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.

GNC is owned by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Board Plan, its affiliate Ares Corporate Opportunities Fund II, and management. GNC filed to go public in September 2010.What's good for the customer is good for GNC Acquisition Corporation (formerly General Nutrition Centers). GNC operates the world's leading nutritional-supplements retail chain devoted solely to items such as vitamins and dietary products. The company also makes Rite Aid private-label products. It sells its products online, as well, through a partnership with drugstore.com. GNC has 2,800 company-owned retail stores in the US and Canada; 1,900 store-within-a-store sites in Rite Aid's drugstores; and 2,220 franchised stores in 47 countries.

Coop Danmark is owned by the 1.6 million members of the Danish Consumers' Cooperative Society.Something may be rotten in Denmark, but not at Coop Danmark's stores. Coop Danmark is the country's leading retailer with about 1,200 supermarkets, hypermarkets, and discount stores throughout the tiny nation. The coop's shops operate under the Kvickly, Dagli'Brugsen, Irma, and SuperBrugsen banners, among others. Coop Danmark also operates the fast-growing 340-store Fakta discount chain. The Danish retailer boasts a 38% market share and continues to grow. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coop Norden, which was formed in 2002 by the merger of Coop Danmark, Coop Norge, and Coop Sverige

Mallett PLC maintains a stock of about 2,000 pieces of antique (primarily 18th century) furniture, paintings, clocks, glass, textiles, and lighting, selling them to private collectors, museums, and designers. Founded in 1865, Mallett is itself an antique. Today the company operates two showrooms, one in New York, the other in London. Prospective buyers can also view the collection online. The Weinstock Trust Additional Fund holds nearly a one-third interest in the company. Mallet owns a majority stake in the London-based antique furniture restoration company H J Hatfield & Sons Ltd.

Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings is a marriage made in retail heaven. Isetan brings advanced information technology while Mitsukoshi knows how to attract moneyed customers from Japan's elite. The merged company, one of Japan's leading department store operators, boasts a dozen Mitsukoshi stores and about a half a dozen Isetan locations throughout Japan with Mitsukoshi focusing on the older crowd while Isetan's Tokyo-area shops offer apparel alongside food, housewares, and sundries to appeal to younger generations. Overseas, Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings has stores in Asia, Europe, and the US. Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings was formed in 2008 when Isetan bought out its older rival.

Gate Petroleum company runs a chain of about 225 Gate Food Post stores in six Southeastern states, including Florida and the Carolinas, that sell gas and groceries and offer fleet management services. The firm is also a wholesale fuel distributor to customers throughout the Southeast. The company is also active in the real estate and construction materials businesses. In Florida Gate owns several private clubs, office buildings, and business parks. Subsidiary Gate Concrete has plants in about half a dozen states that make and sell concrete and building materials. CEO Herbert Peyton, who founded the company in 1960, owns the majority of Gate Petroleum.

ecohaus wants to improve on the home improvement store. The company offers some 1,500 eco-friendly building materials and products. It operates an online store for its green building supplies, as well as a pair of showrooms in Washington and Oregon for retail customers and trade professionals. Both showrooms were remodeled in 2008. ecohaus's products include reclaimed wood flooring, low-toxic paints, low-flow toilets, formaldehyde-free cabinets, and recycled-glass tiles. Matthew Freeman-Gleason, the company's chief knowledge officer, started the firm as a small storefront in 1992 on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Freeman-Gleason and chairman Tim Taylor are major shareholders of the company.

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim is one of the most progressive regional business houses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.Al-Futtaim operates through more than 65 companies across sectors as diverse as commerce, industry and services, and employs in excess of 20,000 people across the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Singapore and Europe.Entrepreneurship and rigorous customer focus has enabled Al-Futtaim to grow its business by responding to the changing needs of the customers and societies in which it operates. Al-Futtaim is committed to offering customers an unrivalled choice of the world's best brands with exceptional standards of customer service and after sales support.Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim is one of the most progressive regional business houses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Al-Futtaim operates through more than 65 companies across sectors as diverse as commerce, industry and services, and employs in excess of 20,000 people across the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Singapore and Europe. Entrepreneurship and rigorous customer focus has enabled Al-Futtaim to grow its business by responding to the changing needs of the customers and societies in which it operates. Al-Futtaim is committed to offering customers an unrivalled choice of the world's best brands with exceptional standards of customer service and after sales support.

George has extended its brand to housewares, jewelry, and more and recently began selling merchandise online. Factories in Bangldesh and China supply most of the goods. By George if George Clothing isn't one of the UK's largest apparel retailers! Founded by and named for the fashion entrepreneur George Davies in 1990, the George brand of apparel for men, women, and children (including school uniforms) occupies about 12.5% of its parent company ASDA's floorspace and accounts for 10% of its sales in the UK. About half of all of George's sales are rung up overseas in shops owned by the world's largest retailer Wal-Mart Stores in countries that include Argentina, Canada, China, India, Japan, Mexico, and the US.

Bossini wants to be the boss of Asian apparel retailers. Bossini International Holdings Limited company manages a brand of casual fashion wear and accessories in the Asia/Pacific region; its core markets are Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia. Products include clothing for women, men, and kids. Bossini operates more than 1,000 directly owned and franchised outlets in some 30 countries. It opened its first exclusive store in Hong Kong in 1987. Bossini International Holdings Limited company is now one of the largest retail fashion chains in the region. Through business partners, Bossini has exported franchised outlets across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Central America.

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