1.   Isao Nakauchi, chairman and president of the company, said the supermarket chain operator is planning to list shares of five group companies, including Lawson Japan Inc.

2.   Laguna Research Partners consultant Kevin Skislock said the probe could stem from complaints by small chain operators that they are not being treated fairly as large chains expand.

3.   Shares of retailers, such as supermarket chain operator Ito-Yokado Co., led gainers.

4.   The crisis and turmoil among the chain operators is not typical of the industry as a whole, but the changes and pressures they face are.

5.   The Japanese department chain operator will report to the Tokyo Stock Exchange on the reported bid and release information to the press as soon as possible, he said.

6.   The region, with its slow-growing economy and maze of zoning regulations, has discouraged the biggest chain operators from entering the region.

7.   The supermarket chain operator reported a profit for the year ended in February, compared to a loss for the previous year.

8.   The two companies are in currently in mediation to resolve whether the Tokyo-based department store chain operator had provided loans or an equity investment in Barneys.

9.   Cousens suggested that at this stage, chain hotel operators cannot ignore continuous joint-marketing activities with others in affiliated industries.

10.   In recent years, that reluctance has given way to enthusiasm from many big chain operators.