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)

Bob's Discount Furniture operates about 40 furniture stores (featuring mini-golf courses and complimentary refreshments) in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and four other eastern states. Bob's also offers several in-store "outlets" where customers can buy discounted furniture that has been discontinued, returned, or slightly damaged. Following a 1976 motorcycle accident, company founder and president Bob Kaufman (who's something of a celebrity in the Northeast, thanks to his quirky television commercials) spent months recuperating in a waterbed. Fully recovered and inspired by his experience, Kaufman partnered with cousin Gene Rosenberg and opened up the first Bob's Discount Furniture shop in 1991.

21st Century Technology provides claims handling and fulfillment for the replacement of stolen car audio equipment, as well as the replacement and repair of lost or damaged cameras and computers. The company also supplies and installs mobile phones, security, telematics, and sat-nav systems for fleets. In other business, it distributes third-party auto entertainment systems and security and interface cables. In 2009 the company acquired the remaining 25% it didn't already own in 21st Century Crime Prevention Services, a provider of CCTV services for buses, and made it a wholly owned subsidiary. It then changed its name from TG21.

The only soft rock you'll find at Southwest Boulder & Stone is on the radio. Southwest Boulder & Stone Inc. provides natural stone, manufactured stone, and masonry products to the building trade in Southern California. Its products include boulders (real and manufactured), stones, bricks, pebbles, and assorted other sized rocks. Paving stones, crushed sand, and decomposed granite are available for paths between the boulders. Southwest Boulder & Stone Inc. also supplies a range of big equipment for transporting and placing large rocks and offers landscaping seminars. Operating from three locations in California, Southwest Boulder & Stone was founded in 1989.

Oddbins has been struggling financially and has been closing unprofitable stores. Founded in 1963, the company was acquired by its smaller rival Ex Cellar in August 2008. (Ex Cellar bought the chain from a subsidiary of French group Castel Frères)Whether you're looking for a whole bin or just an odd bottle, Oddbins likely sells your libation of choice. The specialty retailer sells a wide assortment of wines and spirits through some 130 Oddbins stores across the UK and Ireland, a single shop in Calais, France, and online. The managers of local stores are encouraged to promote particular labels based on their own tastes in wine; the company is known for the wine expertise of the staff in its stores.

Southern Foods' other products include seafood, cheeses, pasta, condiments, and more. For busy families, the company offers Crazy Plates Meal Kits fast, easy, and nutritious meals in a box. Southern Foods also sells professional cookware, freezers, and grills to its home-delivery customers. Southern Foods is being acquired by Pate Dawson Food Co.For those hungry in Hickory or time-pressed in Tarboro, Southern Foods delivers frozen food products directly to individual home customers, foodservice operators, and restaurants in the Carolinas, Georgia, and southern Virginia. The company produces much of its own meat, but also distributes cuts from Tyson Fresh Meats, Cargill Meat Solutions, and other companies.

What's next in style is what concerns NEXT. NEXT plc sells moderately priced clothing for men, women, and children; housewares; and furniture through about 515 stores (including some 25 stand-alone NEXT Home stores) in the UK and Ireland. It also franchises 180-plus stores elsewhere in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Russia, and Turkey. NEXT targets customers in their 20s and 30s who are looking for stylish but affordable clothes to take them through the next fashion cycle. Sales comes from its retail stores, its NEXT Directory catalog and website, and Ventura, a division which provides call center and customer support services

McNICHOLS Company is North America’s leading supplier and fabricator of perforated metal, expanded metal, wire mesh, architectural metals and a variety of gratings products. Founded in 1952 by the late Robert L. McNichols, the company was established on his Christian values, high ethical standards and strong commitment to customer satisfaction. With metals service centers strategically placed from coast-to-coast, McNichols has a dedicated staff and communication network in place that can supply worldwide service. McNICHOLS also offers a variety of Value Added Services where custom fabrication is a job requirement. From shearing, sawing, notching, banding, and welding to a variety of finishes including powder coating and galvanizing, we are experts with nearly six decades of custom fabrication experience. Trained CAD specialists are on staff to perform print takeoffs from customer-supplied drawings or spec blueprints to provide approval drawings or erection and field drawings.

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.

Robertson Heating Supply Co. was founded in 1934. When the Buckeyes, Wolverines, and Nittany Lions get cold, Robertson Heating Supply helps to warm them up. The company distributes heating, air conditioning, and plumbing supplies as well as kitchen products through about 30 locations in Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Designers and engineers are also available to help with kitchen, commercial HVAC, and hydronic projects. In addition to its retailing activities, Robertson Heating Supply offers state-certified training programs.

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