Ritz Camera & Image (RCI) is updating its image to adapt to changing times. The company, whose chain of about 300 stores has roots reaching back to 1918 as a one-man portrait studio, has expanded beyond cameras to appeal to the digital generation. Operating under the Ritz, Wolf, Kits, Inkley's, and Camera Shop banners, it offers TVs, laptops, MP3 players, cell phones, and other electronic gadgets, as well as cameras and optical supplies and services. RCI acquired the assets of Ritz Camera Centers, which had collapsed into bankruptcy in February 2009 amid the shift to digital cameras. The business emerged later that year, under the leadership of CEO David Ritz, with a smaller footprint and new retail strategy.

Established in 1986 by John Beale, Past Times is a retailer of historical and vintage giftware. The chain has about 80 shops throughout the UK, which hawk items such as books, jewelry, and knick-knacks. In addition to its regular stores, Past Times operates several outlets and sells through catalogs and its Web site. Products on offer are often organized by era, but each store represents several eras such as Bauhaus, Art Deco, or Art Nouveau. In 2001 a consortium of investors, headed by Robin Klein's Accesserator Group and calling itself Retail Variations, bought the chain out of administration. It came under new ownership in 2005.

Sam's Club runs about 600 "no frills" stores in 48 US states, plus another 135 or so stores in Brazil, China, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. The chain's 47 million-plus members -- many of them small-business owners -- pay an annual fee to shop there. The stores average 133,000 square feet and offer more than 4,000 discounted items, including bulk office supplies and food, electronic goods, jewelry, clothes, insurance and travel services, and Member's Mark store-brand products. Samsclub.com is the company's online incarnation.

Richer Sounds stands behind its name. Founded by then-19-year-old Julian Richer, Richer Sounds PLC today is Britain's biggest hi-fi and electronics retailer, selling audio and video electronics gear from more than 40 stores throughout the UK. Stores sell such products as CD and DVD players, home theater systems, plasma and LCD TVs, speakers, turntables, amplifiers, and more. It also sells its wares from its retail company web site (Mr. Richer guarantees that prices in the two media will always match.) Richer Sounds PLC is owned by chairman Julian Richer, who opened his first store at London Bridge in 1978.

HOM Furniture, Inc is a middle-market to high-end home furnishings retailer operating more than a dozen stores in Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and Wisconsin. HOM stores offer wooden (cherry, maple, oak, pine), upholstered (including leather), and patio furniture, as well as mattresses, area rugs, and other decorative accessories. Many locations also provide free design consultations to assist customers with buying decisions. In addition to its namesake chain, HOM operates Gabberts Design Studio & Fine Furnishings, based in Edina, Minnesota. HOM's retailing roots reach back to 1973, when CEO Wayne Johansen established JC Imports, the chain's forerunner.

Furniture.com sells furniture online through its partnership with major furniture retailers in North America, including RoomStore, The RoomPlace, and Leon's Furniture. Product lines include bedroom, dining room, and living room furniture, as well as entertainment centers, lighting, and bedding. Furniture.com also offers branded sites and other e-commerce services to retail partners. It is operated by Blueport Commerce, an e-commerce firm formed by Furniture.com's management. Furniture.com has been in business since 2002, when CEO Carl Prindle acquired the assets of the failed e-tailer by the same name.

Charles Hyde and David Vredenburg founded the employee-owned firm in 1930. It takes its name from a combination of its founders' names.Give Hy-Vee a high five for being one of the largest privately owned US supermarket chains, despite serving some modestly sized towns in the Midwest. The company runs more than 200 Hy-Vee supermarkets in eight Midwestern states: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. About half of its stores are in Iowa, as are most of its two dozen Hy-Vee drugstores. It distributes products to its stores through several subsidiaries, including Lomar Distributing (specialty foods) and Perishable Distributors of Iowa (fresh foods).

Meijer (pronounced "Meyer") is a giant of retailing in the Midwest. The company's huge grocery and general merchandise stores average 200,000 to 250,000 sq. ft. each (or about the size of four regular grocery stores) and stock about 120,000 items, including Meijer private-label products. Meijer operates about 195 locations; about half are in Michigan, while the rest are in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. Customers can choose from 40-plus departments, including apparel, electronics, hardware, and toys. Most stores also sell gasoline, offer banking services, and have multiple in-store restaurants. Founder Hendrik Meijer opened his first store in 1934; the business is still family owned and run.

General Hardware and Builder's Supply tells you right up front what they do. The company sells architectural and residential hardware and aluminum, steel, and wood doors and frames. Products include hollow metal doors and frames, seven-ply and five-ply architectural wood doors (manufactured by Algoma Hardwoods, Buell Door, Haley Lynden, Pacific Architetural, V.T. Industries, Western Oregon Door), Schlage locks, and Hager hinges.

Kenny Pipe & Supply was formed in 1992 when owner Bill Kenny bought five Westburne Supply locations in Alabama. Hey, y'all, plumbing problems in the Southeast might call for Kenny. Through about 10 locations in Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee, Kenny Pipe & Supply distributes faucets, fittings, pipes, valves, water heaters, and other plumbing equipment and supplies from such manufacturers as A.O. Smith, Bemis, Elkay, and NIBCO. Customers include residential, commercial, and industrial plumbing contractors, as well as institutions and municipalities.

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