The term “store” as used in this article shall be construed to mean and include any store or stores or any mercantile establishment or establishments which are owned, operated, maintained, controlled or for which the buying is done by the same person, firm, corporation, copartnership, or association, either domestic or foreign, in which goods, wares or merchandise of any kind are sold, either at retail or wholesale. The term “store” as used in this article shall not be construed to mean or include any place of business at which the principal business conducted is that of selling or distributing petroleum products or ice, where the amount kept in any store is less than 4,000 pounds at any one time.

Two or more stores or mercantile establishments shall, for the purpose of this article, be treated as being under a single or common ownership, supervision or management if directly or indirectly owned or controlled by a single person or any group of persons having a common interest in such stores or mercantile establishments, or if any part of the gross revenues, net revenues or profits from any such stores or mercantile establishments shall directly or indirectly be required to be immediately or ultimately made available for the beneficial uses or shall directly or indirectly inure to the immediate or ultimate benefit of any single person or group of persons having a common interest therein; provided, that a person owning or operating a store and owning an interest in not more than one other store which handles merchandise of an entirely different character, or a person operating a candy counter or popcorn stand in the lobby of a motion picture theater owned or operated by him shall not be termed a chain of stores, but shall be required to pay only the annual license on each store; each store being considered a separate unit.