Monsoon Commerce Solutions (MCS) helps online retailers and booksellers through its Marketplace Services and Selling Solutions divisions, providing retail management software, distribution assistance, and hosted store services. Its roster of more than 15,000 customers includes libraries, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers in about 50 countries. The Alibris Retail unit operates Alibris.com, an online marketplace for independent sellers of books, music, and movies. Founded in 1998, the firm acquired Monsoon in early 2010 and then reorganized and changed its name. MCS is owned by Oak Hill Capital Partners.

The firm was founded in 1991 by Graham and Ursula Hodson and is jointly owned by the Hodsons and managing director Colin Hills, who has run the business since 1997. Fresh Bouquets knows how to grow its business. The floral firm grows, sources, and distributes 100,000 bunches of flowers a week to service stations and convenience stores across the UK under the Flowerfete label. Fresh Bouquets grows its own flowers in company-owned nurseries and supplements those with selected imported flowers from Israel, South Africa, Spain, and Turkey. Through its FDL e-commerce division, Fresh Bouquets has diversified beyond flowers to offer higher-margin items such as sunglasses, umbrellas, corkscrews, and other gadgets.

Lentuo International Inc. operates as an automobile retailer in the People’s Republic of China. It sells passenger vehicles, auto parts, and accessories; offers automobile repair and maintenance services; and provides a channel for vehicle manufacturers to gather customer feedback. The company also offers its customers assistance with procuring automobile insurance and financing and other automobile-related services. In addition, Lentuo International provides luxury or specialty vehicles on rent for business use by corporations or corporate executives. As of June 30, 2010, it operated 6 franchise dealerships, 10 automobile showrooms, and 1 automobile repair shop in the Beijing metropolitan area. The company was founded in 1994 and is based in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China.

Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., founded in 1982, also sells graphic novels and related collectibles to comic book stores and bookstores nationwide. Diamond promotes comic book reading by organizing, sponsoring, and supplying Free Comic Book Day when stores give away select comic books to all attendees. Industry mainstays DC Entertainment (Batman), Dark Horse Comics, and Marvel Publishing (Spider-Man) also participate. Diamond president Steve Geppi also owns comic book publisher Gemstone Publishing, publishes Baltimore Magazine, and is an investor in the Baltimore Orioles.

Lush's products are so luscious that you literally could eat them if you wanted to. The natural cosmetics firm is a UK-based manufacturer and retailer of environmentally friendly natural cosmetics and fragrances (including many vegan-friendly products). Lush company operates about 670 shops in some 44 countries worldwide, as well as a retail website and catalog. Most of Lush's products are handmade from natural (and edible) ingredients and carry an expiration date. The company's co-founder, Mark Constantine, formerly developed and supplied products for natural cosmetics behemoth The Body Shop, back in that company's development days. Co-founders Mark and Mo Constantine own Lush company with Helen Ambrosen.

Seaman and sail maker Thomas Black founded Blacks in 1861, when he offered his sails for sale. From there, the company moved on to tents, eventually offering camping gear and sporting goods. Now Blacks Leisure Group (BLG) sells outdoor gear and apparel through more than 300 stores throughout the UK and Ireland under the Blacks, Freespirit, and Millets banners. With 200-plus stores, Millets is the UK's largest outdoor retailer. The smaller Blacks chain sells North Face, Merrell, and Coleman brand merchandise and its owns brands from about 90 shops. BLG has been closing stores in its boardwear chain Freespirit, which now operates only about a dozen locations. Rival Sports Direct owns about 28% of BLG.

Academy is near the head of the class among sporting goods retailers. It is one of the leading full-line sporting goods chains in the US with about 120 Academy Sports + Outdoors stores in Texas and some 10 other states in the Southeast. Academy's low-frills stores carry clothing, shoes, and equipment for almost any sport and outdoor activity, including camping, golf, hunting, fishing, and boating. The company, which also operates a catalog and e-commerce site, dates back to a San Antonio tire shop opened by Max Gochman in 1938. The business moved into military surplus items and during the 1980s began focusing on sports and outdoor goods. The Gochman family still owns Academy and is run by CEO David Gochman.

Elegant Illusions, Inc. engages in the retail created gem jewelry business. As of February 7, 2007, it operated 17 specialty stores in the continental United States. Elegant Illusions, Inc. offers fine jewelry and replications of fine jewelry, known as copy jewelry items that are manufactured with synthetic stones set in gold, sterling silver vermeil, or plated brass. Its stores offer a range of jewelry, including rings, pendants, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, pearl enhancers, ear charms, sterling silver vermeil, and gold bonded brass or white metal products; and other precious metals set with precious and semi-precious stones and certain gift ware items. The company also sells original oil paintings, lithographs, reproductions, and other art through its art galleries in Sarasota, Florida; Vail, Colorado; and New Orleans, Louisiana. Elegant Illusions, Inc. was incorporated in 1988 and is based in Pacific Grove, California.

KaBloom was founded in 1997 by David Hartstein and former Staples CEO Thomas Sternberg. KaBloom.com can be found daisy chaining across the country and cyberspace. The floral chain owns or franchises about 30 retail shops that sell bouquets, cut flowers, and plants primarily in Massachusetts, and is test-marketing selling flowers through kiosks. It also offers national floral delivery through its toll-free number and Web site. Its business flower program arranges flower deliveries to office buildings with weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly schedules available. From about a dozen stores in the Boston area, KaBloom has spread its roots to about a dozen other states and the District of Columbia.

The Ferman family owns the company, which is one of the nation's oldest continuously running dealerships; it was founded in 1895.When Buccaneers go cruising, they could be on wheels from Ferman Automotive. Through about 15 dealerships in the Tampa, Florida, area, Ferman Automotive annually sells more than 12,000 new cars, more than 6,500 used cars, and about 600 fleet units. Ferman Automotive dealerships peddle cars under a dozen foreign and domestic brand names, including Acura, BMW, Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, GMC, Jeep, Mazda, MINI, Nissan, and Volvo. Ferman also sells new Harley-Davidson and Buell motorcycles at three dealerships in the Tampa area.

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