O'Connell Oil operates about 30 Convenience Plus convenience stores and a half a dozen gas stations throughout western Massachusetts, serving customers with Citgo, Mobil, and Shell brand gasoline. Three O'Connell's Heating Oil & Service locations provide heating oil and air conditioner repair services. The company also runs plumbing and industrial lubricant divisions. Namesake Ralph M. O'Connell founded the company in 1925.

James Halstead was founded in 1915. The Halstead family still retains control of more than half of James Halstead plc company's ownership, while company employees account for more than 10% of ownership. James Halstead wants to give the floor over to its customers. James Halstead manufactures, markets, and distributes products that include commercial flooring, industrial trailers and trailer tents, and motorcycle accessories. Customers include hospitals, pubs, prisons and schools. James Halstead plc operates mainly in the UK and Germany, but also in Australia and New Zealand.

Carrefour Polksa is the Polish arm of the French retail giant Carrefour SA. Carrefour Polksa has about 350 stores, only about 75 of which are the large hypermarkets its French parent company is best known for. The other stores in Poland are smaller supermarkets under the name Carrefour Express, convenience stores under the brand 5 minut, and gas stations. Carrefour Polksa opened its first store in Lodz in 1997. In 2007 it bought 183 Albert supermarkets, 15 Hypernova hypermarkets, and four gas stations from Royal Ahold. The next year the company introduced mobile phone service, called Carrefour Mova.

CompUSA has been rebooted after a major crash in 2008. The company operates about 35 stores, mostly in Florida, but also in several other states and Puerto Rico, as well as an e-commerce site. It sells computers and peripherals, TVs, gaming consoles, cameras, and other electronics and accessories. CompUSA is a division of Systemax, a multi-channel marketer of consumer electronics and digital media technology. In 2008 Systemax acquired CompUSA's brand, website, and retail outlets. Originally a pioneer in big-box computer sales, CompUSA is reformatting itself as a next-generation retailer.

Habitat UK Limited offers furniture, kitchenware, textiles, and decorative accessories from more than 30 countries. It vends its wares through some 70 stores in the UK, France, Germany, and Spain, as well as online and via catalog. In addition to these outlets, Habitat has retail distribution partners in about 15 other countries in Europe and the Asia/Pacific region. The company also sells ready-to-hang artwork through its Art on Demand Web site. Habitat was founded in 1964 by British designer Sir Terence Conran. Former owner The Ikano Group, a holding company owned by IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad and his family, sold the chain to an affiliate of Hilco in December 2009.

Balkamp was formed in 1936 by the NAPA board of directors. Its moniker blends the surnames of the company's first managers, John Baldwin and Bob Leercamp. A majority-owned subsidiary of Genuine Parts, Balkamp distributes parts and accessories for cars, trucks, motorcycles, and farm equipment to repair shops and retail members of the National Automotive Parts Association (NAPA). The company also provides diagnostics equipment, cleaning supplies, chemicals, and other service-related items. Balkamp offers some 45,000 items from about 600 domestic and foreign suppliers. It operates distribution centers in Indianapolis and Plainfield, Indiana and West Jordan, Utah.

Mallett PLC maintains a stock of about 2,000 pieces of antique (primarily 18th century) furniture, paintings, clocks, glass, textiles, and lighting, selling them to private collectors, museums, and designers. Founded in 1865, Mallett is itself an antique. Today the company operates two showrooms, one in New York, the other in London. Prospective buyers can also view the collection online. The Weinstock Trust Additional Fund holds nearly a one-third interest in the company. Mallet owns a majority stake in the London-based antique furniture restoration company H J Hatfield & Sons Ltd.

Founded in 1936 by David and Jewel Abt, abt company is still family owned. Looking for a $10,000 loudspeaker or just a moderately priced clothes dryer? Abt Electronics & Appliance is apt to have it. Abt has just one location -- a massive 37-acre megastore with a parking lot that accommodates 1,000 cars in suburban Chicago, where the natives tend to incorrectly call the store "A-B-T." One of the country's largest independent retailers of electronics and appliances, abt company carries mostly name brands and targets affluent Chicagoans with high-end products such as Bang & Olufsen audio systems and Sub-Zero refrigerators. It also markets products through its website and services everything sold.

J.P. Boden & Co. (better known simply as Boden) is a UK direct retailer of premium casual apparel. The company sells womenswear and menswear under the Boden name, teen apparel under the Johnnie B label, and children's clothing under the Mini Boden brand. It markets the collections through its catalogs and Web site. J.P. Boden also operates two retail stores in the UK. The company got its start in 1991 when chairman Johnnie Boden quit his job as a stockbroker in London to open up his own clothing business. Designing its catalogs to resemble those of J. Crew, the company's first editions featured friends and family striking poses as fashion models. Boden is a 50% owner of the firm.

Leon's Furniture Ltd. sells home furnishings, bedding, appliances, and electronics through about 65 company-owned and franchised stores throughout Canada and online. Its store banners include Shop for Furniture, Shop for Appliances, and Shop for Electronics. Its stores carry such brands as Frigidaire, LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sealy, Simmons, and Whirlpool, among others. Leon's also wholesales appliances to builders, landlords, and retailers through its Canada Appliances division. Ablan Leon founded the company in 1909; more than a century later, it is still owned and operated by the Leon family.

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