For Douglas Holding, there is no scent sweeter than perfume. The retail conglomerate operates about 2,000 stores in some two dozen European countries and the US. It is a leading perfume retailer in Europe with more than 1,100 perfumeries (445 in its home market Germany). In addition to perfume, Douglas Holding sells skin care and cosmetic products. The company's other retail divisions include jewelry and watches (Christ, Rene Kern), fashion (AppelrathCupper and Pohland), books (Thalia and Internet book seller buch.de), and confectionery (Hussel). While about two-thirds of the group's sales originate in Germany, its non-German operations are driving growth.

Founded as Galpin Ford in 1946, Galpin Motors is owned and run by the Boeckmann family.Galpin Motors will do just about anything to get you to buy a car, even jolt you with joe at the full-service Starbucks shops attached to its luxury car dealerships. Claiming to have sold the first Saturn and ranking as the top Ford dealer in the world, it also sells Aston Martin, Jaguar, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury, and Volvo models, as well as used cars, from four dealerships and a Web site. It also rents and customizes -- or "Galpinizes" -- vehicles, such as the Tailgate Party Truck with a built-in stainless steel barbecue, blender, DVD/TV combo, and refrigerated beer kegs.

Dunham's Sports stores sell sporting goods through more than 160 locations in a dozen states in the Midwest and Northeast. Its stores, which average 30,000 sq. ft., offer gear for team sports, individual endeavors, and outdoor pursuits, as well as apparel, fan merchandise, electronics, and fitness machines (including ellipticals, pilates boards, rowers, steppers, treadmills). Dunham's also carries a full line of casual apparel, footwear, and eyewear for men, women, and children. The company began as Dunham's Bait and Tackle in 1937.

Florida Transportation Systems makes sure the wheels on the bus go round and round. The company sells and services Blue Bird school buses and other commercial buses, such as transit and shuttle buses made by Thor Industries, ADA-accessible paratransit vans made by The Braun Corporation, and minibuses made by Girardin. Customers include Florida school districts, transit agencies, and local governments in the Sunshine State. Florida Transportation Systems was founded in 1982.

Shelton-Keller Group, Inc. company has furnished airport waiting areas, call centers, outdoor dining space, and large college libraries and has contracts with the state of Texas and several US municipalities. The people at Shelton-Keller Group are cube city architects. The company plans, designs, installs, maintains, and repairs office furniture systems including tables, desk, shelving, cases, and executive office accoutrements. Most of the company's salesmen have backgrounds in interior design or architecture; Shelton-Keller makes a good deal of its revenue from designing, planning, and reconfiguring office plans. Its hip, high-end designer brands include Knoll, Bretford, Thonet, and Vitra.

Jules Seltzer & Associates was founded in 1940 during the early days of "modern" organic interior design by Jules Seltzer. Back bothering you after hours at the desk? Has Jules got a chair for you! Jules Seltzer & Associates distributes high-end office furniture, including the cult status Aeron chair, to small offices, design firms, and retail stores. The company's inventory includes chairs, desks, modular systems, floor coverings, and related accessories. Jules Seltzer & Associates carries products made by such manufactures as Herman Miller and Knoll. It also provides design, project management, logistics, CAD, and installation services to its customers.

MBS Textbook Exchange gives college kids around the country some spending cash at the end of every semester. In addition to distributing new and used textbooks to more than 4,000 colleges and universities nationwide, the company also develops and sells the systems that enable bookstores to sell books and buy them back. MBS is organized into MBS Wholesale, MBS Direct, and MBS Systems. The wholesale division supplies campus bookstores, while the direct division provides books to private K-12 schools, vocational schools, teaching hospitals, and community colleges. The company was founded in 1909 as The Missouri Store Company and became MBS Textbook Exchange in 1980.

Hudson Group operates some 600 newsstands, bookstores, cafes, and specialty shops in about 70 airports and other transportation terminals throughout North America. The group's flagship Hudson News format is North America's only national newsstand brand. The shops offer travelers books, magazines, apparel, souvenirs, snacks, and beverages for their journey. Other formats include Hudson Booksellers, Kids Works, and Euro Cafe. Private equity firm Advent International acquired Hudson Group in 2007 and in 2008 merged it with Swiss travel retailer Dufry AG.

Spicers is nothing to sneeze at -- the company is a leading office products and equipment wholesaler in the UK and France, where most of its 20-plus distribution centers are located; it also holds strong market positions in Ireland, France, and the Benelux countries, and is developing its business in Germany, Italy, and Spain. The company's 18,000 products, which are sold to office products dealers via its numerous catalogs and Web site, include office equipment, furniture, and janitorial supplies sold under major manufacturers' brands as well as its own brand, 5 Star. Spicers accounts for about one-third of the revenues of its packaging and paper parent company, DS Smith.

Europejski Fundusz Leasingowy SA largest of its kind in Poland, leases both commercial and passenger vehicles, as well as industrial machinery and IT equipment. It is also expanding into leasing agricultural equipment and real estate, and is becoming a major lender for car loans. The Polish arm of France-based Crédit Agricole owns EFL. Fellow Polish firm Lukas Bank, also under the Crédit Agricole banner, teams with EFL to offer car loans. EFL was formed in 1991.For the times when it's better to lease than to buy, Europejski Fundusz Leasingoway (EFL) has the right vehicle and/or a loan to secure it.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.