PPR has transformed itself from a conglomerate to the world's third-largest luxury group (behind LVMH and Richemont). PPR's stable of global luxury brands includes a 99% stake in Italian luxury goods company Gucci Group, and luxury brands Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Boucheron, Bottega Veneta, Stella McCartney, and Yves Saint Laurent, among others. The group's other activities include the multichannel merchant Redcats, Fnac music and book stores, the Conforama chain of household furniture and appliance stores, and the German athletic shoemaker PUMA. More than half of PPR's sales are generated outside of its home country. PPR is run by Francois-Henri Pinault, the son of its founder Francois Pinault.

Kooperativa Förbundet (KF) is a smorgasbord of Swedish retailers. The organization (aka the Swedish Co-operative Union) is a federation of more than 45 consumer cooperative societies with more than 3 million members throughout Sweden. KF's core grocery retail group, with about 20% of the Swedish grocery market, is run by subsidiary Coop Sverige and includes Sweden's largest hypermarket chain, Coop Forum, as well as Coop Konsum, Daglivs, the Mataffären online store, and other chains. Other businesses include: Kooperativa Forbundet Fastigheter, which develops shopping centers; Kooperativa Forbundet Media, involved in book selling (Akademibokhandeln bookstores and bokus.com) and publishing (P.A. Norstedt & Söner); finance; and other activities.

Industria de Diseno Textil (Inditex) makes disposable chic fashions that are here today and gone tomorrow. The Spanish designer-cum-retailer uses technology and an armada of designers to master cheap chic. Inditex sells on a global scale, with some 4,430 shops in 75-plus countries under eight different banners: Zara, Oysho, Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Bershka, Stradivarius, Zara Home, and Uterque. Located mostly in Europe, the firm's stores answer to popular trends by telling designers in Spain what customers are asking for locally. Inditex responds in about two weeks with new designs. Amancio Ortega Gaona, Spain's wealthiest businessman, founded Zara in 1975 and later created Inditex as a holding company.

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.

Victoria's Secret is not hush-hush, but it is unmentionable(s). The largest subsidiary of Limited Brands (based on sales) is also North America's #1 specialty retailer of women's intimate apparel, operating about 1,040 mostly mall-based Victoria's Secret and 250-plus La Senza lingerie stores throughout the US and Canada. Bras, panties, hosiery, swimwear, shoes, and more are sold under the Victoria's Secret brand and grouped in collections such as Dream Angels and Very Sexy. Many Victoria's Secret lingerie stores also sell beauty products. Its sister company Victoria's Secret Direct mails about 400 million of its sexy catalogs per year, offering intimate apparel, women's clothing, and footwear.

Falkland Islands to and from the UK and Chile and provides other port services, including the "squishy" trade of squid fishing licenses. Its Momart International arm serves the fine art logistics market. FIH is also active in commercial and residential property development on the island as well as oil and gas exploration.Falkland Islands Holdings (FIH) does a little bit of Falkland everything. Through its Falkland Islands Company it runs about half a dozen retail (apparel, DIY, home furnishings, grocery, and building and office supplies) outlets, a hotel, and a pair of auto dealerships (Land Rover and Ford); its highly-evolved Darwin Shipping and Portsmouth Harbour Ferry Company.

Laura Ashley Holdings, once famous for its fancy floral print fashions, Laura Ashley Holdings has turned to furniture, home accessories, and decor (about 78% of sales) to fill the till. Of the company's some 230 UK shops, less than half carry its traditional product line of women's and children's clothing. The company has repositioned itself as a lifestyle brand that is largely home furnishings, as it has shuttered apparel and accessories stores. Also, to efficiently sell off excess inventory, the company opened a few outlet stores and has implemented a selling strategy at its stores to maximize sales per square footage.

LAWSON aims to be the "hot station" in the neighborhood for on-the-go Japanese. Japan's #2 convenience store chain (behind Seven-Eleven Japan), LAWSON operates more than 9,800 outlets throughout Japan and in Shanghai, China. Its stores offer original products including main dishes, prepared noodles, bakery and deli items, and rice balls. (Food and groceries account for about 85% of sales.) Subsidiary Lawson Ticket sells concert, sports, and other events tickets in LAWSON and Daiei stores. Lawson ATM dispenses cash to shoppers in about 6,000 LAWSON shops. Subsidiary Ninety-nine Plus sells perishable foods. Founded in 1975 as Daiei Lawson Co., the chain was spun off by financially troubled Daiei in 2000.

C&A targets budget-conscious shoppers from Sao Paulo to Shanghai and all points in between. The company sells moderately priced apparel for men, women, and children through more than 1,600 stores in Brazil, Mexico, China, and about 20 European countries (where the majority of its network is concentrated), as well as online. Its portfolio of a dozen in-house brands include Clockhouse, Westbury, and Your Sixth Sense. The Brenninkmeijer family owns the company through Switzerland-based COFRA Holding. Brenninkmeijer men hold nearly all the top positions within the business, which traces its roots back to 1841, when the brothers Clemens and August Brenninkmeijer opened a textile warehouse in the Netherlands.

Le Chateau has repositioned itself to appeal to trend seekers of no particular age and has begun expanding into secondary markets. Le Chateau, which had hired Genuity Capital Markets in 2006 to explore a possible sale, took itself off the block in 2007. Le Chateau wants its customers to bring down the house with their fashion flair. The firm sells its own brand of clothing in more than 220 contemporary clothing stores in Canada, a handful of shops in the New York City area, and about 10 locations in the Middle East. The retailer sells apparel, footwear, and accessories to fashion-conscious men and women. About 40% of its apparel is made in Canada, allowing Le Chateau Inc. to respond quickly to changing trends.

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