formerly known as Mills Clothing, Inc. and changed its name to The Buckle, Inc. in April 1991. The Buckle, Inc. was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Kearney, Nebraska.

Gate Petroleum company runs a chain of about 225 Gate Food Post stores in six Southeastern states, including Florida and the Carolinas, that sell gas and groceries and offer fleet management services. The firm is also a wholesale fuel distributor to customers throughout the Southeast. The company is also active in the real estate and construction materials businesses. In Florida Gate owns several private clubs, office buildings, and business parks. Subsidiary Gate Concrete has plants in about half a dozen states that make and sell concrete and building materials. CEO Herbert Peyton, who founded the company in 1960, owns the majority of Gate Petroleum.

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