Coop Danmark is owned by the 1.6 million members of the Danish Consumers' Cooperative Society.Something may be rotten in Denmark, but not at Coop Danmark's stores. Coop Danmark is the country's leading retailer with about 1,200 supermarkets, hypermarkets, and discount stores throughout the tiny nation. The coop's shops operate under the Kvickly, Dagli'Brugsen, Irma, and SuperBrugsen banners, among others. Coop Danmark also operates the fast-growing 340-store Fakta discount chain. The Danish retailer boasts a 38% market share and continues to grow. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coop Norden, which was formed in 2002 by the merger of Coop Danmark, Coop Norge, and Coop Sverige

Fresh Encounter was founded in 1995 by Mike Needler when he purchased CWC Companies from his father-in-law. Today, the business is owned and run by the Needler family.They aren't offering encounters of the third kind, but they can help you out with a carton of milk and a loaf of bread. Fresh Encounter operates 30-plus supermarkets in Ohio and eastern Indiana under the Community Markets, Fulmer Community Markets, Great Scot Community Markets, and Sack 'N Save Supermarket banners. To better compete with larger national chains, such as Kroger and Wal-Mart, Fresh Encounter's stores emphasize personalized service, 10 for $10 items specials, fresh-cut meat, community involvement, and private label products.

Retailing giant Daimaru Matsuzakaya opened for business Monday, bringing to fruition the 2007 mega-merger between department store chains Daimaru Inc. and Matsuzakaya Bargain hunt: Shoppers flock for bargains at the Matsuzakaya department store in Tokyo's Ueno district Monday as the merged Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores Co. began operations. KYODO PHOTOThe new chain, which combined under holding firm J. Front Retailing Co., will take over strategic planning and product procurement duties from J. Front to save costs amid the current deflation.

Quality Food Centers stores offer more than just groceries: Seattle's Best Coffee and Cinnabon serve up goodies at some locations, and many stores offer services such as catering, video rental, in-store banking, pharmacies, floral departments, and film developing. With Kroger's acquisition of QFC's one-time parent, Fred Meyer, in 1999, QFC became a division of one of the nation's largest grocers.If you're sleepless -- and hungry -- in Seattle, consider Quality Food Centers (QFC). The grocery chain operates about 75 stores (most open 24 hours), primarily in the Puget Sound region of Washington (including Seattle), but also including about a half a dozen supermarkets in Portland, Oregon.

Founded as an auto supply store in 1938 by chairman Dave Lack, Lack's Stores branched out into furniture during WWII, in an effort to maintain company sales. Its diversification paid off, and Lack's automotive and hardware offerings were phased out in the 1970s. Today, the family-owned and -operated company sells home furnishings, bedding, major appliances, and home electronics through some 35 retail stores, operating under the Lacks and Lacks Home Furnishings banners. Most of the company's stores are located throughout the state of Texas. Lack's operates one retail location in Duncan, Oklahoma.

The late Fred Habegger, Sr., founded the company in 1952 after buying a Bryant distribution office in Cincinnati. His family, including Fred Jr. (chairman) and daughter Sue Frey (CFO), still owns Habegger. The founder's other sons, Jim and Tom Habegger, are also involved in the business. Habegger keeps the heat down for Buckeye, Hoosier, and Wildcat fans. Operating some 20 locations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and Ohio, the company distributes residential and commercial heating and air conditioning equipment, parts, and supplies. Habegger counts Bryant, Carlyle, Carrier, Payne, Reznor, and Totaline among the brands it carries.

GN Hello Direct, Inc. was acquired in 2000 by GN Netcom, a Denmark-based maker of hands-free telecom equipment. Ah, the poetic justice GN Hello Direct delivers. The company sells telephones and accessories (including headsets and amplifiers) to small and midsized businesses and the very telemarketers who ring you just when dinner is served. It also sells the phones that screen those annoying telemarketer calls, as well as recording, distance-conferencing, mobile navigation, and VoIP products. More than 50 major brands are represented in the firm's inventory, including AT&T, Panasonic, and Motorola, plus its own Hello Direct and GN Netcom labels. Products are sold through GN Hello Direct's catalog and website.

Here's a company that's traveled a fur piece from its 17th- century roots. Founded in 1670 as a fur trading enterprise, Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) is Canada's largest department store chain and oldest corporation. Its Zellers chain is the country's #2 discount department store (behind Wal-Mart Canada), with some 280 stores. HBC also runs about 90 the Bay department stores that focus on more upscale merchandise, 190-plus Fields general merchandise and apparel stores in Western Canada, more than 65 Home Outfitters superstores, and Hbc.com. The company also has its own credit card and financial services companies. HBC is owned by NRDC Equity Partners, which is looking to take the company public as early as 2011.

Moss Bros has been synonymous with quality and value in fine suits and clothing for men for well over a century. The Group's unparalleled reputation in formal menswear and unrivalled commitment to customer service sets it apart in a world that demands only the best. A distinguished heritage is the cornerstone of Moss Bros suits for men, a dynamic and forward-looking organisation which spans internationally renowned suit and menswear designers. In the UK, generations of style-conscious customers will know and trust our suits Moss Bros, Moss and Moss Bros Hire, Savoy Taylors Guild and Cecil Gee.

Butera acquired three stores in Illinois from bankrupt Eagle Food Centers. Family-owned and -operated from its inception, Butera became an employee-owned company in the early 1990s. Butera Finer Foods, Inc. If you're in the Windy City and you're in the market for foodstuffs, find your way to Butera's. Butera Finer Foods runs about 10 full-service supermarkets under the Butera Market banner in northern Illinois. The stores specialize in produce, deli items, and international foods at low prices. Since its founding in 1968 by Paul Butera Sr. and his brother Joe, some 25 Butera Finer Foods supermarkets have been opened. Butera's twin sons Joseph and Paul Jr. currently run 10 of them.

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