Retail Ventures, Inc. through its subsidiary, DSW Inc., operates as a specialty branded footwear retailer in the United States. Retail Ventures, Inc., through DSW stores and dsw.com, offers a selection of branded dress, casual, and athletic footwear and accessories for women and men. As of January 30, 2010, it operated 305 DSW shoe stores in 39 states. Retail Ventures, Inc. also supplied shoes to 356 locations for non-related retailers. Retail Ventures, Inc. was founded in 1917 and is based in Columbus, Ohio.

Levenger began when Lori Granger Leveen and her husband, Steve, said: "Let there be lighting!" The company, which got its start in 1987 by selling halogen lights for reading, has fashioned itself into the provider of "Tools for Serious Readers." The direct marketer offers an assortment of branded and private-label home and office accessories and furniture. Its products include bookcases, briefcases, leather armchairs, lap desks, inkwells, pens, pillows, stationery, and of course, lighting products. Levenger (which derives its name from combining Leveen and Granger) sells its merchandise through its catalog, website, and retail stores in Boston; Chicago; Boca Raton, Florida; and the Washington, DC, area.

Helzberg Diamonds is into hard rocks. Helzberg Diamonds sells a wide selection of diamonds and precious gems -- mostly set into rings, but also set into other jewelry; Helzberg Diamond Shops also sells men's and women's watches. One of the largest national jewelry chains, Helzberg Diamonds operates about 235 stores nationwide. The mall-based chain also sells jewelry online. Helzberg Diamonds was founded in 1915 by Morris Helzberg and remained in his family until 1995, when it was acquired by investment guru Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (owner of jewelry chains Ben Bridge Jeweler and Borsheim's). Helzberg Diamonds offers a 60-day return or exchange option and free jewelry repairs for 12 months after purchase.

Dana B. Goods distributes musical instruments and accessories from its warehouse in Ventura, California. The company's products include Warwick basses, amps, and accessories; Framus guitars, amps, and strings; RockBass bass guitars; T-Rex pedals; and Humfrees rackmount accessories (for mounting electronic amps and other gear into racks). It also carries roadie gear (carts, dollies, rolling shelves) by RocknRoller. Dana B. Goods is the exclusive US dealer for all these products. The company was founded in 1992 by owner and president Dana B. Teague.

Lookers sells the kind of cars that get noticed. The company operates through about 100 franchised auto dealerships in the UK. It also does business as the Charles Hurst Group in England and Northern Ireland and as Taggarts in Scotland. The company sells new and used vehicles from such brands as Aston Martin, Bentley, Citroën, Honda, Jeep, Toyota, and Volkswagen. Lookers also sells motorcycles from two dealerships. In addition to its franchise operations, the company's business lines include aftermarket auto parts (FPS Distribution) and used car supermarkets (Bristol Trade Centre and Ian Shipton Cars). Lookers was founded in 1908. Millionaire car trader Tony Bramall holds about a 20% stake in the company.

STAEDTLER-Mars is the Canadian distribution arm of Germany-based STAEDTLER Group. The company's inventory includes pencils, pens, markers, sharpeners, and other writing and drawing implements, as well as inkjet cartridges, drawing boards, and rulers. It also distributes Eberhard Faber products. STAEDTLER-Mars, which was incorporated in 1960, has additional sales offices in Quebec and British Columbia. STAEDTLER-Mars Ltd. plans to merge its Canadian and US offices into one unit in 2010. The new team will be headquartered in Canada.

FMG was founded in 1981. Furniture Marketing Group (FMG) does what it says it does. Furniture Marketing Group, Inc. supplies businesses with desks, tables, seating, file cabinets, shelves, and other office interior products. In addition, FMG installs furniture and office systems, offers space planning and reconfiguration services, and project management. Furniture Marketing Group, Inc. serves clients in the biotechnology, health care, hospitality, education, and commercial markets, as well as government agencies. It operates three showrooms in Texas and has offices in the US, the UK, Australia, and India.

Holiday Diver urges those who enjoy getting wet while going down under to swim over to its Divers Direct Web site. The online store sells everything to dress the diving enthusiast from head to fin. It also offers beach wear, shoes, sunglasses, and jewelry. On the bricks-and-mortar side of business, the company operates five scuba shops in Florida that also do business under the Divers Direct name. The shops offer air tank fills in addition to beach essentials and dive gear. Holiday Diver was founded in 1984 as Divers Outlet.

Keyboard Concepts sells high quality traditional, digital, and disk player pianos, as well as sheet music, software, and accessories from brands such as Pearl River, Schimmel, Steinway, and Yamaha. Customers range from professional musicians to casual players, teachers and tuners. It has five retail locations (including two superstores and one David L. Abell Fine Pianos) and two warehouses in southern California. Keyboard Concepts also buys and restores used pianos, offers rent-to-own pianos, and works with interior designers in search of decorative pianos. The company was founded by president Dennis Hagerty in 1983.

Alliance Entertainment, LLC distributes music and video CDs, DVDs, games, and related products to some 3,000 merchants, including Target, Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, and Borders, as well as Internet retailers such as Amazon.com. Alliance also provides fulfillment, e-commerce, and related support services through its AEC Direct division. Its NCircle Entertainment unit licenses and distributes family entertainment titles based on such characters as Super Mario Bros. and My Little Pony. Alliance Entertainment was founded in 1990. Today it is owned by investment firms Platinum Equity and The Gores Group.

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