Harrods' motto, "Omnia Omnibus Ubique," loosely translates into "You want it, we got it." The landmark Knightsbridge department store is one of London's biggest attractions, with seven floors and more than 300 departments, including the famous Food Hall, about 20 restaurants and bars, a beauty salon, and a bank. On an average day, 35,000 shoppers browse the store. The crowd can swell to 350,000 during sales. Harrods has leveraged its name worldwide, opening signature shops in airports and department stores in Asia and Europe and selling online. Founded in 1849 and formerly owned by Egyptian-born billionaire Mohamed al-Fayed, Harrods was sold in 2010 to Qatar Holdings for about �1.5 billion ($2.3 billion).

Menard is owned by president and CEO John Menard, who founded the company in 1972. If sticks and stones break bones, what can two-by-fours and two-inch nails do? That is what Menard is wondering now that its biggest rivals (#1 home improvement giant The Home Depot and #2 Lowe's) are hammering away at its home turf. One of the largest home improvement chains in the Midwest, Menard has more than 250 stores in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The stores sell home improvement products, such as floor coverings, hardware, millwork, paint, and tools. Unlike competitors, all the company's stores have full-service lumberyards.

Founded in 1985 by chairman John Hargreaves, the retailer was taken private in 2006 by Missouri Bidco, a company controlled by the Hargreaves family, for about $1.5 billion. Clothes might make the man, but they also make Matalan one of Britain's largest value-fashion retailers. Based on the US warehouse club concept, the firm's 200-plus stores sell fashionable name-brand and private-label apparel for men, women, and children, as well as housewares, at bargain prices. Its brand-name merchandise includes Calvin Klein, Farah, Jeff Banks, Playtex, and Wrangler; its private labels include Wolsey, Be Beau, Et Vous, Influence, Jeff & Co., and Soon. Matalan also sells through its e-commerce site.

Japanese retailer Isetan is more than a century old, but it does try to appeal to the younger generation. Its department stores sell apparel, home furnishings, appliances, jewelry, and personal items. The company also operates restaurants and offers real estate, financial, and travel services. It manages a half dozen stores in Japan; its main location in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo accounts for about half the firm's sales. Among the first Japanese retailers to enter other Asian markets, Isetan oversees store operations in China, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. The company is a subsidiary of Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, created in 2008 when Isetan acquired its more than 300-year-old rival Mitsukoshi.

Groupe Samse (formerly Society Samse SA) is helping build France. Samse is one of the country's top wholesale distributors of building and do-it-yourself materials, with about 250 outlets, serving some 260,000 customers across two dozen French provinces. It operates two commercial business segments: multi-specialists (supplying technical solutions to building professionals) and specialists (targeting building and public works professionals). Its third segment, do-it-yourself, caters to individual rather than commercial clients. Through La Boite a Outils and and Entrepot du Bricolage retail stores, Samse sells a variety of home building and improvement products similar to The Home Depot and Lowe's in the US.

Earth Fare stores offer about 26,000 natural and organic products, house cafes and juice bars, sell vitamins and herbs, and offer deli service and cooking classes. Earth Fare was founded in 1975 by Roger Derrough who owns it along with other investors.Shoppers looking to fill their carts with products containing high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, artificial flavors, and synthetic growth hormones need not shop at Earth Fare. The regional organic and natural foods supermarket chain operates some 20 stores in Alabama, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Tennessee. Its stores are smaller than those of its conventional supermarket competitors and national natural foods chains like Whole Foods Market.

Antiques on East State operates one of the largest antiques malls in the Midwest, offering finds from the Civil War era, 19th century Europe, and other places and times past. Spanning about 20,000 sq. ft., the mall houses more than 90 antiques dealer booths and consignment showcases that feature fine china, art and photographs, books, jewelry and watches, furniture, and coins, among other collectibles. Antiques on East State hosts events throughout the year, including end-of-season markets and appraisal fairs. The company was founded in 2007.

While navigating the world of online storefronts, Hayneedle hopes to help its customers find a needle in all those virtual haystacks. Among the company's more than 220 Internet shopping domains are AdirondackChairs.com, Barstools.com, Hammocks.com, and PatioFurnitureUSA.com. Although an individual specialty store's scope of merchandise may be narrow, Hayneedle's ownership of multiple domains allows it to offer a vast range goods. Its products include home and patio furniture, kitchen appliances, outdoor decor, sporting goods, and toys and games. Hayneedle (formerly named NetShops) was formed in 2002 after its founders saw success with Hammocks.com. It is held by Sequioa Capital and Insight Venture Partners.

Old homes in the New World and new homes in the Old can find home-improvement supplies from this "mister." Mr. Bricolage is a retail chain (whose name means do-it-yourself in French) that sells home-improvement and related items at about 600 stores in France, Belgium, Argentina, Bulgaria, Madagascar, Spain, and Uruguay. Mr. Bricolage SA operates its business under the Bricolage and Catena brand names; the Tabur family owns more than 25% of Mr. Bricolage SA company.

Huttig Building Products, Inc. and its subsidiaries distribute millwork, building materials, and wood products used in new residential construction, home improvement, remodeling, and repair work in the United States. It offers various millwork products comprising exterior and interior doors, pre-hung door units, windows, patio doors, mouldings, frames, stair parts, and columns under Therma-Tru, Masonite, HB&G, Huttig Windows, Woodgrain, Windsor, and L. J. Smith brand names; and general building products, such as roofing, siding, insulation, flashing, housewrap, connectors and fasteners, decking, drywall, kitchen cabinets, and other miscellaneous building products under Typar, Timbertech, Fiberon, Simpson Strong-Tie, Huttigrip Fasteners, Louisiana Pacific, Owens Corning, and CertainTeed brand names. The company provides various wood products, which include engineered wood products, such as floor systems, as well as lumber and wood panels. The company sells its products to building materials dealers; national buying groups; home centers; and industrial users, including makers of manufactured homes. As of December 31, 2009, Huttig Building Products distributed its products through 27 distribution centers serving 41 states. Huttig Building Products, Inc. was founded in 1913 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

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