Rockler Companies, Inc. company was founded in 1954 as a mail-order supplier of woodworking materials. Rockler Companies, a nationwide retail chain specializing in woodworking supplies, operates about 30 Rockler stores in about 20 states under the Rockler Woodworking and Hardware banner. The stores sells hardware (hinges, drawer slides), hand and power tools, finishes, wood and supplies, and shop equipment -- primarily to do-it-yourselfer types. It also sells cabinets; closet, kitchen, bath, and TV organizers; and TV and computer mounting equipment. In addition, Rockler operates a catalog business, six Web sites (including one for women in woodworking), and distributes its products through more than 60 independent partner stores.

Japanese take the family to FamilyMart, the country's #3 convenience store chain behind market leader Seven-Eleven Japan and LAWSON. About half of the fast-growing company's 15,000 stores are in Japan. FamilyMart also operates shops in China, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the US. The chain opened its first store in Shanghai in 2004 and has grown to number about 220 stores in China. FamilyMart entered the US market in 2005 and now operates about 15 upscale convenience stores in the Los Angeles area under the Famima banner. Many more are planned. To further strengthen its retail network, FamilyMart in December 2009 acquired smaller rival am/pm Japan Co. from owner REX Holdings.

Kesko also operates about 870 other retail outlets from department stores and home and specialty shops (shoes and sporting goods), to stores selling hardware, builders' supplies, agriculture goods, and machinery. Kesko also is a wholesaler and imports vehicles made by Volkswagen and Audi through its VV-Auto division. You name it, Kesko sells it. The Finnish firm is big in importing, distributing, and wholesaling in its homeland and in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, and now Russia and Belarus. Its largest division, Kesko Food (about 45% of sales) includes more than 1,000 of its own "K" food stores (operating in a variety of formats mostly in Finland and in the Baltic countries).

W. Atlee Burpee is a top-seeded seed supplier. Shipping more than 100 million packets a year, W. Atlee Burpee and Co. is the largest supplier of seeds to home gardeners in the US. Burpee cultivates and distributes fruit, flower, herb, and vegetable seeds and plants through retail partners, catalogs (about 2 million mailed each year), and online via its website. The company also sells gardening tools and accessories. Named after its founder, Burpee got its start in 1876 as a mail-order seed company. The family of third-generation seedsman and CEO George Ball Jr. has owned the business since 1991. Ball also owns a rare plant nursery and a gourmet seed firm.

Casual Male Retail Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty retailer of men’s apparel in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The company operates its stores under the Casual Male XL, Casual Male XL Outlets, Rochester Clothing, B & T Factory Direct, Shoes XL, and Living XL trade names. Its retail stores offer a range of basic sportswear, other casual apparel, dress wear, and accessories, as well as a line of its private label collections, such as Harbor Bay, 626 Blue-Vintage Surplus, Synrgy, Comfort Zone, and Oak Hill; and casual clothing for the big and tall customers. As of January 30, 2010, Casual Male Retail Group operated 395 Casual Male XL retail stores, 65 Casual Male XL outlet stores, and 19 Rochester Clothing stores; and a direct business, which included various catalogs and e-commerce sites. The company was formerly known as Designs, Inc. and changed its name to Casual Male Retail Group, Inc. in August 2002 as a result of the acquisition of Casual Male business from Casual Male Corp. Casual Male Retail Group, Inc. was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts.

Lotte Shopping's department stores offer more than the usual shopping experience. The company is a leading retailer in South Korea with some 30 department and discount stores across the nation. It owns one of the largest retail chains in the country with facilities that are part of vast retail complexes that often include cinemas, shopping malls, hotels, theme parks, and wedding halls. It also has a store in Moscow (opened in 2007). In China, where Lotte Shopping is looking to grow, its 2009 purchase of Times Ltd., an operator of 65 hypermarkets and supermarkets in east China, boosted its retail presence there to about 75 stores. Lotte Shopping, which was established in 1979, is looking to grow overseas.

ecohaus wants to improve on the home improvement store. The company offers some 1,500 eco-friendly building materials and products. It operates an online store for its green building supplies, as well as a pair of showrooms in Washington and Oregon for retail customers and trade professionals. Both showrooms were remodeled in 2008. ecohaus's products include reclaimed wood flooring, low-toxic paints, low-flow toilets, formaldehyde-free cabinets, and recycled-glass tiles. Matthew Freeman-Gleason, the company's chief knowledge officer, started the firm as a small storefront in 1992 on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Freeman-Gleason and chairman Tim Taylor are major shareholders of the company.

Limited Brands, Inc. operates as a retailer of women’s intimate and other apparel, beauty and personal care products, and accessories in the United States and Canada. It offers lingerie, fragrances, cosmetics, shower gels, lotions, antibacterial soaps, candles, accessories, and spa products under Victoria’s Secret, Pink, La Senza, Bath & Body Works, C. O. Bigelow, The White Barn Candle Company, and Henri Bendel brands. The company sells its merchandise through its specialty retail stores, Web sites, and catalogues. As of March 15, 2010, it operated 2,970 specialty stores. Limited Brands company was formerly known as The Limited, Inc. and changed its name to Limited Brands, Inc. in May 2002. Limited Brands, Inc. was founded in 1963 and is based in Columbus, Ohio.

El Dorado Furniture Corporation sells home furnishings in South Florida through about a dozen retail showrooms in Broward, Dade, and Palm Beach counties. It offers wood, upholstered, and leather furniture for every room in the house, as well as mattresses, bedding, and decorative accents. Stores are designed to look like a small town, with building facades situated along a main street; locations also feature cafes. El Dorado, one of the largest Hispanic-owned retail enterprises in the US, was founded in 1967 and is still operated by the Capó family.

"Shoppertainment" has been the key to success for Jordan's Furniture. Through four stores in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the company sells furniture for the bedroom, dining room, living room, and home office, as well as mattresses, rugs, and other decor. Taking furniture sales to the next level, stores feature two IMAX theaters, a laser light hall, and MOM (Motion Odyssey Movie) ride. Founded in 1918 by Samuel Tatelman, Jordan's Furniture is owned by billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.

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