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.

ABC Supply Co., Inc. is the largest wholesale distributor of roofing in the United States and one of the nation's largest distributors of siding, windows and other select exterior building products, tools and related supplies. Since our start in 1982, we've grown to become a national organization with more than 350 locations in 45 states and the District of Columbia.Our success is the result of an unwavering focus on a single, simple guiding principle - treat contractors (large and small) with respect and give them the products and services they need to build their businesses. The customer always comes first. We offer high quality products, superior service and competitive pricing, ensuring the contractors have the products they need - when and where they need them.

Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc. engages in designing, manufacturing, retailing, and direct marketing men’s tailored and casual clothing and accessories in the United States. Its product offerings include tuxedos, suits, shirts, vests, ties, sport coats, pants, sportswear, overcoats, sweaters, belts and braces, socks, underwear, and shoes. The company sells its products primarily under the Jos. A. Bank label through its own and franchised stores, and catalogs, as well as the Internet at josbank.com. As of March 31, 2010, it operated 473 retail stores, including 7 outlet stores and 13 franchise stores in 42 states and the District of Columbia. Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc. was founded in 1905 and is headquartered in Hampstead, Maryland.

Pro & Sons also operates a Mexican restaurant in Phoenix and a gas station in El Paso. Founded in 1982 by Mike Provenzano, Pro & Sons began catering to Latinos in the 1990s.Pro & Sons may sound Italian in name, but its business is strictly Hispanic. The company owns and operates about a dozen Ranch Market grocery stores in Southern California, Phoenix, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas that cater to the Hispanic population. Ranch Market's store departments, which capitalize on the company's Mexican heritage, include tortilla factories, bakeries, hot foods, meat, and produce. The supermarkets also house in-store La Cocina prepared-foods departments, which serve up Mexican fare, and Aguas Frescas refreshment bars

Walgreen Co., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of a chain of drugstores in the United States. The company’s drugstores sell prescription and non-prescription drugs, and general merchandise. Its general merchandise comprises household products, convenience foods, and seasonal items, as well as personal care, beauty care, candy, and photofinishing products. The company offers its products and services through drugstores, as well as through mail, telephone, and the Internet. As of August 31, 2010, it operated 8,046 locations in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Walgreen company also owns 37 strip shopping malls. Walgreen Co. was founded in 1901 and is based in Deerfield, Illinois.

E-Z Mart Stores founder Jim Yates kept his first convenience store in Ashdown, Arkansas, open until 11. The company now boasts 300 outlets across five southern states (Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas). Rather than build its own stores, the company usually expands through acquisitions. In addition to the standard hot dogs, chips, sodas, and cigarettes, most E-Z Mart locations also offer Shell, Conoco, Phillips 66, or CITGO gasoline. Yates died in late 1998 when the plane he was piloting crashed, leaving his daughter Sonja Hubbard at the company's helm as CEO.

It was M.O. Lee - then president of VF Corporation - who suggested holding a public sale one Saturday morning to clear out excess inventory of Berkshire International. That day, the merchandise completely sold out, even though the only advertising had been word of mouth. The store was so busy that even Lee bagged merchandise and manned the cash register. “You could see his mind working,” said John Jackson, merchandise manager of Intimate Apparel at the time. “He was thinking he could make the store bigger. We just had a drop cloth on the back wall, and we kept moving it back.”Pleased and surprised at the success of the sale, Lee scheduled a bigger one for two weeks later, with merchandise brought in from other VF sources. That sale was even more successful, and the VF Outlet business was launched. Selling Berkshire and Vanity Fair surplus products, the factory store was 5,000 square feet, with only a drop cloth separating it from the manufacturing facility. VF Corporation - which opened the store in 1970 - was one of the earliest outlet operators, and opened the first outlet center in the country, in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Spinx Company has turned itself into a small convenience retailing powerhouse. It operates more than 75 convenience stores under the SPINX banner in North and South Carolina. SPINX locations offer gasoline and alternative fuels (including biodiesel and E85), packaged snacks, foodservice outlets, car washes, and DVD rental kiosks. The company also supplies gasoline to more than 60 area convenience stores. CEO Stewart Spinks founded The Spinx Company, which is still family owned and operated.

Founded in 1988 by two fanatical skiers (Tim Slade and Jules Leaver) who sold clothing from their backpacks to support their skiing habits, Fat Face opened its first shop in London's Fulham Road in 1993. Its name is derived from an Olympic ski trail in the Alps. Fat Face was acquired by the London-based private equity firm Bridgepoint Capital in 2007 for about $707 million. Fat Face draws more than just name from a ski theme. Fat Face Limited company sells ski-and-surf-style activewear and outdoor clothing from more than 140 shops in the UK, Ireland, and France, as well as by catalog and online. Products include extreme sports apparel, footwear, jewelry, and accessories.

Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing merchandise and related services. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,300 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, which includes approximately 929 full-line and approximately 1,200 specialty stores in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears, Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End -- among the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck is the 2010 ENERGY STAR® Retail Partner of the Year. The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 12 million service calls made annually.

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