Founded in 1952 as Holmes Door & Lumber Co., the business was acquired by family-owned Carter Lumber of Kent, Ohio in 2004, adding Holmes' operations to its 200-plus stores in 10 states. Try building a home -- or any other structure -- without the products that Holmes Lumber supplies. The building materials retailer sells lumber, blocks, bricks, cabinets, doors, paneling, ceiling tiles, hardware, and other building materials to professional contractors and consumers at three Holmes Lumber and Building Centers in Hartville, Millersburg, and Sugarcreek Ohio.

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).

Victoria's Secret is not hush-hush, but it is unmentionable(s). The largest subsidiary of Limited Brands (based on sales) is also North America's #1 specialty retailer of women's intimate apparel, operating about 1,040 mostly mall-based Victoria's Secret and 250-plus La Senza lingerie stores throughout the US and Canada. Bras, panties, hosiery, swimwear, shoes, and more are sold under the Victoria's Secret brand and grouped in collections such as Dream Angels and Very Sexy. Many Victoria's Secret lingerie stores also sell beauty products. Its sister company Victoria's Secret Direct mails about 400 million of its sexy catalogs per year, offering intimate apparel, women's clothing, and footwear.

ABC Supply Co., Inc. is the largest wholesale distributor of roofing in the United States and one of the nation's largest distributors of siding, windows and other select exterior building products, tools and related supplies. Since our start in 1982, we've grown to become a national organization with more than 350 locations in 45 states and the District of Columbia.Our success is the result of an unwavering focus on a single, simple guiding principle - treat contractors (large and small) with respect and give them the products and services they need to build their businesses. The customer always comes first. We offer high quality products, superior service and competitive pricing, ensuring the contractors have the products they need - when and where they need them.

Dickson Concepts (International) aims to satisfy the Asian market's hunger for luxury goods. The company operates about 500 stores (some through joint ventures) in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan. (Hong Kong and China account for about 75% of sales.) The company operates single-brand luxury retailers, including ones selling Bertolucci, Chopard, Brooks Brothers, and Tommy Hilfiger. Dickson Concepts also operates stores under various luxury names, including Harvey Nichols and three Seibu department stores in Hong Kong. Sales are split between locals and tourists. Group executive chairman Dickson Poon owns 40% of Dickson Concepts.

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.

PITCO Foods, formed by the merger of Pacific Groservice and Pittsburg Wholesale Grocers, operates four membership warehouse stores in San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose, and Oakland, California under the PITCO banner. The outlets, which are not open to the general public, stock more than 9,000 items and cater to some 10,000 independently-owned retailers and food service operators throughout the Central Valley and Northern California. Customers include supermarkets and convenience stores, drug stores, vending operations, restaurants, and caterers. In addition to various food items, the wholesaler stocks tobacco, janitorial supplies, housewares, health and beauty aids, and auto supplies.

Focus (DIY) Limited company is owned by US investment firm Cerberus Capital Management. Focus (DIY) Limited has its sights fixed on weekend warriors. The company markets a range of products for do-it-yourselfers engaged in light home improvement and gardening projects, including power tools, hardware, appliances, decking and flooring, contemporary home and patio furniture, garden buildings, and plants and seeds. Focus sells its merchandise through about 180 stores in the UK and Ireland, as well as through its Web site. The site also offers guides, price lists, and calculators for DIY projects.

Luckily, Ace has John Madden up its sleeve. Despite the growth of warehouse-style competitors, Ace Hardware has remained a household name, thanks to ads featuring Madden, a former Oakland Raiders football coach and retired TV commentator. By sales the company is the #1 hardware cooperative in the US, ahead of Do It Best. Ace dealer-owners operate about 4,500 Ace Hardware stores, home centers, and lumber and building materials locations in all 50 US states and more than 60 other countries. From about 15 warehouses Ace distributes such products as electrical and plumbing supplies, garden equipment, hand tools, housewares, and power tools. Its paint division is also a major paint manufacturer in the US.

Independent Pipe and Supply Corp. (IP&S) has risen over the last four generations to become one of the largest family owned industrial pvf houses in New England. As the premier distributor of industrial pipe, we represent the top suppliers in providing a comprehensive product range: pipe, strainers, backflow preventers, steam traps, commercial equipment, valves, instrumentation, fittings & flanges, fire protection and specialties such as gaskets, pipe tools and machines, expansion joints and more. For your convenience, we offer state-of-the-art computerized inventory and search technology directly from the home page of our web site. Our continued growth and success stems from long-term relationships with customers, vendors and employees alike. During nearly six decades in the piping industry, IP&S, which is headquartered in Canton, MA, has expanded into five states. Today, we serve the contractor and distributor markets in the New England area and beyond.IP&S may be an acronym for Independent Pipe & Supply, but it also stands for the three pillars of our business success: Inventory, Price and Service. Our financial leverage allows us to negotiate, purchase and warehouse extensive merchandise - a strategy that has enabled us to supply our customers' needs on time, anytime and at highly competitive prices since the early seventies. In the name of superior service we've nurtured relationships for decades with both vendors and customers, without whom we would not be what we are today: an evolving and expanding family business with a major distribution facility in Canton and branches in five states serviced by over 100 employees. Although IP&S has grown and changed with the times, we believe wholeheartedly in the human method of doing business - in personal attention that provides the best customer service in the industry. No account is too small or too large - we have the trucking capacity, inventory, staff and knowledge to service any account for a lifetime.

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