Chain Store

We live in an age where consumerism rules our lives. Day in and day out we come across big brand names. Some of them we own, others we don't. The ones that we don't, we want, because the ones that we have are so yesterday! That's pretty much how it works (for the most of us at least). Forget the consumer aspect of it, the franchise business plan is becoming more popular with every passing day. In fact, innumerable people have started taking to this concept as being a very lucrative business plan too. Truth be told, what's to lose? A franchise of any one of the many popular chain stores that are around today, and you have some warranted business set up for yourself. Check out some more on what a chain store really is, along with a list of some of the most popular chain stores around the country, and maybe even beyond.

What is a Chain Store

A large part of the retail market today, a chain store is very simply two or more stores under the same ownership, and dealing in the same products irrespective of the location of the stores. The method of business followed at every outlet must be the same, because it is the core management that makes decisions that are brought into effect at the stores all over. Chain stores also make for one of the largest and most dominant segments in the retailing department today, as opposed to all those independent stores that were extremely popular back in the day. Do you know much about the history of these stores? Read on if you don't.

It is said that chain distribution methods existed in places such as China and Japan, as early as 200 BC, and the 17th century, respectively. They caught on as a trend in America around the 1750s, but it was only around the late 1800s and early 1900s that this concept saw a significant growth in both, the United States as well as Europe. The concept of chain stores has moved much beyond just the basic retail section today. It extends all the way to restaurants too, thus seeing the concept of chain stores growing by leaps and bounds. Now, that was what chain stores are, in a nutshell. How about a look at some of the most popular stores that rule the roost in the chain store department.

List of Well-Known Chain Stores

• Wal-Mart Stores
• Kmart
• Target Corporation
• The Home Depot
• The Kroger Co.
• Safeway Inc.
• Neiman Marcus
• Costco Wholesale Corporation
• J.C.Penney
• Sears Holding Corporation
• The Walgreen Company
• Barnes & Noble
• Banana Republic
• Dillards
• American Eagle Outfitters
• Levi Strauss
• Body Shop
• GAP USA
• Macys
• Nordstrom
• Rockport
• United Colors of Benetton
• Hess Shoes
• 7-Eleven
• CVS Caremark Corporation
• Lowe's Companies, Inc.
• IKEA
• Bed Bath & Beyond
• The UPS Store
• Woolworth Co.
• T.J.Maxx
• Pottery Barn
• Pier 1 Imports
• Abercrombie & Fitch
• Marks & Spencer
• Dollar Store
• French Connection UK
• Hamleys
• Carrefour
• Aldo
• Saks Fifth Avenue
• Forever 21
• Ulta Beauty
• Timberland
• Toys "R" Us
• Bachrach Clothing Inc.
• Esprit
• Johnston & Murphy
• Nicole Miller
• Syms
• Harvey Nichols
• Burberry

This was a list of some of the more prominent brands in the United States as well as certain other countries. But while we are at discussing popular chain stores, we may as well take a look at some of the most popular chin restaurants too. Here is a short list of the 20 most popular ones.

Popular Chain Restaurants

• Starbucks
• McDonalds
• Subway
• Taco Bell
• Dunkin Donuts
• Pizza Hut
• Wendy's
• Domino's Pizza
• Pinkberry
• Cheescake Factory
• T.G.I. Friday's
• Chili's
• Cracker Barrel
• Burger King
• Red Lobster
• Olive Garden
• Hooters
• Chuck E. Cheese's
• P.F. Chang's China Bistro
• Hard Rock Cafe

I hope the list of chain stores as well as chain restaurants helped clear the doubt in regards with the concept of chain or franchise stores. So the next time you feel like you want to find any of these stores when traveling and far away from home, you can rest assured that you will definitely find some of them, if not all.