Cargiant was founded in 1977, helping to pioneer the car supermarket concept in the UK. The London-based dealer stocks as many as 5,000 cars, including models from Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Fiat, Ford, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus, Mercedes, MG, and Vauxhall. The dealer offers financing through Blackhorse Plc, a unit of Llyods Banking Group(formerly Lloyds TSB), and other financial institutions. A PCP Program is provided for those who prefer 24- to 36-month leases.People looking for really big deals on wheels sometimes turn to Cargiant. The company, formerly The Great Trade Centre Ltd., is a supermarket for used automobiles.

Founded in 1891, Texas-based Samuels Jewelers was acquired by India's Gitanjali Gems Ltd., a jewelry maker and retailer, in late 2006. In addition to diamonds and gemstones, Samuels Jewelers knows something about millstones -- the bankruptcy kind (it has been thrice drawn into bankruptcy court since the early 1990s). Samuels sells fine jewelry items through about 85 jewelry stores in California, Texas, and about 15 other states; stores are primarily located in regional shopping malls, power centers, and strip centers. Samuels also operates some stand-alone stores and sells jewelry online at SamuelsJewelers.com. Its stores operate under the Samuels Diamonds and Samuels Jewelers banners.

Academy is near the head of the class among sporting goods retailers. It is one of the leading full-line sporting goods chains in the US with about 120 Academy Sports + Outdoors stores in Texas and some 10 other states in the Southeast. Academy's low-frills stores carry clothing, shoes, and equipment for almost any sport and outdoor activity, including camping, golf, hunting, fishing, and boating. The company, which also operates a catalog and e-commerce site, dates back to a San Antonio tire shop opened by Max Gochman in 1938. The business moved into military surplus items and during the 1980s began focusing on sports and outdoor goods. The Gochman family still owns Academy and is run by CEO David Gochman.

WH Smith PLC (known simply as "WHSmith") is one of the UK's largest book and magazine sellers. Its more than 570 high street stores sell reading materials, stationery, and movies. WHSmith also runs more than 515 travel shops in London and regional airports, railway stations, hospitals, and motorway service areas that offer selected newspapers, magazines, tobacco, and confectionery. Additionally, it operates the Internet site WHSmith Direct (the UK's second-largest online bookseller behind Amazon), and its Smiths News wholesale business is the largest magazine and newspaper distributor in the UK, supplying about 23,000 retailers daily.

Chairman Bernard Arenson founded the company in 1975. The Arenson family, including president Perry and VP Susan, own Bernard Arenson. Bernard Arenson, which does business as Arenson Office Furniture, sells office furniture to its customers in the San Diego area. Its products include desks, executive seating, tables, filing cabinets, shelving, modular systems, and related products. Bernard Arenson also offers space planning, installation, and product delivery services. Arenson Office Furniture distributes products manufactured under such brand names as Holga, HON, Maxon, and OFS. It also sells executive and guest seating made by La-Z-Boy.

Half Price Books, Records, Magazines, Incorporated,the bookstore chain sells used and new books, magazines, videos, DVDs, and music. Only about half of the merchandise it sells is new. Its roughly 110 stores are located in more than 15 states, primarily Texas. Its wholesale catalog division, Texas Bookman, reprints classics and other public domain works. Half Price Books has grown slowly but steadily; its stores keep a small-company look with secondhand and employee-made furnishings. The company was started by Ken Gjemre and Pat Anderson (late mom of president and CEO Sharon Anderson Wright) in 1972 to save trees by recycling unwanted books. The Anderson family owns most of the company.

Before Old Navy, there was the Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM). Active-duty military personnel, reservists, retirees, and their family members can shop and gas up at more than 100 NEXCOM retail stores (brand-name and private-label merchandise ranging from apparel to home electronics), more than 155 NEXCOM Ships Stores (basic necessities), and its 100-plus Uniform Support Centers (the sole source of authorized uniforms). NEXCOM also runs about 40 Navy Lodges (motels) in the US and about half a dozen foreign countries. NEXCOM receives tax dollars for its shipboard stores, but it is otherwise self-supporting. Most of the profits fund morale, welfare, and recreational programs (MWR) for sailors.

Chastang Enterprises which does business as Bayou City Ford, sells new and used cars, trucks, SUVs, from a dealership in Houston, aka The Bayou City. The dealership also offers fleet sales, financing, vehicle maintenance, and parts. Chastang's Web site allows users to search new and used inventory, apply for financing, schedule service, and order parts. The company is owned by the founding Chastang family.Son of a gun, Chastang Enterprises has big fun selling Fords on the bayou.

Big 5 Sporting Goods has outgrown its name. The company, which started out with five army surplus shops in California in 1955, is a leading sporting goods retailer with about 385 stores in a dozen mostly Western states, including California, Washington, and Arizona. The company sells brand-name (adidas, Coleman, Easton) and private-label equipment, apparel, and footwear for indoor and outdoor activities such as camping, hunting, fishing, tennis, golf, and snowboarding. Big 5 has stuck with a neighborhood-store format (averaging approximately 11,000 square feet) instead of opening massive superstores. Big 5 Sporting Goods is run by its chairman and CEO Steven Miller, the son of company co-founder Robert Miller.

Supplies Network was founded in 1991 by CEO Tom Fleming. Supplies and networking is what Supplies Network is all about. Supplies Network is a leading wholesaler in the US, with some 5,000 media storage and computer, copier, fax, and printer supply products and accessories. The company peddles products from about 70 manufacturers, including Canon, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and Xerox. All of Supplies Network's SKUs are stocked for same-day shipping. Supplies Network, which specializes in serving the independent dealer, helps its customers with marketing and sales materials and manufacturer connections.

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