A chic alternative to the mall sprawl of the suburban shopping center, Elisa Wen's Walnut Creek and San Francisco stores offer 14 different lines of clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, and shoes. The upscale purveyor of women's and children's apparel offers ready-to-wear items such as Hudson jeans and Splendid tee shirts, as well as a wide array of cocktail wear, including evening outfits from Catherine Malandrino, D & G, Miguelina, and Rebecca Taylor. The stores also sell items under such brands as a L.A.M.B. by Gwen Stefani, Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent, True Religion, Rock & Republic, Susana Monaco, and Michael Stars.

Zappos.com, Inc. was founded by its former chairman, Nick Swinmurn, following a botched mall-based shoe quest in 1999. A decade later, Zappos.com was acquired by online giant Amazon.com. If the shoe fits, wear it. If not, Zappos.com will gladly take it back at no cost to you. Zappos.com has become the #1 seller of shoes online (ahead of J.C. Penney) by stressing customer service. It stocks 3 million pairs of shoes, handbags, and apparel and accessories, specializing in some 1,000 brands that are difficult to find in mainstream shopping malls. Through its website (and 7,000 affiliate partners), Zappos.com distributes stylish and moderately priced footwear to frustrated and shop-worn customers nationwide.

The GAME Group plc was founded in 1992 as the Rhino Group. A game plan that includes rapid-fire acquisitions has transformed The GAME Group into one of Europe's leading retailers of PC and video game products. The company sells new and used computer games, hardware, entertainment software, and related accessories through about 1,390 stores throughout the UK and Ireland, as well as in Australia, the Czech Republic, France, Portugal, Scandinavia, and Spain. In addition, The GAME Group operates several e-commerce sites. In addition to its GAME and Gamestation stores in England, the company also operates concessions in Hamleys toy shops, and inside department stores, such as Debenhams and Selfridges.

George Bence & Sons has provided builders with the tools of their trade for more than a century. Established in 1899, the firm sells construction products including concrete blocks, insulation, hardboard, and paints to national builders and do-it-yourself buyers. Its delivery program utilizes a 20-vehicle fleet that operates within a 40-mile radius. Other services include plot scheduling, in which housebuilding items are delivered on a pre-arranged schedule, and landscape planning. George Bence & Sons operates from offices in Cheltenham and Bristol.

Empire is also party to a joint venture with oil and gas properties in Alberta. Controlled by the Sobey family, Empire also develops and manages commercial and, to a lesser extent, residential real estate.Decline and fall? Not for this Empire of supermarkets, food distribution, movie theaters, and real estate. Empire Company owns Sobeys, Canada's #2 grocery chain (after Loblaw). Sobeys runs some 1,335 food and drug stores across Canada under names such as Sobeys, IGA, Foodland, Price Chopper, and Lawton's Drug; it distributes food to its company-owned stores and other retailers. Wholly-owned Empire Theatres operates about 50 theaters (380 screens) in eight provinces and is the #2 movie exhibitor in Canada.

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.

The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates department stores in the mid-size and metropolitan markets of the United States. Its stores offer brand-name apparel and accessories for women, men, and children, as well as provide cosmetics, home furnishings, footwear, intimate apparel, and juniors' apparel. As of January 30, 2010, the company operated 278 stores under various nameplates, including the Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's, and Younkers in 23 northeastern, midwestern, and upper Great Plains states; and under the Parisian nameplate in Detroit, Michigan.

B&G was founded in 1944 by Charlie Bartle and Cecil Gibson. Bartle & Gibson (B&G) sounds like a classical guitar duet; though it's not, it does bring a certain harmony to the lives of its customers. Catering primarily to residential contractors, B&G is a leading independent wholesaler of plumbing, heating, electrical, and irrigation supplies in Canada. Bartle & Gibson Co. Ltd. operates about 30 branches in British Columbia, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories, offering such major brands as 3M, Bemis, Honeywell, Klein Tools, and OSRAM SYLVANIA. It is served by two distribution centers.

Borrowing its moniker from the Latin for "you," Vobis lays claim to one of Europe's largest chains of computer retail stores. The company makes computers under its own brand and distributes technology products from such companies as Apple, Intel, and Sony. Under pressure from other retailers, the company's former parent, European retailing giant METRO AG, tried unsuccessfully to sell Vobis several times before CEO Jurgen Rakow and board member Jurgen Bochmann agreed to take a 25% stake in the company. METRO transferred the remaining 75% of its interest in Vobis to Divaco, an investment firm controlled by METRO.

Spahn & Rose Lumber Co. is a retail lumber company with about 25 locations throughout Iowa and, to a lesser extent, in Illinois and Wisconsin. The company, which was organized in 1904, produces roof and floor truss systems and sells a variety of building supply products from such suppliers as Andersen (windows), Georgia-Pacific (lumber), CertainTeed (building materials), DuPont (plastics and flooring), MidContinent Cabinetry, (cabinets), Stanley Black & Decker (hand tools) and more. Spahn & Rose is promoting a range of green products, including recycled goods, solar reflective windows, and arsenic-free lumber.

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