Lloydspharmacy is a community pharmacy chain with over 1,650 pharmacies across the UK. These are based predominantly in community and health centre locations. We employ approximately 17,000 staff and dispense over 151 million prescription items annually. Lloydspharmacy is the trading name of Lloydspharmacy Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Celesio AG based in Stuttgart. Celesio is one of the leading international service providers within the pharmaceutical and healthcare markets. Lloyds Pharmacy company is active in 27 countries worldwide and employs approximately 47,000 people in its three divisions Patient and Consumer Solutions, Pharmacy Solutions and Manufacturer Solutions.

Dealers Supply Company (DSC) strives to keep cool during those long Southern summers. Through about 15 locations in Georgia and North Carolina, the company distributes air conditioning and heating products to residential customers, contractors, and small businesses. Products include air conditioners, heaters, motors, insulation, lifts, sealants, and other items from such brands as Airgas, Honeywell, RUUD, Trion, and WeatherKing. DSC sells the tools needed to install and maintain all the heating and cooling equipment it sells, and it offers classes and reference guides. The company's Web site includes an online catalog and searchable database of licensed conditioned air contractors.

Roots is owned by Michael Budman and Don Green, who co-founded Roots Canada Ltd. company as a footwear store in 1973. From its original shoot, Roots Canada has branched out into many areas. The apparel chain, known among some as the Canadian Gap, sells clothing and accessories for men, women, and children. Firmly planted in the land of maple leaves and beavers, the company has more than 120 stores in Canada and the US, and over 40 locations in Asia (China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan). Besides apparel, Roots Canada Ltd. company offers leather goods, eyewear, watches, and fragrances, even lending its name to a line of furniture. It was the official outfitter of the 2002 Winter Olympics and also outfitted Canada and three other nations in 2004.

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.

Claire's Accessories UK, like its US parent company Claire's Stores, sells costume jewelry, handbags, and hair accessories largely to the 7- to 14-year-old set through about 430 stores throughout England and Ireland. It also markets accessories to late teens and twenty-somethings through its Icing stores. The company's stores are primarily located in shopping malls and on high streets. Claire's Stores opened its first shop in the UK in 1996 and has since extended its reach to other European countries, including Austria, France, Germany, Spain, and Switzerland.

A.S. Watson (ASW) is the retail and manufacturing arm of the Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa. Like its powerful parent company, ASW is a giant in its industries, with operations in some 35 markets throughout Asia and Europe. Its businesses include supermarkets (Park'N Shop), health and beauty stores (Watson's, Drogas, Trekpleister, and Kruidvat), Fortress consumer electronics and appliance stores in Hong Kong and Macau, soft drink and water bottling operations, and wine retailing (Watson's Wine Cellar). In all, ASW operates 20-plus retail chains with more than 8,700 stores including the UK's Superdrug and Savers chains. ASW also has a joint venture with German discount health and beauty chain Rossmann.

Park Group takes the last minute out of Christmas. The holiday gifts supplier lets customers place orders through its print and online catalogs and make payments throughout the year, avoiding large credit card bills. Customers can earn discounts, commissions, and bonuses by passing around catalogs and taking orders from friends and family. Park also offers corporate and consumer gift vouchers, which can be redeemed at about 20,000 stores in the UK. In addition to its retail businesses, the company operates Park Travel, a full-service travel agency, and Low Cost Cover, an insurance brokerage. Park was founded in 1967.

Wolseley UK distributes building and plumbing equipment to construction customers from some 1,700 outlets throughout Great Britain. A subsidiary of global distributor Wolseley, the company operates through such trading companies and brands as Build Center, Drain Center, Pipe Center, and Plumb Center. Brandon Hire offers small and large tools and equipment for rent; Build Center Bulk provides supply chain management for construction firms in England and Wales. Wolseley UK also sells heating, shower, and repair and maintenance products. Wolseley UK was established in 2004 to house its parent company's assets in the UK and Ireland. (The Irish business was split off in 2007 to form Wolseley Ireland.)

IGA grocers are independent, but not alone. The world's largest voluntary supermarket network, IGA has 6,200 stores in more than 40 countries worldwide, including about 1,350 in the US. Collectively, its members are among North America's leaders in terms of supermarket sales. IGA (which stands for either International or Independent Grocers Alliance, the company says) is owned by about 35 worldwide distribution companies, including SUPERVALU. Members can sell IGA-brand private-label products (over 2,300 items) and take advantage of joint operations and services, such as advertising and volume buying. Some stores in the IGA alliance, which primarily caters to smaller towns, also sell gas.

Restoration Hardware sells upscale home furnishings, hardware, bathware, garden products, and decorative items through more than 100 retail and outlet stores in 30 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. It also markets products through its catalogs and e-commerce sites. Restoration Hardware's assortment of home and office furniture is supplemented in part by its subsidiary The Michaels Furniture Company. Founded in 1980 by former chairman Stephen Gordon, Restoration Hardware was acquired for $175 million by private equity firms Catterton Partners and Tower Three Partners in 2008.

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