Launched in 1993 in the UK, QVC UK's TV announcers reveal and demonstrate everything from fluffy toys and collectors' knives to jewelry and fashion. About 15,000 products come from such manufacturers as Panasonic, Hush Puppies, Canon, Birkenstock, and Samsung reaching most homes receiving cable, direct broadcast, or satellite programming throughout England, Ireland, and Scotland. The company is the UK arm of QVC, Inc., part of Liberty Media's Liberty Interactive Group. "Quality, value, and convenience," better known as QVC, the Shopping Channel, is famous for its diversity of weird and wonderful objects sold by presenters such as Simon Biagi and and Alison Keenan, over both the telly and the Internet.

Monrovia Nursery Company was founded in 1926 by the aptly named Harry Rosedale. A rose of any color keeps Monrovia Nursery in the black. Monrovia grows more than 20 million container-grown plants in 2,000 varieties at its five nurseries in California, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, and Oregon. Among its offerings are camellias, conifers, ferns, perennials, rhododendrons, and trees. The company has introduced some 300 exclusive varieties, holding more than 200 patents and trademarks. Monrovia supplies more than 5,000 garden centers with its plants and also crafts topiary forms, including some at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. It has additionally developed more than 40 specialized soil mixtures.

Syms Corp operates a chain of ‘off-price’ apparel retail stores under the Syms and Filene’s Basement names in the United States. Its stores offer a range of in-season merchandise for men, women, and children. The company’s in-season merchandise includes men’s tailored clothing and haberdashery; women’s dresses, suits, and separates; children’s apparel; and men’s, women’s, and children’s shoes. Its Filene’s stores also offer a selection of jewelry and home goods. As of August 28, 2010, the company operated a chain of 48 off-price apparel stores located predominantly on the east coast. Syms Corp was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Founded in 1907 by Fred Palmer and George Donavin, the company got its start making sheet metal and tinware. Skylights and windows from PALMER -DONAVIN MANUFACTURING help residents of the Hoosier and Buckeye states see a little better. The company operates four divisions -- building materials; heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC); kitchen and bathroom cabinets; and wood and laminate flooring -- through about 10 locations in Ohio and Indiana. Building materials include doors and windows, roofing, siding, insulation, gutters, fences, and decks. PALMER -DONAVIN carries such HVAC brands as Rheem and Armstrong Air, as well as cabinets from Wilsonart, Cardell, and Hartson-Kennedy.

In response, Albert Heijn has undergone an image makeover; from the most expensive supermarket in Holland to a price-competitive supermarket chain. There's nothing small time about Albert Heijn, who began selling groceries in the 1880s and whose namesake chain is now the #1 food retailer in the Netherlands. With more than 820 company-owned and franchised supermarkets and AH to Go convenience stores throughout the tiny country, the Albert Heijn chain is the flagship banner of Royal Ahold, contributing more than a third of its parent's sales. The grocery chain has a 22% share of the local market, but is losing ground to competitors, including hard discounter ALDI of Germany and region rivals Laurus N.V. and Edah.

Garb-Ko is thanking heaven for the continued success of c-stores nationwide. The company operates and franchises more than 90 convenience stores, under license from 7-Eleven since 1968, in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. (About half of its retail outlets are located in Michigan.) Most of the company's stores operate through a partnership between Garb-Ko and the franchisee, typically a resident in the community where the 7-Eleven store is situated. President and CEO Dan Abraham has led Garb-Ko since 1983, when his family acquired the firm.

Tuesday Morning offers big discounts every day of the week, but not every week of the year. The closeout retailer sells discontinued merchandise from name-brand manufacturers at steep discounts. Its merchandise typically includes linens, china, cookware, rugs, and collectibles that are not seconds, irregulars, or factory rejects. Tuesday Morning's 850 stores, located in more than 40 states, operate only during monthly "sale events" (with the exception of January and July). The retailer keeps costs down by selling from low-rent locations and using seasonal help -- only about 20% of its workers are full-time employees. Its customers are primarily women from middle- and upper-income households.

Max Mara Fashion Group is taking leading-edge apparel design to the max. Max Mara Fashion Group S.r.l. clothes some of the finest women in the world (including ESPN Monday Night Football's female reporters). It touts more than 20 labels, including the flagship Max Mara (high-end contemporary career, bridal, and sportswear); Marina Rinaldi (plus-sized fashions); and iBlues, Marella, and Penny Black (lower-priced lines). One of Italy's largest fashion firms, Max Mara Fashion Group S.r.l. company operates more than 2,300 boutiques in 90 countries worldwide, and it sells through such retailers as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Barneys. Started in the 1950s, Max Mara is owned and run by the family of founder Achille Maramotti, who died in 2005.

Axfood gives the chilly Nordic region the Willys. Axfood AB is one of the largest food retailers in Sweden (behind ICA and Coop),operating about 110 wholly owned Willys (discount grocery stores),30-plus Willys hemma (neighborhood grocers),and some 165 Hemkp (upscale grocery stores for food enthusiasts) stores. Axfood also operates shops under the Handlar'n and Tempo banners. Its Axfood Narlivs unit is a nationwide wholesaler serving convenience store retailers, restaurants, and foodservice companies through about 20 cash and carry outlets and several distribution centers. Subsidiary Dagab serves as Axfood AB company's logistics arm. Swedish food importer and retailer Axel Johnson owns about 46% of Axfood.

Since the first Fagen Pharmacy was opened in 1972, it has been the goal that each Fagen Pharmacy provides professional pharmaceutical services in a friendly and helpful environment. These are the principles present in each Fagen Pharmacy. Besides pharmaceutical services, Fagen Pharmacy has many locations that have a full retail offering, as well as other services including but not limited to: shipping, home health, postal services and delivery. Fagen also offers shingles and flu vaccinations and offers a very good uninsured program as well.

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