Metro as a brand was founded in 1957 by its chairman, Mr Ong Tjoe Kim.Retail business under the stewardship of the late Mr Ong flourished and grew to become one of Singapore’s major department store chains. Metro Holdings Limited was formed in 1973 and listed on the Stock Exchange of Singapore that same year. Metro continued to grow its retail business over the years and later diversified into property development, leisure, construction sectors.

Sam Levitz Furniture Company Incorporated sells a variety of furniture through three showrooms and a clearance center in Tucson, Arizona. It stocks brand names such as Bassett, Broyhill, Lane, and Natuzzi. The company has been family-owned and -operated since it was founded by newspaper photographer Sam Levitz in 1953. Today the company is run by Sam's son, Sam R. Levitz. Sam Levitz Furniture in Arizona is not connected to the defunct national Levitz Furniture chain.

Kirkland's, Inc. operates about 280 stores (down from 350 in 2007) in some 30 states, which stock decorative home accessories and gifts, including framed art, mirrors, candles, lamps, picture frames, artificial flowers, rugs, garden accessories, and coffee-table books. Kirkland's also offers holiday items during Christmas and Easter. Stores operate under the names Kirkland's and Kirkland's Home. It phased out several Briar Patch by Kirkland's locations in 2008. Kirkland's was founded in 1966 by Carl Kirkland.

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.

Lawrence Robert McCoy incorporated the company in 1922. Today, it is employee-owned. If only his name was Robert Lawrence, the company could have called itself the "RL McCoy". Lawrence R. McCoy & Co. (LR McCoy) is a wholesale distributor of lumber products, fencing materials, landscaping supplies, and wood flooring to contractors, home centers, retail outlets, and industrial clients in the Northeastern US and Canada. Customers can access accounts online through the My LR McCoy service. The Davenport Peters Company division of the company wholesales lumber.

While navigating the world of online storefronts, Hayneedle hopes to help its customers find a needle in all those virtual haystacks. Among the company's more than 220 Internet shopping domains are AdirondackChairs.com, Barstools.com, Hammocks.com, and PatioFurnitureUSA.com. Although an individual specialty store's scope of merchandise may be narrow, Hayneedle's ownership of multiple domains allows it to offer a vast range goods. Its products include home and patio furniture, kitchen appliances, outdoor decor, sporting goods, and toys and games. Hayneedle (formerly named NetShops) was formed in 2002 after its founders saw success with Hammocks.com. It is held by Sequioa Capital and Insight Venture Partners.

Trendy Zara is the flagship brand for Europe's fastest-growing apparel retailer Industria de Diseno Textil (commonly know as Inditex). Zara, the cheap-chic subsidiary of the Spanish fashion giant, runs about 1,520 stores, including some 230 Zara Kids shops, in more than 75 countries worldwide. Zara has about 40 shops in the US and 60 in Mexico. The chain sells women's, men's, and children's apparel and also offers plus-size and maternity lines to clothe its larger customers. Zara Home, which sells home fashions, has about 250 stores, in about 25 countries. Zara is Inditex's principal chain and accounts for about two-thirds of its parent company's sales.

HeadRoom LLC was founded by road warrior (and headphone junkie) Tyll Hertsens in 1992 with one product, the headphone amplifier. HeadRoom lays claim to the space between your ears. The company sells high-end audio headphones, headphone amplifiers, and related accessories such as adapters and cables. Its offers layman level information and advice about selecting headphones for a variety of applications, from use with iPods and other MP3 players to home stereos to televisions. It also offers headphone and amp packages and used equipment as well as system bags made in the company's factory. HeadRoom sells headphones under brands such as AKG, Koss, and Sennheiser.

IGA grocers are independent, but not alone. The world's largest voluntary supermarket network, IGA has 6,200 stores in more than 40 countries worldwide, including about 1,350 in the US. Collectively, its members are among North America's leaders in terms of supermarket sales. IGA (which stands for either International or Independent Grocers Alliance, the company says) is owned by about 35 worldwide distribution companies, including SUPERVALU. Members can sell IGA-brand private-label products (over 2,300 items) and take advantage of joint operations and services, such as advertising and volume buying. Some stores in the IGA alliance, which primarily caters to smaller towns, also sell gas.

SNAX 24 operates about 75 combination fuel stations/convenience stores (distributing major oil brands, such as BP and Shell) throughout the UK. SNAX 24 is owned by its chairman, Gerald Rosnon, founder of the Heron International property group and SNAX 24's predecessor, Heron Service Stations, which was started when Rosnon was only 17 years old. Its first service station was opened at St. Albans, England in 1966, and the SNAX 24 concept was introduced in 1992.

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