D'Ieteren s.a was founded two centuries ago as a coachbuilder; these days, it's the largest car distributor in Belgium, the 60% owner of car rental firm Avis Europe, and -- through subsidiary Belron -- one of the world's largest players in vehicle glass replacement. D'Ieteren's domestic vehicle distribution business deals Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat, Skoda, and Volkswagen cars, as well as Yamaha motorcycles. Belron operates in Australia, Europe, North and South America, and New Zealand under the CARGLASS and AUTOGLASS brands, among others. The firm has been managed by six generations of the founding D'Ieteren family.

Founded in 1988, Carpetright is led by its chairman and chief executive Lord Harris of Peckham, who owns about 25% of the group. Carpetright hasn't been wrong about flooring. Founded in 1988, Carpetright is the leading European flooring retailer with 500-plus stores operating under the Carpetright banner throughout the UK and Ireland. Carpetright company also boasts more than 120 stores located in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Poland. In addition to carpets, it sells area rugs and vinyl and wood-like laminate flooring. Carpetright also operates some 60 concessions in department stores.

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.

Maurice Sporting Goods, Inc. company is a wholesale supplier of athletics, boating, camping, fishing, and hunting gear to both domestic and international retailers and mass merchandisers. It operates about five warehouses in the US and Canada that supply The Sports Authority, Kmart, Modell's, and Wal-Mart, among others. Maurice Sporting Goods also provides inventory management and promotional planning services. The company was founded as a sporting goods store by Maurice and Mae Olshansky in 1923. It is still family owned.

Complete Office was formed by the merger of two competing San Diego office supply companies: Grove Office Supply and Del Mar Office Products. Looking for supplies and furniture to make your office complete? Complete Office of California can help. Through warehouses in Southern California and Wisconsin, the company distributes workplace necessities and accessories, including paper, writing implements, custom stamps, computer supplies, cleaning agents, and break room items, as well as office furniture. It also provides space planning and furniture installation services. Customers have included AMN Healthcare, the San Diego Padres, and Graham Webb International.

FTD.COM is an Internet and telephone marketer of flowers and specialty gifts. Founded by FTD, the world's oldest floral services organization, FTD.COM sells directly to consumers through its Web site, www.ftd.com, and its 1-800-SEND-FTD telephone number. Utilizing independent FTD florists who adhere to the highest quality and service standards, FTD.COM provides same-day delivery of floral orders to nearly 100 percent of the U.S. population. FTD.COM offers a wide variety of unique floral arrangements and specialty gifts for holidays and other occasions. On June 27, 2002, FTD.COM became a wholly owned subsidiary of Florists' Transworld Delivery, Inc. Additional information about FTD.COM; its parent company, Florists' Transworld Delivery, Inc.; and its respective parent companies, FTD, Inc. and FTD Group Inc., is available under the "investor relations" category on this site.

In 1959, William Jacobs started Columbus Fair Auto Auction based on excellent customer service and fairness. He recognized that auctions offered a solution to automobile dealers' needs for a source and marketplace for used motor vehicles.Obviously, the financial risk of leasing space at the Ohio State Fairgrounds to run a one-lane auction in 1959 was small, but significant for this startup entrepreneurial endeavor. It, however, pales in comparison to the present multi-million dollar investment in today's 85-acre facility in Obetz. However, the original strategy of offering a marketplace for used vehicles where buyers and sellers would congregate for the benefit of both continues today.

Holt's Cigar Company gets stoked about stogies. The company sells more than 170 brands of premium cigars, including its Ashton and Holt's brands, and related smoking accessories (cases, humidors, lighters, ashtrays). Almost half of its sales are from wholesale distribution through a direct sales force. It also sells cigars through a catalog, its Web site, a pair of stores in Philadelphia, and a club in Philly's Wachovia Complex arena. Dominican Republic-based Fuente Cigar supplies two-thirds of the company's smokes. HCH Acquisition, controlled by Holt's Cigar CEO Robert Levin and the Fuente family, took the company private in December 2000.

Founded in 1993 with about 60 stores, Calendar Club now operates more than 800 locations in the US and 250-plus outlets in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK. The company also sells merchandise year round on its Web sites, including Calendars.com and DogBreedStore.com. Bookseller Barnes & Noble sold its majority stake in Calendar Club to CEO Marc Winkelman and the firm's management in 2009 for $7 million. During the holiday season, Calendar Club transforms empty retail space in Canada and the US into shops under the banners Calendar Club, San Francisco Music Box Company, and Go! Games, and Go! Toys. The company's temporary stores range in size from kiosks to some 6,000 square feet.

Nourison is the leading multi-category resource in today’s floor covering market. Our company offers comprehensive programs from signature handmade area rug collections such as Nourison 2000, to prestige designer lines like Calvin Klein, to the best-selling powerloom carpets of Ashton House, to the Grand Parterre collection which represents an unparalleled level of luxury and sophistication in broadloom construction. Throughout the United States and Europe, prominent retailers rely on Nourison for merchandise assortments recognized for their unique combination of beauty, craftsmanship, and value in virtually every price and construction category.With a consistent and monumental backup inventory on over 4500 sku’s in area rugs alone, Nourison ships over 95% of our orders within 48 hours. This commitment to maintaining an outstanding in-stock position is a special point of pride throughout the company. Nourison’s state-of-the-art website makes doing business with us as easy and convenient as turning on a computer screen. With the click of a mouse, retailers can check our stock, place an order, and check their order status, all without leaving the office. Likewise, our dealer support program includes constantly updated printed materials and also highly cost-effective promotional materials for consumer outreach. Our in-house Marketing Department creates catalogues, videos, mailers, and inserts that enable our retailers to maintain a highly effective and targeted dialogue with their customers.

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