Where can Kiwis buy their groceries and their consumer retail goods under one roof? The Warehouse. One of New Zealand's leading retailers, The Warehouse Group operates about 85 department stores and 45 office supply stores under the Warehouse Stationery banner throughout the country. Its offerings include apparel, entertainment, technology, music, sporting goods, grocery items, and gardening accessories, among many others. Founded in 1982, the company decided to exit the Australian market in 2005 and sold that subsidiary (comprising 122 Warehouse Australia stores) to focus on its home market. A bid by Australian retail giant Woolworths to acquire Warehouse Group was blocked by regulators in mid-2008.

Through its eponymous print catalog and e-commerce site, Dr. Leonard's Healthcare Corp. offers a variety of health products aimed at seniors, along with clothing, collectibles, exercise equipment, home furnishings, housewares, and shoes. It also runs Carol Wright Gifts, an affiliated catalog and online retailer that sells similar merchandise as well as kitchen gadgets, travel items, gardening supplies, and holiday gifts. The company was established in 1979 by Dr. Leonard Feldman, and it operates as a subsidiary of direct marketing giant AmeriMark Holdings.

7-Eleven operates about 6,800 company-owned or franchised stores in the US and Canada under the 7-Eleven name. The retailer also has an interest in more than 1,000 stores in Mexico. Globally, 7-Eleven operates, franchises, or licenses more than 37,500 stores worldwide. The US's leading convenience store chain was taken private in late 2005 by its largest shareholder, the Japanese retail conglomerate Seven & i Holdings, the holding company for Seven-Eleven Japan, Ito-Yokado, Denny's restaurants, and other businesses.

Piggly Wiggly Carolina was founded in 1947 when Joseph T. Newton purchased a Piggly Wiggly grocery franchise from the Piggly Wiggly Corp. Sister company Greenbax operates the Pig's Favorite Customer (PFC) loyalty card program for the company. Once the largest family-owned private company in South Carolina, Piggly Wiggly Carolina became 100% employee-owned in 2005.Piggly Wiggly Carolina Company operates more than 100 supermarkets throughout South Carolina and southeastern Georgia. About 10 South Carolina locations offer online shopping. In addition to traditional supermarket fare, the company offers in-store pharmacy departments and health screenings at some locations.

JLP has several manufacturing subsidiaries that make wooden furniture, and bedding; its 4,000-acre Leckford Estate in Hampshire grows apples, pears, mushrooms, and produces milk, poultry, and eggs for sale in Waitrose supermarkets. JLP has an online shopping service, John Lewis Direct, and its employee pension plan owns about 24% of Internet grocer Ocado, which delivers Waitrose products.What began as a London drapery shop is today one of the UK's largest retailers -- and arguably its most oddly organized. John Lewis Partnership (JLP) runs about 30 John Lewis department stores and some 235 Waitrose supermarkets, primarily in London and southern England, but also in Scotland and Wales.

Showerlux UK became a subsidiary of Swiss-based Duscholux Group in 1973. Showerlux wants its customers to luxuriate in the shower as often as they possibly can. The company manufactures and installs its own high-design, high-end bathroom fixtures. In addition to its primary product offering, which features shower enclosures, doors, and trays, its selection also includes shower seats, baths, cabinets, furniture, mirrors, and a hydrotherapy collection, all ready to fit into bathrooms of a variety of sizes. Customers are even able to design their own custom bathrooms on the company's Web site.

Named for the English port that once supplied its imported goods, Mexico's El Puerto de Liverpool offers clothing for men, women, and children, as well as appliances, consumer electronics, home furnishings, and more. With some 65 department stores (divided between the Liverpool and Fabrica de Francia names) in Mexico's largest cities, the company's upper-income customer base remains essentially unchanged from 1847, when young Juan Bautista Ebrard began selling clothes from a Mexico City market stall. Liverpool also owns and manages shopping malls in its home country and is one of the largest issuers of credit cards in Mexico. The company has expanded by buying malls and opening new stores throughout Mexico.

Laura Ashley Holdings, once famous for its fancy floral print fashions, Laura Ashley Holdings has turned to furniture, home accessories, and decor (about 78% of sales) to fill the till. Of the company's some 230 UK shops, less than half carry its traditional product line of women's and children's clothing. The company has repositioned itself as a lifestyle brand that is largely home furnishings, as it has shuttered apparel and accessories stores. Also, to efficiently sell off excess inventory, the company opened a few outlet stores and has implemented a selling strategy at its stores to maximize sales per square footage.

The consumption structure is changing rapidly with an aging society, a falling birthrate and the rise of other business categories. It is no exaggeration to say that those department stores that are unable to respond to these changes will be shunned by consumers and will go into decline. We are at an existential moment, where the very value of department stores is in question. In this environment, Takashimaya aims to become the leading region-oriented department store, taking advantage of its powerful network of 20 stores nationwide. We are committed to earning the confidence of customers in the communities in which we operate, reflecting regional characteristics in our store operations, while at the same time cherishing features that have been specific to Takashimaya.

RaceTrac Petroleum hopes it's a popular pit stop for gasoline and snacks in the Southeast. The company owns some 545 gas stations and convenience stores in about a dozen states under the RaceTrac and RaceWay names. (RaceWay stores are operated by independent contractors.) The chain plans to grow by expanding its store count by about 10% a year. Carl Bolch founded RaceTrac in Missouri in 1934. His son, chairman and CEO Carl Bolch Jr., moved the company into high-volume gas stations with long, self-service islands that can serve as many as two dozen vehicles at one time. RaceTrac's convenience stores sell fresh deli food and offer some fast-food fare. The Bolch family owns the company.

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