W & G Foyle operates about a handful of Foyles bookstores in London. Founded in 1903 by brothers William and Gilbert Foyle as a depot for their own used textbooks, the bookstore has been located at Charing Cross Rd. ever since, though as of 2006 it has three additional retail locations and a retail web site. Besides books, Foyles also stocks such items as printed music, gifts, stationery, and assorted memorabilia. Chairman Christopher Foyle is the third generation of the family (with cousin, vice chairman Bill Samuel) to have a hand in running the company.

Half Price Books, Records, Magazines, Incorporated,the bookstore chain sells used and new books, magazines, videos, DVDs, and music. Only about half of the merchandise it sells is new. Its roughly 110 stores are located in more than 15 states, primarily Texas. Its wholesale catalog division, Texas Bookman, reprints classics and other public domain works. Half Price Books has grown slowly but steadily; its stores keep a small-company look with secondhand and employee-made furnishings. The company was started by Ken Gjemre and Pat Anderson (late mom of president and CEO Sharon Anderson Wright) in 1972 to save trees by recycling unwanted books. The Anderson family owns most of the company.

Zale Corporation operates as a specialty retailer of fine jewelry. The company operates through three segments: Fine Jewelry, Kiosk Jewelry, and All Other. The Fine Jewelry segment operates under five brands. Its Zales Jewelers brand provides diamond jewelry primarily in the bridal and fashion segments through 693 stores in 50 states and Puerto Rico; Gordon's Jewelers brand provides jewelry in 202 stores in 31 states of the United States and Puerto Rico; the Peoples Jewellers and Mappins Jewellers brands offer gold jewelry, gemstone jewelry, and watches through 212 stores in Canada; and Zales Outlet brand offers branded watches, gemstones, gold merchandise, and diamond fashion and solitaire products through 140 stores in 36 states and Puerto Rico. The Fine Jewelry segment also sells its products through e-commerce sites, such as zales.com and gordonsjewelers.com. The Kiosk Jewelry segment provides gold and silver products, such as bracelets, earrings, charms, rings, 14 karat and 10 karat gold chains, and silver and diamond jewelry primarily under Piercing Pagoda, Plumb Gold, and Silver and Gold Connection brand names, through 684 mall-based kiosks. The All Other segment provides insurance and reinsurance facilities for various types of insurance coverage, such as merchandise replacement coverage, credit insurance coverage, and discontinued lines of insurance. Zale Corporation was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

Founded in 1935, the luxury retailer is still owned and operated by the Fina Family. Michael C. Fina sells only the finest to to-be-weds and their wedding guests nationwide. The company offers high-end gifts, home furnishings, tableware, jewelry, and timepieces through catalogs, the Internet, and a store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. The company has an agreement with leading wedding information publisher The Knot, whereby Michael C. Fina is its exclusive provider of china, crystal, and silver. The company's featured brands include Kate Spade, Kosta Boda, Lenox, and Vera Wang. In addition, Michael C. Fina operates its own bridal and gift registry service through its website.

Desert Sun Motors Inc sells new Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, and Toyota brand vehicles. And of course, it sells used cars, provides parts and annual service, and operates a quick lube center. The dealership has three locations in New Mexico -- one in Roswell and two in Alamogordo. The Desert Sun Motors Web site allows customers to view featured vehicles and Internet specials, print out service coupons, search the inventory, and make reservations for a test drive. Founder Bobby Martinez owns the company.

VOW Europe pledges to be the UK and Ireland's one-stop shop for workplace essentials. VOW Europe Ltd. is a wholesale distributor of office supplies to dealers and resellers. Its offerings total more than 20,000 products, including stationery, toner, planners, business machines (calculators, printers), office furniture, and break room supplies. Besides brand-name office necessities, VOW Europe Ltd. markets supplies from Q Connect, a brand of the InterACTION distributors alliance in Europe; VOW is a member of the alliance. Chairman Richard Martin led a buyout of the firm, formerly known as Kingfield Heath, in 2007. It was merged with ISA Wholesale to form VOW. VOW Europe Ltd. is a unit of the Vasanta Group.

The year was 1899. Jardine Cycle & Carriage began its life in Kuala Lumpur as Federal Stores, a trader in nutmegs and other sundries, and it became Cycle & Carriage within the same year, selling everything from soap to writing paper and simple machine parts. We soon began to sell bicycles, motorcycles and cars, moving our headquarters to Singapore in 1926.The history of Jardine Cycle & Carriage is inextricably linked to the evolution of the motor car and the emergence of Singapore and Malaysia as independent modern states. Our story reveals fluctuating fortunes as the transportation industry was subject to economic cycles, two world wars and changing government policies.What has stood out through the years despite a rapidly changing environment is the resilience to adapt and grow though our unwavering commitment to achieve excellence in our products and services, and efficiency in our operations, which are still hallmarks of Jardine Cycle & Carriage till this day.

Founded in 1978, Aloette is part of Astral Health & Beauty, which also makes and markets the Pur Minerals and CosMedix skin care brands. Since hiring a new CEO in 2009, Astral and its investors are looking to expand Aloette and its sister brands. Aloette Cosmetics loves a good party. Best known for selling aloe vera-based skin care products, Aloette also markets cosmetics, fragrances, and other personal care items. The company's products are sold mainly through home parties held by Aloette's direct-sales network of more than 10,000 consultants in some 40 franchises across the US and Canada. Aloette also markets its goods through a website, catalog, and on television shopping channels.

The House of Harry Winston was established in 1932 by Harry Winston, the son of a New York jeweler. Harry Winston accounts for about 54% of its parent company's overall sales. Diamonds are Harry Winston's best friend. The retail arm of the Canadian mining company Harry Winston Diamond Corp. (formerly Aber Diamond Corp.), Harry Winston buys, designs, and sells premium diamonds and gems. With about 20 salons in locales, including Beijing, London, New York, Osaka, and Paris, the company's clientele includes sultans, starlets, and other affluent types who can afford the average $100,000 price tag for a Winston bauble. Harry Winston Inc. also sells its timepieces through more than 150 locations worldwide and online.

IKON was acquired by Japan's Ricoh, a key supplier, in 2008 for $1.6 billion. IKON Office Solutions works to ensure that when it comes to buying business equipment, customers say, "I can and I will." A subsidiary of office equipment giant Ricoh, IKON sells and services its parent's brand of office equipment, including copiers, printers, scanners, fax machines, and more, throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. IKON Office Solutions, Inc. also offers such services as document management outsourcing, electronic file conversions, facilities management, and training. Customers are primarily large and small businesses and government agencies.

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