Etablissements Delhaize Freres Et Cie “Le Lion” S.A. (Delhaize Group), together with its subsidiaries, operates food supermarkets in North America, Europe, and southeast Asia. It also engages in food wholesaling to affiliated stores and independent wholesale customers; and in retailing of non- food products, such as pet products. Delhaize Group’s sales network also includes other store formats, such as proximity stores and specialty stores. As of September 30, 2010, its sales network consisted of 2,760 stores. Delhaize Group was founded in 1867 and is based in Brussels, Belgium.

Sierra Trading Post, Inc. was founded in 1986 by Keith Richardson. Sierra Trading Post is counting on you trading in your hard-earned cash for a pair of waterproof hiking boots or a brand new wetsuit. The company sells discounted men's and women's brand-name apparel, outdoor gear, footwear, and home decor through four retail locations in Idaho, Nevada, and Wyoming; about 10 catalog titles; and its website. It buys overstock and closeout items from about 1,000 manufacturers, including Columbia, The North Face, Timberland, ECCO, Dr. Martens, and Birkenstock, and sells them to consumers at 35%-70% off of the original retail price. Sierra Trading Post's print catalogs have an annual circulation of about 60 million.

Since its founding in 1889, the firm has developed the boysenberry along with varieties of peaches, oranges, roses, and the patented Hotbiscus Hibiscus and Wadda Tomato. In addition to its 100-acre nursery, the company has about 30 retail garden centers that operate under the Armstrong banner in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as about 15 Pike Nurseries locations in Atlanta and North Carolina. Its stores carry shrubs, flowering plants, fruit trees, and vegetables, as well as an assortment of dirt, planters, and garden tools. Company employees own 100% of Armstrong Garden Centers. It's strange to think that any company "invented" a fruit, but Armstrong Garden Centers does just that.

Charlotte Russe Holding is sweet on women's clothing. The mall-based retailer operates about 500 Charlotte Russe clothing stores in some 45 US states and Puerto Rico. The stores (averaging 7,100 sq. ft.) offer value-priced established and trendy fashions for women in their twenties and teens. Most merchandise carries the company's proprietary labels (Charlotte Russe, Refuge, and blu Chic). Charlotte Russe Holding company shut down its struggling 64-store Rampage chain in 2006, converting several locations to Charlotte Russe stores. Charlotte Russe Holding went public in 1999. Charlotte Russe Holding was taken private in 2009, when investment firm Advent International acquired Charlotte Russe.

SmartBargains is looking smarter and smarter as it develops into a full-blown electronic clearing house. Started in 2000 as an offshoot of liquidator Gordon Brothers Group, SmartBargains is a giant electronic bargain bin, offering such items as apparel, bedding, home decor, and luggage, at grossly reduced rates, often at costs up to 75% lower than retail. One of the few survivors of the dot-com bubble burst and operating only through its website, the company is a clearing house for closeouts and odd lots. SmartBargains is a division of Retail Convergence, which was acquired by e-commerce powerhouse GSI Commerce in late 2009.

Toupargel Groupe comprises two main businesses: frozen foods, which account for most of sales, and fresh foods and groceries under the Place du March name. CEO Roland Tchenio controls 56% of the company, which changed its name from Toupargel-Agrigel to Toupargel Groupe in 2007.Out of escargots? Short on soufflo? Not to worry, there is a solution! Toupargel Groupe (formerly Toupargel-Agrigel) delivers fresh and frozen foods, produce, dry goods, and groceries to more than 1 million customers in France. Customers place orders by telephone or online through the company's e-business Web site and are guaranteed delivery within 48 to 72 hours.

Maxeda, formerly Vendex KBB, is owned by investment firms Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Cinven, Permira, and AlpInvest Partners. If Hans Brinker went shopping at Maxeda's stores today, he'd find a lot more than silver skates. The Dutch retail group operates stores in a dozen countries across Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. The retailer is selling off its department store and specialty apparel chains to focus on its home improvement stores, which trade under the Brico, Formido, and Praxis banners. Its shrinking stable of retail operations include lingerie chain Hunkemeller and M&S Mode. In 2010 it sold its De Bijenkorf and Vroon & Dressman department store chains.

Garden Ridge Corporation owns and operates more than 40 stores, each covering nearly 3 acres and mostly located off major highways in about 20 states from Florida to Michigan. Its home state of Texas boasts some 15 stores. Considered the "home décor depot," Garden Ridge stores sell about 500,000 decorating items, such as seasonal décor, framed art, baskets, silk and dried flowers, furniture, home textiles, and pottery, as well as crafts and party supplies. Garden Ridge, which began as a single store outside of San Antonio in 1979, is owned by an investment group led by the New York-based private equity firm Three Cities Research.

Since its founding in 1953, Best Denki has expanded its international network to include about 45 locations across Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. The Japanese electronics retailer is looking to partner with another firm to expand outside Asia as it retrenches at home. In recent years, Best Denki's sales have suffered from competition from rival electronics retailers and online shopping sites. Shopping for electronics in Japan? Best Denki might just have what you are looking for. The company operates more than 200 mass discount stores that sell consumer electronics throughout the country, primarily targeting customers in the Kyushu and Chugoku regions.

Casual Living is a mid- to high-end outdoor and patio furniture retailer that boasts a handful of locations throughout the Dallas Metroplex and beyond. In addition to selling home furnishings, Casual Living sells fireplaces and complementary accessories. It specializes in selling top brands, such as Stoll, Hanamint, Mallin, Meadowcraft, Prestige, Tropitone, Treasure Garden, Hargrove, and Lloyd Flanders. The company got its start in Carrollton, Texas, in 1993.

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