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.

Kwik Trip operates about 350 Kwik Trip and Kwik Star convenience stores throughout Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The company also runs several Hearty Platter restaurants, about 40 Tobacco Outlet Plus (TOP) cigar stores, and car washes at some Kwik Trip store locations. All Kwik Trip stores built since 1990 are owned by Convenience Store Investments, a separate company, which leases the land and stores to Kwik Trip. Kwik Trip, which opened its first store in 1965 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, is owned by the family of CEO Don Zietlow.

North West Company's stores sell general merchandise, clothing, electronics, and pharmaceuticals. The company also operates a small fur trading business, a financial services division (prepaid credit and debit cards), a chain of convenience stores, and is a wholesale distributor of produce and meats to independent grocery stores in Canada.Established in 1997, North West Company Fund is the holding company for The North West Company, an operator of grocery and discount store chains located in remote areas of Canada, Alaska, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific. Its more than 220 stores include its flagship Northern, as well as Giant Tiger, NorthMart, and Cost-U-Less

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.

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)

Conn’s, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer of home appliances, consumer electronics, home office equipment, lawn and garden products, mattresses, and furniture in the United States. It also sells repair service agreements and customer credit programs, including installment and revolving credit account programs, and various credit insurance products. In addition, the company sells its products online. As of March 25, 2010, it operated 76 retail and clearance stores in southern Louisiana, southeast Texas, Houston, South Texas, San Antonio/Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Oklahoma. Conn's, Inc. was founded in 1890 and is headquartered in Beaumont, Texas.

Stage Stores, Inc. operates as a specialty department store retailer in the United States. It offers brand name and private label apparel, accessories, cosmetics, and footwear, as well as sportswear, dresses, intimates, home and gift products, outerwear, swimwear, and other products for women, men, and children. It primarily focuses on consumers in small and mid-sized markets. As of January 30, 2010, the company operated 758 stores in 39 states under the names of Bealls, Goody’s, Palais Royal, Peebles, and Stage. Stage Stores, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

L.L. Bean was founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean and is controlled by his descendants. With L.L. Bean, you can tame the great outdoors -- or just look as if you could. The outdoor apparel and gear maker mails more than 200 million catalogs per year. L.L. Bean's library includes about 10 specialty catalogs offering products in categories such as children's clothing, fly-fishing, outerwear, sportswear, housewares, footwear, camping and hiking gear, and the Maine hunting shoe upon which L.L. Bean, Inc. was built. L.L. Bean also operates about 15 retail stores and an equal number of outlets throughout the Northeast, Illinois, and China. In addition, it sells online through English- and Japanese-language websites.

GasAmerica Services operates a chain of combination gas station/convenience stores under the GasAmerica banner, all found in Indiana and Ohio. Its 90-odd locations offer the usual assortment of food, drinks, and supplies, and, of course, gasoline. The company issues a convenience card for frequent customers that allows users to earn points for rebates, take advantage of special discounts, receive coupons by mail, and enter the monthly sweepstakes for computers and free gas. GasAmerica Services offers biofuels, including E85 (85% ethanol), B10 (10% biodiesel from soybeans). Founded in 1916, the firm has been blending ethanol into gasoline for more than 20 years.

Established in 1928, Consolidated Supply Co. started as a consolidation of four different supply houses operating in Portland, Oregon and employing E. A. Neupert as the General Manager. During the depression years, ownership of the Company was purchased by the Neupert family and the company remains a family operation to this day. Through dedication and hard work the Neupert family carried a small, northwest business to span four states including Hawaii. Today, the corporate headquarters, as well as the company’s largest branch, are located in Tigard, Oregon. The Tigard location includes a stunning showroom, The Fixture Gallery, featuring the American Standard, Porcher and Jado lines, as well as other fine manufacturers of quality kitchen and bath products and accessories. Our other Fixture Gallery locations include Bend, Eugene, Salem, Burlington, Kennewick, Pacific, Seattle, Boise, Coeur d’Alene, and Sandpoint.Many of the organization’s functions are centralized in Tigard including Accounting, Credit Management, Human Resources, Information Systems, Marketing, Purchasing and Sales. Consolidated Supply Co. has come a long way and a lot has changed in 80 years. Our product line has grown from a few dozen helpful items to thousands of plumbing, waterworks and heating products supplied to contractors, homeowners, utilities and municipalities all over the Northwest and the Pacific. But just like the first day our doors were opened, Consolidated Supply Co. and its subsidiaries still strive to meet the ever growing needs of our customers by providing outstanding customer service along with superior products. We look forward to serving our customers well into the 21st century.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.