Siam FamilyMart may be the second-largest convenience store chain in Thailand, but it still has a long way to go to catch up with #1: Seven-Eleven Japan. The fast-growing company operates more than 550 convenience stores throughout Thailand, about a tenth the number of its larger rival. The stores offer hot and cold snacks and beverages, sandwiches, rice balls, cigarettes, and other convenience items. Established in 1993, FamilyMart is a subsidiary of Japan's FamilyMart chain of convenience stores. The company franchises its individual stores and provides support in the form of managerial advice, training, advertising, promotions, store equipment, and the preparation of annual tax documents.

Specsavers was founded in 1984 as the first company to offer half ownership to resident opticians. Specsavers Optical Group is focused on serving squinters on a budget. The company, famous for its ongoing two-for-one offering, specializes in affordable eyecare. Through its 1,300 Specsavers stores in Europe and Australia, consumers can receive eye exams, as well as buy glasses and contact lenses. The company makes more than 2,000 styles of glasses at its three UK factories. Specsavers also sells contact lenses online; it is Europe's largest contact lens home-deliverer. Through its hearing care business, Specsavers Hearcare Group, the company offers hearing tests and sells hearing aids at Specsavers locations.

GN Hello Direct, Inc. was acquired in 2000 by GN Netcom, a Denmark-based maker of hands-free telecom equipment. Ah, the poetic justice GN Hello Direct delivers. The company sells telephones and accessories (including headsets and amplifiers) to small and midsized businesses and the very telemarketers who ring you just when dinner is served. It also sells the phones that screen those annoying telemarketer calls, as well as recording, distance-conferencing, mobile navigation, and VoIP products. More than 50 major brands are represented in the firm's inventory, including AT&T, Panasonic, and Motorola, plus its own Hello Direct and GN Netcom labels. Products are sold through GN Hello Direct's catalog and website.

Small Island Trader sells ceramics and crystal objects online to private buyers globally. Its web site contains more than 50,000 items, ranging from Wedgwood china to collectible paperweights and Versace ashtrays and other collectibles. The company secures its merchandise from about 20 leading ceramics manufacturers. Founded in 1997 by husband-and-wife team Alexandra and Jim Murray (managing director and creative director, respectively), the company is still owned by the couple.

Wolff Bros. Supply keeps the heat and the cold from the door. Through 10 locations in Ohio, Wolff Bros. Supply distributes wholesale cabinets, lighting, tools, and equipment and supplies for telecommunications, electrical power, HVAC, and plumbing. The business gets its tools and equipment from more than 500 vendors and has more than 25,000 products in stock. The family-owned company traces its roots back to the 1950s, when Norman and Harold Wolff began operating an electrical, plumbing, and heating contracting business out of the back of a truck.

Founded in 1983, Road Runner sells dozens of brands including adidas, Asics, New Balance, Nike, Saucony, and others. Road Runner Sports is for the running -- or walking -- man or woman. The retailer, known for its huge selection, sells a wide range of athletic shoes and gear for those who go for the aerobic burn by pounding out the miles on their feet. Products are sold online and through specialty catalogs. The company also caters to those who would rather run in than log on with about 20 retail outlets, mostly in California but also in about 10 other states. The stores, which average about 8,500 square feet, feature gait analysis machines, running coaches, customized orthotics fitting, and a test run area.

GasAmerica Services operates a chain of combination gas station/convenience stores under the GasAmerica banner, all found in Indiana and Ohio. Its 90-odd locations offer the usual assortment of food, drinks, and supplies, and, of course, gasoline. The company issues a convenience card for frequent customers that allows users to earn points for rebates, take advantage of special discounts, receive coupons by mail, and enter the monthly sweepstakes for computers and free gas. GasAmerica Services offers biofuels, including E85 (85% ethanol), B10 (10% biodiesel from soybeans). Founded in 1916, the firm has been blending ethanol into gasoline for more than 20 years.

Fresh Encounter was founded in 1995 by Mike Needler when he purchased CWC Companies from his father-in-law. Today, the business is owned and run by the Needler family.They aren't offering encounters of the third kind, but they can help you out with a carton of milk and a loaf of bread. Fresh Encounter operates 30-plus supermarkets in Ohio and eastern Indiana under the Community Markets, Fulmer Community Markets, Great Scot Community Markets, and Sack 'N Save Supermarket banners. To better compete with larger national chains, such as Kroger and Wal-Mart, Fresh Encounter's stores emphasize personalized service, 10 for $10 items specials, fresh-cut meat, community involvement, and private label products.

Kingfisher plc, through its subsidiaries, operates as a home improvement retailer. It offers wallpaper, vacuum cleaners, shutters, tiles, storage systems, lighting products, light switches, shower enclosures, and bathroom products, as well as provides gardening kits for kids and a range of tools for children. The company also offers bathroom and kitchen installation services, including flooring, tiling, hanging doors, and garage doors, as well as fires and electrical replacement products, such as sockets and light fittings. In addition, it offers iPhone application to carry out DIY projects at home. The company’s brands portfolio includes B&Q, Castorama, Brico Dépôt, Screwfix, Koctas, and Hornbach. Kingfisher offers its products and services through 840 stores, as well as through online in 8 countries in Europe and Asia. Kingfisher plc has a strategic alliance with Hornbach Holding A.G. Kingfisher plc was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

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).

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