Slumberland has some reclining, bedding, and sofa solutions. Primarily situated in the upper Midwest region of the US, the company operates more than 110 stores in 10 US states. It first opened its doors as a mattress shop and La-Z-Boy specialty shop in 1967, but today Slumberland has extended its reach into furniture for the bedroom, dining room, and living room. The company is a leading retailer of La-Z-Boy upholstery and also sells Natuzzi leather pieces and both Sealy and Simmons mattresses. Franchising has become an increasingly vital part of Slumberland's strategy for expansion.

Leader's Holding Company (better known as Leader's Casual Furniture) is a small furniture chain that that operates some 20 retail showrooms throughout the state of Florida. The furniture retailer sells such brand names as Capris, Jonathan Taylor, Carlton, Tropitone, Palm Springs Rattan, and Garden Classics. As part of its products portfolio, the company peddles indoor (including wicker and rattan) and outdoor home furnishings and related accessories. The family-owned company got its start as a single retail location in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1971.

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.

Causeway Lumber was founded in 1939 by Col. O. R. Whiddon, grandfather of company president Scott Whiddon. When South Florida residents need to rebuild, they call a contractor, and their contractor might very well call Causeway Lumber. Targeting professional builders as customers, the company manufactures and distributes building materials including hardware, lumber, plywood, reinforcing steel, and roof and floor trusses from stores in Arcadia, Bonita Springs, Fort Lauderdale, and Stuart. Causeway Lumber Company also serves customers in the Caribbean.

QVC (its name stands for "quality, value, and convenience") offers about 1,150 items each week to TV-tied shopping addicts. Merchandise includes apparel, cosmetics, electronics, housewares, jewelry, and toys. It broadcasts 24 hours a day; viewers call in their orders to one of its five call centers. If you can't find what you're shopping for on the tube, it also sells online and through five outlet stores plus a full-line store at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. The company also has shopping channels in Germany, Japan, and the UK. QVC is a subsidiary of Liberty Interactive Group, which is owned by Liberty Media.

The Athlete's Foot® is the world's first franchisor of athletic footwear stores and is recognized today as the world leader in athletic footwear franchising. Robert and David Lando opened the first The Athlete's Foot® store in 1971 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the first athletic footwear specialty store of its kind in the United States. Soon thereafter, The Athlete's Foot® began franchising domestically, with the first franchise store opening in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The first international franchise store opened in 1978 in Adelaide, Australia, the beginning of The Athlete's Foot® expansion into over 40 countries.

E. W. James & Sons also operates a Calla Lily gift store, pharmacy, and catering business. Established in 1934, E. W. James & Sons is run by the third generation of the James family.E. W. James & Sons operates about two dozen supermarkets mostly in Tennessee, but also in Arkansas, Kentucky, and Mississippi. Serving smaller communities with its namesake stores and several Save-A-Lot locations, the regional player is battling both supercenters and super-regional grocers. Its stores feature large fresh produce, meat, and bakery departments. In 2004, the supermarket operator purchased 10 supermarkets in Kentucky from Winn-Dixie, when the ailing grocery chain exited the Kentucky market.

George has extended its brand to housewares, jewelry, and more and recently began selling merchandise online. Factories in Bangldesh and China supply most of the goods. By George if George Clothing isn't one of the UK's largest apparel retailers! Founded by and named for the fashion entrepreneur George Davies in 1990, the George brand of apparel for men, women, and children (including school uniforms) occupies about 12.5% of its parent company ASDA's floorspace and accounts for 10% of its sales in the UK. About half of all of George's sales are rung up overseas in shops owned by the world's largest retailer Wal-Mart Stores in countries that include Argentina, Canada, China, India, Japan, Mexico, and the US.

PriceSmart is wise in the ways of members-only club retailing. The retailer runs more than 25 membership stores under the PriceSmart name in about a dozen countries and one US territory in Central America and the Caribbean. It sells low-cost food, pharmacy, and basic consumer items. In each store, nearly half of the merchandise comes from the US, and the other half is sourced locally. In-store services include auto/tire centers, banking, and photo developing. PriceSmart stores are typically smaller than wholesale clubs in the US, averaging about 50,000-75,000 sq. ft., and the membership fees average about $25. PriceSmart was founded in 1976 by father-and-son team Sol and Robert Price.

Founded in 1939, RONA generates about 40% of its sales from distribution. RONA has employed an aggressive acquisition strategy to expand throughout Canada. RONA believes a tool belt befits both genders. The company is Canada's top home improvement retailer (ahead of Home Depot of Canada) with about 685 franchised, affiliated, and corporate stores. Looking beyond traditional male customers, RONA stores court women shoppers (more than half of its customers) with features such as decorator boutiques and product displays set for the average woman's eye level. The stores range in format from small RONA L'express shops to RONA L'entrepot big-box outlets and the retailer carries some 2,000 RONA-branded products.

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