Plaid Pantries operates more than 100 convenience stores under the Plaid Pantry banner in Oregon and Washington. Many of the shops offer in-store Subway and Taco Bell outlets, as well as gas and automatic check-cashing machines. After years of selling its own brand of gas (Plaid-Plus), the regional convenience store chain has switched to offering branded gas (ConocoPhillips and Shell) at its stores that sell fuel. Plaid Pantries got its start in 1960 and got its name, courtesy of founder John Piacentini, from the red-and-white checkered design then featured in all of its locations.

Small Island Trader sells ceramics and crystal objects online to private buyers globally. Its web site contains more than 50,000 items, ranging from Wedgwood china to collectible paperweights and Versace ashtrays and other collectibles. The company secures its merchandise from about 20 leading ceramics manufacturers. Founded in 1997 by husband-and-wife team Alexandra and Jim Murray (managing director and creative director, respectively), the company is still owned by the couple.

Groupe Samse (formerly Society Samse SA) is helping build France. Samse is one of the country's top wholesale distributors of building and do-it-yourself materials, with about 250 outlets, serving some 260,000 customers across two dozen French provinces. It operates two commercial business segments: multi-specialists (supplying technical solutions to building professionals) and specialists (targeting building and public works professionals). Its third segment, do-it-yourself, caters to individual rather than commercial clients. Through La Boite a Outils and and Entrepot du Bricolage retail stores, Samse sells a variety of home building and improvement products similar to The Home Depot and Lowe's in the US.

Tory Burch is an attainable, luxury, lifestyle brand defined by classic American sportswear with an eclectic sensibility, which embodies the personal style and spirit of its co-founder and creative director, Tory Burch. Perceiving a void in the market for a sophisticated American aesthetic at an accessible price point, Tory wanted to create stylish yet wearable clothing and accessories for women of all ages. Tory Burch was launched in February 2004 as a lifestyle concept with multiple product categories, including ready-to-wear, handbags, shoes and jewelry. Going against the minimalist trend that was popular at the time, Tory designed her flagship boutique, in downtown New York, to feel more like a room in her own home than a traditional retail store. Key design elements featured in all boutiques include orange lacquer doors, mirrored walls, and Lucite fixtures.Tory’s childhood on a farm outside of Philadelphia, as well as her mother and father’s unique sense of personal style, influence the aesthetic of the collection. Her sensibility is also inspired by art, photography, films travel, and the work of interior designer David Hicks. Graphic prints, bold colors and ethnic detailing are all signatures of the brand. Celebrity fans include Cameron Diaz, Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Lopez, Uma Thurman and Hilary Swank. Tory Burch is available at free-standing Tory Burch boutiques across the US, www.toryburch.com and over 450 select department and specialty stores worldwide.

Max Mara Fashion Group is taking leading-edge apparel design to the max. Max Mara Fashion Group S.r.l. clothes some of the finest women in the world (including ESPN Monday Night Football's female reporters). It touts more than 20 labels, including the flagship Max Mara (high-end contemporary career, bridal, and sportswear); Marina Rinaldi (plus-sized fashions); and iBlues, Marella, and Penny Black (lower-priced lines). One of Italy's largest fashion firms, Max Mara Fashion Group S.r.l. company operates more than 2,300 boutiques in 90 countries worldwide, and it sells through such retailers as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Barneys. Started in the 1950s, Max Mara is owned and run by the family of founder Achille Maramotti, who died in 2005.

Bosselman, Inc. operates some 40 Pump & Pantry convenience stores and 25 Boss Truck Shops, which sell tires and offer truck repair services, in Nebraska and more than 15 other states. Family-operated Bosselman also runs about half a dozen eating establishments (mostly Grandma Max's) and five motels. Other operations include Bosselman Energy (wholesale oil, fuel, and propane delivery) and Bosselman Tank & Trailer (truck, tank and trailer sales, repairs, and inspections). A handful of Bosselman travel centers fly the Pilot banner. Founder Frederick H. Bosselman -- a farmer and part-time truck driver -- opened his first truck stop in 1948.

Charming Shoppes, Inc. operates as a specialty apparel retailer primarily for women in the United States. Charming Shoppes, Inc. operates retail stores and related e-commerce Web sites under the LANE BRYANT, LANE BRYANT OUTLET, FASHION BUG, and CATHERINES PLUS SIZES names. Its retail stores offer plus-size, misses, sportswear, dresses, coats, and intimate apparel, as well as accessories and casual footwear. Charming Shoppes, Inc. also sells food and specialty gifts through its FIGI’S catalog and related e-commerce Web site. As of January 30, 2010, it operated 2,121 retail stores. Charming Shoppes, Inc. was founded in 1940 and is headquartered in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.

The North West Company operates more than 220 stores in remote areas of Canada, Alaska, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific. Its stores, which include Northern (its flagship), NorthMart, Giant Tiger, AC Value Center, and Cost-U-Less, sell groceries and general merchandise, as well as clothing (at some stores) and other items suited to local community needs. The company also operates a small chain of convenience stores, as well as a financial services company that provides prepaid credit and debit cards.While most retailers grapple for commercial real estate in big cities, The North West Company is quietly building up store locations far from the fray. Serving rural and urban communities

America’s Body Company (ABC) was founded in 1976 as Great Lakes Truck Equipment a truck equipment distributor in Cleveland, OH. Since that time, ABC has grown to 14 locations nationwide with installation and service facilities located in Columbus, OH / Cleveland, OH / Louisville, KY / Tampa, FL / Clinton, MD / Portland, OR / LaGrange, TX / Pontiac, MI / Denver, PA / Bowmansville, PA / Reading, PA / Abington, PA / Seneca, PA / Suffolk, VA.ABC has all major OEM chassis pools available at all locations and General Motors and Ford ship-thru capability.ABC manufactures dry-freight van bodies and Citi Van cutaway van bodies. In addition, ABC distributes Pinnacle service bodies, Rugged American platform and stake bodies, Marauder dump bodies and snow plows.,/ ABC is an industry leader when it comes to developing new and innovative products and is broadly recognized as a national leader in “Green” technology utilizing weight-saving, fuel-saving composites and aluminum in various product lines. The Rugged American Platform, Landscaper and SMART Rack and the Pinnacle Aluminum Service Bodies and Service Van improve fuel efficiency up to 12%* and are inherently corrosions-resistant providing longer life.ABC has the one of the largest direct sales force in the industry, with more than 20 knowledgeable and experienced outside sales representatives nationwide. ABC sales representatives work closely with OEM dealers, fleets and end users to cultivate business in each local area. ABC, owned by The Reading Group, LLC, a Reading, PA-based leader in truck equipment founded in 1955 as Reading Body Works, is backed by one of the strongest engineering and research and development teams in the truck equipment industry.

Pathmark's rival in the Northeast, acquired the chain for about $1.4 billion in late 2007. Three years later, A&P filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Pathmark rings up about 45% of A&P's annual sales.Pathmark Stores hopes it's finally on the upward path now that it has become part of the A&P family of grocery chains. Pathmark operates about 140 supermarkets, under the Pathmark and Pathmark Sav-A-Center banners, in densely populated areas in four states: Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Many of its stores are Pathmark Super Centers, which offer an expanded selection of general merchandise and foods, nearly all have pharmacies, and more than half have in-store banks

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