The Hart retail organization took root in Eastern Canada in 1960, founded by company executive chairman Mr. Harry Hart. A single store was established in the then rural Québec community of Rosemère, just north of the Montréal metropolis. By systematically recognizing market opportunities, Mr. Hart gradually built a modest chain of junior department stores catering to the everyday needs of the grass-roots consumer.

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.

Brookshire's stores average about 40,000 sq. ft., while its warehouse-style Super 1 Foods stores average 80,000 sq. ft. More than 110 of Brookshire Grocery's stores have pharmacy departments. Originally part of the Brookshire Brothers grocery chain (dating back to 1921), the company split from it in 1939. By selling staples, specialties, and Southern hospitality, Brookshire Grocery Co. has grown into a chain of about 155 Brookshire's, Super 1 Food, Olé Foods, and ALPS supermarkets in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The company also owns three distribution centers, a dairy, and BGC Manufacturing, its private label manufacturing unit.

Max Mara Fashion Group is taking leading-edge apparel design to the max. Max Mara Fashion Group S.r.l. clothes some of the finest women in the world (including ESPN Monday Night Football's female reporters). It touts more than 20 labels, including the flagship Max Mara (high-end contemporary career, bridal, and sportswear); Marina Rinaldi (plus-sized fashions); and iBlues, Marella, and Penny Black (lower-priced lines). One of Italy's largest fashion firms, Max Mara Fashion Group S.r.l. company operates more than 2,300 boutiques in 90 countries worldwide, and it sells through such retailers as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Barneys. Started in the 1950s, Max Mara is owned and run by the family of founder Achille Maramotti, who died in 2005.

It was founded in 1913 by W.S. Cowling, Sr. Dixieline ProBuild (formerly Dixieline Lumber & Home Centers) operates in the deep south of California. The company, owned by Pro-Build Holdings, serves do-it-yourselfers, contractors, and remodelers through about a dozen lumberyard-home centers in the San Diego area. Each location is stocked with 35,000 SKUs, a lumber dock, and in-store door and window showrooms as well as kitchen and bath design centers. It also operates a facility for making trusses, milling, and remanufacturing. The business brings lumber to the West Coast through a dock facility in Oregon, and it also distributes structural lumber and framing and sheathing materials.

Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Roundy’s Supermarkets, Inc. is one of the Midwest's oldest and largest grocers. The company owns and operates 154 retail grocery stores in Wisconsin and Minnesota under the Pick ‘n Save, Copps Food Center, and Rainbow Foods banners. In addition, Roundy’s operates three distribution centers, all in Wisconsin, including a 1.1 million square foot facility opened in April, 2005.With historical roots in wholesale grocery, Roundy’s continues to supply a select group of independent retailers in the upper Midwest in addition to its company-owned stores. The Roundy’s private label brand encompasses more than 3,200 items and has been further enhanced by the opening of a new food processing plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2005.

C.K. Tang Limited is a story of how the vision, fortitude and integrity of a young Chinese immigrant helped create one of Singapore’s premier retail companies today.From its humble beginnings, C.K.Tang Limited has established itself as a prominent leader in Singapore’s vibrant retail scene. Its continued existence can be attributed to its ability to adapt well to changing consumer trends by recognising the need for focused marketing and diversity in business.

The Kitchen Collection, Inc. sells discounted cookware, bakeware, small appliances, cooking tools and gadgets, kitchen products seen on TV, and decorative items through more than 295 Kitchen Collection and Le Gourmet Chef stores in 40-plus states, as well as on its website. It stocks both private-label and brand-name merchandise (including the Hamilton Beach line owned by The Kitchen Collection's parent, NACCO Industries). The company's stores are primarily located in factory outlet malls nationwide.

English Gardens Group, Inc. was founded in 1954 by the family of president John Darin and GM of the Troy store, Dean Darin. English Gardens helps the Motor City stay green. The company operates about 10 nurseries in the Detroit area and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Each location includes a nursery, garden center and pharmacy, florist, patio shop, and seasonal items. Stores also host seminars on planting, garden design, lawn care, and flower arrangement creation, among other topics. In addition to its products, English Gardens offers services such as landscape design and maintenance, holiday decorating, custom potting, and delivery.

The Robert Allen Group is a leading designer and marketer of fabrics and home furnishings under numerous brand names, including Robert Allen, Robert Allen @ Home, Ametex, and Beacon Hill. Each line serves a particular price point and market niche. Also, the Robert Allen Contract division works to customize fabrics and designs for corporate, hospitality, and healthcare customers. In 2002 The Robert Allen Group was acquired by family-owned Decor Holdings.

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