Brick
TSE:BRKThe Brick Ltd. (The Brick) is a retailer of household furniture, mattresses, appliances and home electronics, operating under four banners: The Brick, United Furniture Warehouse, The Brick Mattress Store, and Urban Brick. The Company has two operating segments: Retail and Financial Services. The Company operates retail stores concentrating on the sales of furniture, mattresses, appliances and electronics. Retail customers are offered credit though the Brick Card which is funded and billed by unrelated external service providers. The Financial Services segment is primarily engaged in providing extended warranty services on products sold to customers of The Brick and credit insurance on balances that arise from customers' use of their Brick Card. As at December 31, 2011, The Brick operated 232 retail store, including 60 franchise locations. The Brick owns 100% of the limited partnership units of The Brick Warehouse LP. In March 2013, Leon's Furniture Ltd acquired Brick Ltd.
The Goldman Sachs Group
NYSE:GSThe Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., a financial institution, provides a range of financial services for corporations, financial institutions, governments, and individuals worldwide. It operates through Global Banking & Markets, Asset & Wealth Management, and Platform Solutions segments. The Global Banking & Markets segment provides financial advisory services, including strategic advisory assignments related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense activities, restructurings, and spin-offs; and relationship lending, and acquisition financing, as well as secured lending, through structured credit and asset-backed lending and involved in financing under securities to resale agreements. This segment also offers client execution activities for cash and derivative instruments; credit and interest rate products; and provision of mortgages, currencies, commodities, and equities related products, as well as underwriting services. The Asset & Wealth Management segment manages assets across various classes, including equity, fixed income, hedge funds, credit funds, private equity, real estate, currencies, and commodities; and provides customized investment advisory solutions, wealth advisory services, personalized financial planning, and private banking services, as well as invests in corporate equity, credit, real estate, and infrastructure assets. The Platform Solutions segment offers credit cards and point-of-sale financing for purchase of goods or services. This segment also provides cash management services, such as deposit-taking and payment solutions for corporate and institutional clients. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in New York, New York.