Allied Refrigeration Inc. was founded in 1912 by L.B. Marsh and Frank Sarson. Marsh's nephew, Bob Nichols (chairman), and his sons, including CEO Rob, run and own Allied Refrigeration. What does it take to cool Southern California and Las Vegas? Allied Refrigeration probably knows. Through some 15 locations in California and Las Vegas, Allied Refrigeration distributes air conditioning, ventilation, heating, and refrigeration parts, equipment, and controls. Its 30,000-sq.-ft. warehouse in Long Beach keeps branches supplied with more than 9,000 items from major manufacturers, including Honeywell, Heatcraft, Maglite, Tyco Thermal Controls, and Fluke.

Big Y Foods began as a 900-sq.-ft. grocery at a Y intersection in Chicopee,Massachusetts.It now operates some 60 supermarkets throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut. Most of its stores are Big Y World Class Markets,offering specialty areas such as bakeries and floral shops, as well as banking.The rest consist of Big Y Supermarkets and a single gourmet food and liquor store called Table & Vine in Springfield,Massachusetts.Some Big Y stores provide child care, dry cleaning, photo processing, and even propane sales,and their delis and food courts offer to-go foods.Big Y is owned and run by the D'Amour family and is one of New England's largest independent supermarket chains.

Formed by the 1997 merger of Cotter & Company (which supplied the True Value chain) and ServiStar Coast to Coast, the retailer-owned hardware cooperative serves more than 5,000 retail outlets in some 55 countries. Stores offer home improvement and garden supplies, as well as appliances, housewares, sporting goods, and toys. In addition to the flagship True Value banner, members operate under the names of Taylor Rental, Grand Rental Station, Home & Garden Showplace, and Induserve Supply, among others. True Value also manufactures its own brand of paints. To survive against home improvement giants such as The Home Depot and Lowe's, True Value (formerly TruServ) is relying on the true value of service.

B&R Stores operates about 20 supermarkets in six cities across Nebraska and Iowa that operate under the Super Saver,Russ's Market,and ALPS(an acronym for Always Low Price Store) banners.The stores offer the usual grocery selections as well as carpet cleaner and video rentals.Other specialties include smoked meat products produced by in-store smokehouses at all Super Saver stores.The regional grocery chain was founded in 1962 by Russ Raybould (father of company president Pat Raybould) and Clayton Burnett.The Raybould family owns a majority stake in B&R Stores;employees own the rest.

Founded by William Pike in 1958, Pike Nurseries, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in late 2007, blaming the worst drought in Georgia in a century, and put itself up for sale. After closing some of its nurseries, Pike's retail operation was sold to California-based Armstrong Garden Centers (AGC) for $5.2 million in a bankruptcy auction in March 2008. Pike's wholesale businesses were also sold off. Pike Nurseries helps keep thumbs green across Atlanta. Pike Nurseries, Inc. runs about 15 Pike Family Nurseries in the Atlanta area and a single nursery in North Carolina (down from about 20 locations in 2007). Stores sell plants, chemicals, tools, shrubs, trees, and garden furniture.

Tuesday Morning offers big discounts every day of the week, but not every week of the year. The closeout retailer sells discontinued merchandise from name-brand manufacturers at steep discounts. Its merchandise typically includes linens, china, cookware, rugs, and collectibles that are not seconds, irregulars, or factory rejects. Tuesday Morning's 850 stores, located in more than 40 states, operate only during monthly "sale events" (with the exception of January and July). The retailer keeps costs down by selling from low-rent locations and using seasonal help -- only about 20% of its workers are full-time employees. Its customers are primarily women from middle- and upper-income households.

Ocado investors include the company's directors. The average Ocado order tops about £100, a rich price, but the firm's ability to turn a profit is still erratic. The Internet grocer went public in 2010.Upscale Internet grocer Ocado serves more than 13.5 million tech-savvy, time-pressed households in Greater London, Hertfordshire, Kent, the Midlands, Surrey, North West, and now the South Coast. Launched by three former Goldman Sachs bankers in 2002, Ocado delivers groceries in Mercedes vans from its supermarket partner John Lewis Partnership-owned Waitrose Limited, which owns a stake in the company, to the customer's doorstep

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.

Eternit was formed in 1905 by Alphonse Emsens after Ludwig Hatschek invented fiber enhanced cement and called it Eternit due to its long life. It is owned by Belgian construction materials company Etex. From the roof to the sides to the water flowing in, Eternit has your house covered. The company makes roofing material (fiber cement, natural, and concrete slates; concrete and clay tiles, fiber cement sheets), decorative fiber cement boards and siding, and water treatment microstations. Eternit also makes solar energy roof panels and cement plant containers. Its products are distributed to building contractors throughout Luxembourg and Belgium.

Falkland Islands to and from the UK and Chile and provides other port services, including the "squishy" trade of squid fishing licenses. Its Momart International arm serves the fine art logistics market. FIH is also active in commercial and residential property development on the island as well as oil and gas exploration.Falkland Islands Holdings (FIH) does a little bit of Falkland everything. Through its Falkland Islands Company it runs about half a dozen retail (apparel, DIY, home furnishings, grocery, and building and office supplies) outlets, a hotel, and a pair of auto dealerships (Land Rover and Ford); its highly-evolved Darwin Shipping and Portsmouth Harbour Ferry Company.

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