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April 9, 1999

Fools in Newsprint

Name That Company Trivia

1) Before I entered the world of discount retailing, I was known across the country as Kresge. I went on a buying spree beginning in the 1980s, snapping up all or parts of Walden Books, Builders Square, Payless drugstores, PACE Club, Price Savers, the Sports Authority, OfficeMax, and Borders. (I've since shed some of these.) I've begun to think that celebrity endorsements can be a good thing; if they bring in more pennies, my financial health will look rosier. I raked in some $32 billion in 1998, up a little from 1997, but 15 percent below 1993 levels. Who am I?

2) I was founded by a confectioner and his cousin in Brooklyn in 1849. I cranked out a lot of penicillin during World War II and I'm one of the world's largest makers of veterinary supplies. I've been known to change people's moods, to make them feel better, and even to get rid of their lice. One of my most famous products has been called "Love Potion No. 9." Brand names under my umbrella include Barbasol, Ban de Soleil, BenGay, Plax, and Visine. My stock price has more than tripled in the last three years. Who am I?

3) I was founded by a Swedish immigrant in 1914 and started out serving miners in Minnesota. In 1997, I traveled some 253 million miles, embarking 18,000 times a day. The item I'm most known for weighs around 20 tons. I offer express package delivery, but that's not my main line of business. My stock has been a real bow-wow in recent years and bankruptcy has dogged me several times. In the 1930s, my business was boosted by the Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable movie, "It Happened One Night." Who am I?

4) Two guys named Ed founded me in 1927. They wanted to build comfortable furniture and held a contest to pick a name for an early wooden-slat porch chair. Names that didn't make it included "Comfort Carrier," "Sit-N-Snooze," and "Slack Back." Since the chair wasn't a good year-round seller, they upholstered it and it became a hit. In the 1960s, Mr. Magoo's voice-supplier, Jim Backus, earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the 15,000+ radio and television commercials he did promoting me. With annual sales topping $1 billion, I'm America's largest upholstered furniture-maker. Who am I?

Answers: scroll way down















1) Kmart
2) Pfizer
3) Greyhound Lines
4) La-Z-Boy

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