Dean & DeLuca also offers its goods through consumer and corporate gift catalogs, as well as online. It has operated in Japan since 2003 through a distribution agreement with ITOCHU there. Joel Dean and Giorgio DeLuca opened their first market in SoHo in 1977.You could go to Manhattan's tony SoHo neighborhood for a taste of Dean & DeLuca, but increasingly, you don't have to. The purveyor of pricey gourmet foods, fine wines, cheeses, baked goods, coffees and teas, and high-end kitchenware operates about 15 specialty markets and cafes in select US cities and is growing rapidly in Japan. The company opened its first cafe in the Middle East, located in Dubai, in 2008 and now has a store in Kuwait.

Axfood gives the chilly Nordic region the Willys. Axfood AB is one of the largest food retailers in Sweden (behind ICA and Coop),operating about 110 wholly owned Willys (discount grocery stores),30-plus Willys hemma (neighborhood grocers),and some 165 Hemkp (upscale grocery stores for food enthusiasts) stores. Axfood also operates shops under the Handlar'n and Tempo banners. Its Axfood Narlivs unit is a nationwide wholesaler serving convenience store retailers, restaurants, and foodservice companies through about 20 cash and carry outlets and several distribution centers. Subsidiary Dagab serves as Axfood AB company's logistics arm. Swedish food importer and retailer Axel Johnson owns about 46% of Axfood.

B&G was founded in 1944 by Charlie Bartle and Cecil Gibson. Bartle & Gibson (B&G) sounds like a classical guitar duet; though it's not, it does bring a certain harmony to the lives of its customers. Catering primarily to residential contractors, B&G is a leading independent wholesaler of plumbing, heating, electrical, and irrigation supplies in Canada. Bartle & Gibson Co. Ltd. operates about 30 branches in British Columbia, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories, offering such major brands as 3M, Bemis, Honeywell, Klein Tools, and OSRAM SYLVANIA. It is served by two distribution centers.

Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy wants to offer far more than the prescriptions, over-the-counter aids, and greeting cards peddled by those other pharmacies. Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy, Inc. operates about two dozen retail pharmacy and health stores in California, Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. Although filling prescriptions accounts for a large portion of the firm's revenues, Pharmaca also offers complementary medicines and products and even has herbalists, naturopaths, homeopaths, and other alternative-care advisors in its stores to help customers find what they need to treat what ails them. Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy, Inc. is expanding its presence in its established markets, most recently by acquiring Bay Pharmacy in California.

Chairman Max Gondon founded AMS in 1969. The company was acquired in 2007 by CRH, an Ireland-based building materials maker. Acoustical Material Services (AMS) sells the materials builders need to put a roof over your head -- not to mention hold your whole house together. The company provides acoustical ceiling products, lath and plaster, drywall, doors, and frames, as well as other construction supplies. Customers include large and small contractors, subcontractors, building owners, and dealers. AMS distributes products from about 20 locations in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah, as well as Mexico (via AMS De Mexico). It also exports to markets in Guam, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Taiwan.

Ross Stores, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates two chains of off-price retail apparel and home accessories stores in the United States. Its stores offer branded and designer apparel, accessories, footwear, and home fashions, as well as gift items, linens, and other home-related merchandise. The company’s merchandise offerings also comprise product categories, such as small furniture and furniture accents, educational toys and games, luggage, gourmet food and cookware, watches, and sporting goods, as well as fine jewelry in selected Ross stores. As of January 30, 2010, it operated 1,005 stores, including 953 Ross Dress for Less (Ross) locations in 27 states and Guam, and 52 dd’s DISCOUNTS stores in 4 states. Ross Stores, Inc. was founded in 1957 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, California.

SmartLabs brings high-tech comforts home with the push of a button. Its SmartLabs Technology unit creates electronic automation and remote control products for lighting, security systems, theater equipment, and other home management systems. The SmartLabs Design division designs and produces its INSTEON wireless technology line, as well as offers original equipment manufacturing services. Reaching consumers in some 130 countries, SmartLabs' Smarthome business markets more than 5,000 electronic home improvement products online, by phone, and through catalogs. President and CEO Joe Dada founded the company in 1992.

Saks Fifth Avenue, Inc was began as Proffitt’s, Inc. with just five Proffitt’s stores in metropolitan Knoxville, Tennessee. Proffitt's, Inc. became a public company in June 1987. From 1994 to 1998, we added McRae’s, Parisian, Younkers, Herberger's, and Carson Pirie Scott & Co. (which included Bergner's and Boston Store) as well as 32 additional stores from Lovemans, Hess, Parks-Belk, and Brody’s, which were converted into existing store nameplates.

Furniture.com sells furniture online through its partnership with major furniture retailers in North America, including RoomStore, The RoomPlace, and Leon's Furniture. Product lines include bedroom, dining room, and living room furniture, as well as entertainment centers, lighting, and bedding. Furniture.com also offers branded sites and other e-commerce services to retail partners. It is operated by Blueport Commerce, an e-commerce firm formed by Furniture.com's management. Furniture.com has been in business since 2002, when CEO Carl Prindle acquired the assets of the failed e-tailer by the same name.

New York & Company, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty retailer of women's apparel in the United States. It offers casual and wear-to-work apparel and accessories, including pants, jackets, knit tops, blouses, sweaters, denim, t-shirts, activewear, handbags, and jewelry. New York & company operates under the New York & Company, Lerner, Lerner New York, New York Style, City Stretch, City Style, and NY&C brand names. It primarily serves fashion-conscious and value-sensitive women between the ages of 25 and 45. New York & company sells its products through its national network of retail stores and E-commerce store at nyandcompany.com. As of March 18, 2010, it operated 576 stores in 43 states. New York & company was formerly known as NY & Co. Group, Inc. New York & Company, Inc. was founded in 1918 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

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