Collective Brands, Inc. primarily engages in the wholesale and retail of footwear and related accessories worldwide. Its Payless ShoeSource stores offer footwear, including athletic, casual and dress shoes, sandals, work and fashion boots, slippers, and accessories, such as handbags, jewelry, and hosiery for women, children, and men. The company’s Payless ShoeSource stores provide its products under the Airwalk, American Eagletm, Champion, Christian Siriano for Paylesstm, Dexter, and Lela Rose for Paylesstm brand names. It also involves in the wholesale of footwear in various retail formats, including premier department stores, specialty stores, and independent shoe stores primarily in North America. In addition, Collective Brands, Inc. markets its products directly to consumers by selling children’s footwear through its Stride Rite Children’s stores; and a selection of its footwear and apparel through its Stride Rite Outlet stores and e-commerce sites.

Guyenne et Gascogne and Carrefour jointly own Sogara, which operates about a dozen Carrefour hypermarkets in southwest France. In addition, Sogara owns about 8% of Centros Comerciales Carrefour (Carrefour's Spanish subsidiary), which operates some 165 Carrefour hypermarkets and 100-plus Carrefour Express supermarkets and Carrefour City stores. The Beau family owns about a fifth of Guyenne et Gascogne.Guyenne et Gascogne cares for Carrefour. Established in 1913, Guyenne et Gascogne is a leading franchise operator for French-based supermarket giant Carrefour. Guyenne et Gascogne (named after two ancient French provinces) runs 30-plus Carrefour hypermarkets and Champion supermarkets in southwestern France.

The Gymboree Corporation is a specialty retailer operating stores selling high-quality apparel and accessories for children under the Gymboree, Gymboree Outlet, Janie and Jack, and Crazy 8 brands, as well as play programs for children under the Gymboree Play and Music brand. The Gymboree Corporation's history begins with the founding of Gymboree Play & Music in 1976, making it one of the oldest companies in its field. The appeal of the Gymboree brand was so broad that in 1986 Gymboree entered the apparel business—designing, manufacturing and retailing unique, high-quality merchandise for children ages newborn to nine.

Casual Male Retail Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty retailer of men’s apparel in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The company operates its stores under the Casual Male XL, Casual Male XL Outlets, Rochester Clothing, B & T Factory Direct, Shoes XL, and Living XL trade names. Its retail stores offer a range of basic sportswear, other casual apparel, dress wear, and accessories, as well as a line of its private label collections, such as Harbor Bay, 626 Blue-Vintage Surplus, Synrgy, Comfort Zone, and Oak Hill; and casual clothing for the big and tall customers. As of January 30, 2010, Casual Male Retail Group operated 395 Casual Male XL retail stores, 65 Casual Male XL outlet stores, and 19 Rochester Clothing stores; and a direct business, which included various catalogs and e-commerce sites. The company was formerly known as Designs, Inc. and changed its name to Casual Male Retail Group, Inc. in August 2002 as a result of the acquisition of Casual Male business from Casual Male Corp. Casual Male Retail Group, Inc. was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts.

Burton Lumber & Hardware Co. was founded in 1911 by Willard C. Burton. cFamily-owned-and-run Burton Lumber & Hardware designs, makes, and installs truss and floor packages, wall panels, and doors (interior and exterior) from its facility in Salt Lake City. It also sells and installs Heatilator-brand fireplaces and building materials made by Trex, James Hardie, and other companies. Burton Lumber & Hardware operates half a dozen locations in Utah and offers delivery services throughout the state. Its customers have included contractors, home builders, and government agencies.

Founded in 1980, Room & Board operates about a dozen stores in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, and the District of Columbia. The company's furniture collections feature contemporary sofas, chairs, and tables (dining and accent), as well as office, bedroom, and outdoor furniture. Room & Board's Shop From Home operation, which consists of a print catalog and website, is the fastest-growing segment of its business. And despite a slump in furniture sales in the US, the company is expanding.

Loblaw is also Canada's largest wholesale food distributor. Loblaw Companies is a subsidiary of Canada's George Weston.When grocery shopping in Canada, it's hard to escape the long arm of Loblaw. Loblaw Companies Ltd. is the market share leader among Canadian supermarket operators. Its corporate, franchised, and affiliated banners (22 in all) fly over more than 1,440 stores nationwide. Trade names include Loblaws, Atlantic SaveEasy, Extra Foods, Fortinos, No Frills, Provigo, Your Independent Grocer, T&T, and Zehrs Markets, to name a few. Its stores offer more than 8,000 private-label products, including its signature President's Choice brand, as well as traditional and organic grocery fare

GOME serves China's growing appetite for techno toys, digital doodads, and modern household conveniences. One of China's leading electronics retailers by sales, GOME (formerly China Eagle Group) sells consumer electronics and household appliances from about 860 stores in more than 200 large and medium sized cities. Most locations offer rental and repairs and a handful are completely dedicated to digital electronics. Audio visual products (TVs, DVD and CD players, VCRs, stereos) make up about a third of GOME's sales. The company plans to expand into smaller cities and continue opening its all-digital stores. Kwong Yu Wong and his wife Juan Du, own more than a third of GOME's shares.

Balkamp was formed in 1936 by the NAPA board of directors. Its moniker blends the surnames of the company's first managers, John Baldwin and Bob Leercamp. A majority-owned subsidiary of Genuine Parts, Balkamp distributes parts and accessories for cars, trucks, motorcycles, and farm equipment to repair shops and retail members of the National Automotive Parts Association (NAPA). The company also provides diagnostics equipment, cleaning supplies, chemicals, and other service-related items. Balkamp offers some 45,000 items from about 600 domestic and foreign suppliers. It operates distribution centers in Indianapolis and Plainfield, Indiana and West Jordan, Utah.

The story of Wilkinson Hardware defines DIY, and not just because the do-it-yourself trend has made the business a success and has allowed it to ride out a couple recessions. Founded in Leicester in 1930, Wilkinson Hardware Stores operates more than 330 home and garden shops throughout England and Wales. Each of its locations peddles some 25,000 products. Wilko, as the company is known, is one of the largest privately-held companies in the UK. The business is led by the founding Wilkinson family. J.K. Wilkinson founded the original store after gathering the seed money by saving £1 a week from his wages for nearly six years. Chairwoman Karin Swann is the founder's granddaughter.

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