1.   Although it had carved out a niche in the upscale market, the chain still had a hard time competing against the national supermarket chains.

2.   Analysts said the two chains would have large shares of some markets.

3.   And all three chains have glittering new outlets over at Polaris.

4.   And many major chains have hotels in the historic district, including Hilton, Holiday Inn and Best Western.

5.   And while staying at a name-brand hotel can assure travelers of some standards, the control a chain has over individual properties can be quite minimal.

6.   Because of recent consolidation, the leaders in metro Atlanta, Regal and AMC, have scooped up competitors and so have independant chains.

7.   Bigger chains have more power to negotiate favorable terms to license films, leading to bigger profits.

8.   Bigger theater chains also have more muscle to negotiate the best terms to license films from the Hollywood studios.

9.   Both chains have had lower than expected sales for the first two weeks of December.

10.   A great many chains have a two-tier discount system.