In November 1984 Fortnum's made the national news when staff requested they sell the the "Do They Know It's Christmas?" single in Piccadilly. As no-one is in any doubt when it's Christmas at Fortnum's, the company took up the idea with gusto - helping spread the charitable message far beyond its traditional audience.

Founded in 1970, in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Grupo Famsa has consolidated its position as a leading public company in the retail sector. Its activities focus on satisfying the different consumption, financing and saving needs of its customers and their families.Famsa business plan is based on developing a unique portfolio of complementary businesses based on consumer credit and savings. Famsa México, Banco Ahorro Famsa and Famsa USA, our three business units, provide a comprehensive value offer aimed at enhancing the quality of life of a large market segment that demands personalized services and credit options that are not offered by the traditional banking sector.

Gruppo Coin will take your coins -- and your cash. It owns and franchises about 500 department stores throughout Italy and abroad that sell apparel, accessories, perfume and cosmetics, and home decor. In addition to carrying apparel from well-known Italian and international brands, the firm designs and offers its own lines, including JCT (sportswear), Koan (urban apparel), Twiddy (children's clothing), and Melina (lingerie). Its stores operate under the Coin and Oviesse banners. The company's beginnings can be traced to 1916, when founder Vittorio Coin began selling fabrics. PAI Partners controls the firm with about an 80% stake, of which the Coin family has a nearly 50% interest.

Harrods' motto, "Omnia Omnibus Ubique," loosely translates into "You want it, we got it." The landmark Knightsbridge department store is one of London's biggest attractions, with seven floors and more than 300 departments, including the famous Food Hall, about 20 restaurants and bars, a beauty salon, and a bank. On an average day, 35,000 shoppers browse the store. The crowd can swell to 350,000 during sales. Harrods has leveraged its name worldwide, opening signature shops in airports and department stores in Asia and Europe and selling online. Founded in 1849 and formerly owned by Egyptian-born billionaire Mohamed al-Fayed, Harrods was sold in 2010 to Qatar Holdings for about �1.5 billion ($2.3 billion).

The Hart retail organization took root in Eastern Canada in 1960, founded by company executive chairman Mr. Harry Hart. A single store was established in the then rural Québec community of Rosemère, just north of the Montréal metropolis. By systematically recognizing market opportunities, Mr. Hart gradually built a modest chain of junior department stores catering to the everyday needs of the grass-roots consumer.

Harvey Nichols is an international luxury lifestyle store, renowned both in the UK and internationally for the breadth and depth of its exclusive fashion merchandise. It offers many of the world's most prestigious brands in womenswear, menswear, accessories, beauty, food and home.Harvey Nichols currently has stores in London, Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Leeds in the UK, Dublin in the Republic of Ireland, a store in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in Hong Kong, China, in Dubai, UAE, Istanbul, Turkey, Jakarta, Indonesia and and a further store in Ankara, Turkey. The London flagship store is located in the heart of Knightsbridge, London's most fashionable and exclusive shopping district.

Hoopers is running circles around its competition. Founded in 1982, the company is a retail store operator with five UK-based department stores nationwide (Harrogate, Torquay, Tunbridge Wells, Wilmslow, Carlisle), as well as three menswear stores. The company specializes in designer and branded fashion. Its departments include womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, cosmetics, gifts, cookware and glassware, and furniture and linens. Hoopers is a partial owner of department store chain Beale through its Lawdene investing subsidiary. The company is owned by father and son team David and Richard Thompson.

House of Fraser is a department store group with 62 enviable locations across the UK and Ireland. As one of the best known names on the high street, House of Fraser has presented customers with an unrivalled nationwide department store for more than 150 years. The company was acquired by the Highland consortium in November 2006 marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter in its history.

Here's a company that's traveled a fur piece from its 17th- century roots. Founded in 1670 as a fur trading enterprise, Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) is Canada's largest department store chain and oldest corporation. Its Zellers chain is the country's #2 discount department store (behind Wal-Mart Canada), with some 280 stores. HBC also runs about 90 the Bay department stores that focus on more upscale merchandise, 190-plus Fields general merchandise and apparel stores in Western Canada, more than 65 Home Outfitters superstores, and Hbc.com. The company also has its own credit card and financial services companies. HBC is owned by NRDC Equity Partners, which is looking to take the company public as early as 2011.

Japanese retailer Isetan is more than a century old, but it does try to appeal to the younger generation. Its department stores sell apparel, home furnishings, appliances, jewelry, and personal items. The company also operates restaurants and offers real estate, financial, and travel services. It manages a half dozen stores in Japan; its main location in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo accounts for about half the firm's sales. Among the first Japanese retailers to enter other Asian markets, Isetan oversees store operations in China, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. The company is a subsidiary of Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, created in 2008 when Isetan acquired its more than 300-year-old rival Mitsukoshi.

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