J. C. Penney Company, Inc., through its subsidiary, J. C. Penney Corporation, Inc., operates a network of department stores in the United States and Puerto Rico. It sells family apparel and footwear, accessories, fine and fashion jewelry, beauty products, and home furnishings. The company also provides various services, such as styling salon, optical, portrait photography, and custom decorating. It sells its products through department stores and catalogs, as well as through the Internet at jcp.com. As of January 30, 2010, the companys distribution network included 13 merchandise distribution centers, 5 regional warehouses, and 4 direct fulfillment centers. As of March 29, 2010, it operated 1,100 department stores. The company was founded in 1902 and is based in Plano, Texas.

Retailing giant Daimaru Matsuzakaya opened for business Monday, bringing to fruition the 2007 mega-merger between department store chains Daimaru Inc. and Matsuzakaya Bargain hunt: Shoppers flock for bargains at the Matsuzakaya department store in Tokyo's Ueno district Monday as the merged Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores Co. began operations. KYODO PHOTOThe new chain, which combined under holding firm J. Front Retailing Co., will take over strategic planning and product procurement duties from J. Front to save costs amid the current deflation.

Carter Lumber was founded by Warren E. Carter in 1932, and it continues to be a family-owned business. Carter Lumber has the answer when new home construction has you hollering "timber!" The company owns more than 200 lumber and home improvement stores in 10 states from Michigan to South Carolina. The company caters to both contractors and do-it-yourselfers, supplying them with lumber, plywood, roofing, windows, doors, plumbing and electrical products, heating equipment, tools, siding, and other products. The home improvement retailer also owns Carter-Jones Lumber, which runs a 17-acre lumberyard and custom millwork facilities in Ohio.

Mailing more than 180 million catalogs a year, Hanover Direct sells home fashions (The Company Store, Domestications), as well as men's and women's apparel (International Male, Silhouettes, and Undergear). Each catalog has a corresponding e-commerce site. In addition to its own websites, Hanover Direct also sells its products through affiliated third-party websites, such as Amazon.com. The company makes Scandia Down brand comforters and pillows for sale in its catalogs, on its websites, and several retail outlet stores. Hanover Direct is owned by the New York-based hedge fund Chelsey Capital.

Coburn Supply was founded in 1934 by the late Albert J. Coburn. Coburn keeps things cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Coburn Supply distributes air-conditioning and heating equipment, builder, electrical, and plumbing products, refrigeration, and municipal and utility supplies. It operates offices and showrooms through about 30 locations in Louisiana, some 15 in Texas, and a few in Mississippi and Tennessee. Its featured manufacturers have included Trane (formerly American Standard), Cantex, Delta Faucet, Halsey-Taylor, and Maytag. Coburn Supply distributes its products to general, plumbing, HVAC, and mechanical contractors, as well as to home builders, municipalities, and public institutions.

Sur La Table, Inc sells appliances, bakeware, cookbooks, housewares, specialty foods, and other goodies for professional and home chefs from about 80 stores in some 30 states, a website, and catalogs that make foodies drool. For customers who aren't sure how to best use the Le Creuset casserole dish, Cuisinart food processor, or Chef's Choice waffle maker, the company offers cooking classes and cookbook signing events in many of its stores. Founded in 1972 at Seattle's famous Pike's Place Market, Sur La Table is owned jointly by the Behnke family, including its chairman Carl Behnke, and private investor Freeman Spogli.

Hampton Lumber Sales (HLS) is the sales division of privately held Hampton Affiliates. The division sells dimensional lumber, stud lumber, industrial lumber and clears, panel products, and engineered wood products. HLS sells more than a billion board ft. of Hampton's mill products and another billion ft. of outside-mill products. It ships products by unit, container, railcar (utilizing Hampton's private fleet of center beam railcars), or truckload to serve its wholesale customers. Additionally, the unit offers reload services from centers in California, Oregon, and Washington. Formed in 1950, HLS has grown to be one of the largest forest products wholesalers in the nation.

Allied Refrigeration Inc. was founded in 1912 by L.B. Marsh and Frank Sarson. Marsh's nephew, Bob Nichols (chairman), and his sons, including CEO Rob, run and own Allied Refrigeration. What does it take to cool Southern California and Las Vegas? Allied Refrigeration probably knows. Through some 15 locations in California and Las Vegas, Allied Refrigeration distributes air conditioning, ventilation, heating, and refrigeration parts, equipment, and controls. Its 30,000-sq.-ft. warehouse in Long Beach keeps branches supplied with more than 9,000 items from major manufacturers, including Honeywell, Heatcraft, Maglite, Tyco Thermal Controls, and Fluke.

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.

In the early 1900s, Herman and Sarah Reitman ran a small department store in Montreal. They would be extremely proud to see that their children and grandchildren have taken their family operated business to such levels and transformed it into one of Canada’s largest fashion retailers. The Reitmans Company was founded after a second store opened in 1926. Since then, a number of stores have opened every year, and other banners have emerged, namely Smart Set, RW&CO., Penningtons, Addition-Elle, Thyme Maternity and Cassis. Today, the Company operates over 950 stores throughout Canada. Reitmans (Canada) Limited is a publicly traded company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RET, RET-A). Although Reitmans (Canada) Limited is one of the largest publicly-owned retail companies in Canada, it still operates with a strong family culture.

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