In 1986, Staples invented the office supply superstore and today is the world’s largest office products company with sales of $18.2 billion. Headquartered near Boston, Staples operates more than 2,000 office superstores.
Staples serves customers ranging from home-based businesses to Fortune 500 companies in 22 countries throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia.

The company is committed to making it easy to buy a wide range of office products, including supplies, technology, furniture, and business services.
Once a retail–only operation, Staples continues to expand to meet the office product needs of the ever–changing global market, estimated to be a $260 billion opportunity. Staples now serves customers with various catalogs, delivery services and eCommerce sites around the world.

JARED The Galleria Of Jewelry
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Jared the Galleria of Jewelry is the leading U.S. specialty jewelry retailer operating in freestanding locations. Jared sells upscale gold, silver, diamond and gemstone jewelry, watches, collectibles and gifts.

Jared is operated by Sterling Jewelers, a wholly owned subsidiary of Signet Group plc. Signet Group is the world's largest specialty retail jeweler and the second largest US specialty retail jeweler. The company has a 8.2% market share of the total jewelry market, with 1,246 stores in 50 states. Kay Jewelers are its well-known mall stores. Jared's are destination jewelry superstores.

Jared is the number one national off-mall jewelry store, with 93 locations throughout the United States. Plans are to open 15 to 20 stores per year with a long-term potential for more than 225 stores. The chain is a Top 5 jewelry brand with sales of $534 million as of January 28, 2006.

RITE AID (Formally Eckerd Drug)
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Eckerd was founded in 1898 on a very simple promise: to make the lives of their customers easier. Today, more than 1,500 Eckerd Drug stores are operating in the eastern United States. Eckerd affirms, as they expand into new markets and serve new customers, that their dedication to customer service will remain unchanged.

Eckerd Corporation is a subsidiary of The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) Inc. Eckerd is the fourth largest drugstore operator in North America and is the second largest in Canada. The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) and its combined network of 2,173 corporate and affiliated drugstores (under the banners of Eckerd, Brooks, PJC Jean Coutu, PJC Clinique and PJC Sante Beaute) employ more than 60,000 people.

BEST BUY
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Best Buy, headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota, is North America's number one consumer electronics retail store.

Best Buy offers consumers a broad assor tment of consumer electronics, home-office products, entertainment software, appliances and related services. The stores are staffed by knowledgeable employees who help connect consumers with products and services that meet their needs.

Best Buy is transforming into a customer-driven, talent-powered organization that places the customer at the center of all it does. As an innovative Fortune 100 growth company, Best Buy strives to increase share in its core businesses and deliver a superior return to its shareholders.

The company constantly strives to become a more efficient enterprise by increasing speed-to-market, reducing administrative expenses and making better capital allocation decisions.

STARBUCKS
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Starbucks Corporation, headquartered in Seattle, Washington, purchases and roasts high-quality, whole bean coffees and sells them, along with fresh, rich-brewed coffees, Italian-style espresso beverages, cold blended beverages, a variety of complementary food items, coffee-related accessories and equipment and a selection of premium teas, primarily through company-operated retail stores.

As the world's #1 specialty coffee retailer, Starbucks boasts more than 13,000 coffee shops in more than 35 countries. Starbucks owns approximately 7,500 of its shops, while licensees and franchisees operate more than 5,500 units worldwide.

Fiscal Year End 2007 Highlights

• 2,571 new store openings; 70 percent in the U.S. and 30 percent in International markets
• Comparable store sales growth of five percent
• Consolidated net revenues of $9.4 billion, a 21 percent increase
  

APPLEBEE'S Neighborhood Grill and Bar
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Applebee's International, Inc., headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, operates Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants in 49 states and 16 countries.

Applebee's is the largest casual dining restaurant chain in America, in number of restaurants and market share. As of Dec. 28, 2005, there were 1,804 Applebee's restaurants. For each of the past 13 years (1993-2004), Applebee's has opened 100 or more new restaurants . The company estimates the development potential of the Applebee's concept in the United States to be at least 3,000 locations.

Each Applebee's is designed as an attractive, friendly establishment featuring moderately priced, high-quality food and beverage items, table service and a comfortable atmosphere that appeals to all ages. Every restaurant reflects its local neighborhood with a décor that includes photographs and memorabilia highlighting hometown heroes, local schools and area history.

Steak 'n Shake is a pioneering American restaurant chain. It was founded in 1934 in Normal, Illinois, and operates almost 470 restaurants in 20 states primarily in the Midwest and southern United States.

Revenues for Steak 'n Shake totaled $606.9 million in 2005, a more than 20 percent increase from just two years earlier. Net earnings jumped almost 50 percent in that two year period to just over $30 million.

Founded in 1925, Winn-Dixie is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It has a competitive market share with prime locations in some of the most attractive and fastest growing regions of the United States.

Winn-Dixie's vision is to be leading neighborhood grocer in every market it serves. It also provides a full line of brand products which offer national brand standards of quality and freshness at affordable, money-saving values. Today, Winn-Dixie is one of the largest food retailers in the nation and ranks 347 on the Fortune 500® list.* This Winn-Dixie added a 3,200 square foot liquor store addition in December, 2004.

* Source: Winn-Dixie Corporate Profile website

KinderCare Learning Centers, Inc. was founded in 1969 and provides education and care programs in early childhood education, school partnerships and distance learning. As of December 29, 2007, it operated 1,873 childcare centers with a total licensed capacity of approximately 248,000 and over 636 School Partnership before-and-after school programs.

Highly qualified and experienced teachers and staff stay current on the most recent developments in education, thereby ensuring that each child receives the best care and education. KinderCare provides more staff development opportunities than any other childcare company in the country.