Region is home to many heated corporate contests

The Patriots' season is in full swing, and the Red Sox are clashing with their longtime adversaries from New York this weekend in a race for the playoffs. But you can also find heated rivalries by flipping to the business section from the sports pages.

And like few other places, the South Shore has become a playing field for some of New England's fiercest business rivalries.

The area has served as the springboard for a number of well-known retail and restaurant chains. Some have disappeared amid tough competition (R.I.P., Bradlees) and others have shrunk and withered under poor leadership (witness the sad demise of the Howard Johnson's restaurant chain).

And others have long since been bought out by out-of-state conglomerates. But the infusion of outside cash can help fuel expansions and marketing efforts (yes, we're talking about you, Jordan's Furniture, Shaw's, Stop & Shop and Dunkin' Donuts).

So we decided to take an informal look at the big companies with deep roots - and rivalries - in Southeastern Massachusetts.

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