Besides starting the retail empire, he had made some lucrative deals by following his gut.

But the man to watch is William Dillard 2d, the shy president of the Arkansas-based retail empire with his family's name.

Young people (do they know that entire retail empires hinge on every stylistic twitch?)

By the 1970s the retail empire had grown to include several general stores, car dealerships and filling stations.

A21 Campeau has obtained a loan pact for $250 million, the retail empire said.

Many started as street peddlers and worked their way up to running small stores, a few of which grew into retail empires.

In 1971 he acquired the John Cade stores, thus making a 208 store-strong retail empire which was barely 15-years-old.

He co-founded what became the Marshall Field & Company retail empire.

He became the founder of Loblaws supermarkets, which is now a nationwide retail empire.

Mr. Leonard's retail empire was built on the American bedrock of hard work, ingenuity and family bonds.