The Crawford Group of Companies keeps things warm and flowing in the Great Lakes region. Through about 15 locations in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, the Crawford Group distributes heating and plumbing supplies to retailers and contractors. The company operates as Builders Heating Supply, Builders Plumbing Supply, Crawford Supply, Inland Supply, KDA of Wisconsin, and Plumbers Equipment Company. The Crawford Group's Web site allows customers to place orders, sign up for training, register for conferences, and access tools to help small businesses.

Founded in 1890 by George H. Bartell Sr., the company is still family owned and operated. In addition to its core commercial operations, Bartell Drug contributes to some 40-plus local and national charities, including the Red Cross, The Salvation Army, and Seattle Animal Shelter. If any drugstore chain has a prescription for longevity, it's Bartell Drug Company. The nation's oldest drugstore chain, 120-year-old Bartell Drug offers the usual mixture of prescription drugs, OTC medications, personal care products, and convenience items, as well as electronics such as digital cameras and MP3 players; stores also offer digital photo processing services.

The Hart retail organization took root in Eastern Canada in 1960, founded by company executive chairman Mr. Harry Hart. A single store was established in the then rural Québec community of Rosemère, just north of the Montréal metropolis. By systematically recognizing market opportunities, Mr. Hart gradually built a modest chain of junior department stores catering to the everyday needs of the grass-roots consumer.

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.

Spahn & Rose Lumber Co. is a retail lumber company with about 25 locations throughout Iowa and, to a lesser extent, in Illinois and Wisconsin. The company, which was organized in 1904, produces roof and floor truss systems and sells a variety of building supply products from such suppliers as Andersen (windows), Georgia-Pacific (lumber), CertainTeed (building materials), DuPont (plastics and flooring), MidContinent Cabinetry, (cabinets), Stanley Black & Decker (hand tools) and more. Spahn & Rose is promoting a range of green products, including recycled goods, solar reflective windows, and arsenic-free lumber.

Bhs was founded in 1928, and at the time the highest price for any item found inside was a mere shilling. Over the years it has expanded its merchandise line, and has opened more than a dozen stores specializing in exclusively homewares. Bhs Limited company is owned by billionaire UK retail investor, managing director Philip Green. Bhs wants to prevent its customers from throwing open their closet doors and letting out big heavy sighs. Formerly British Home Stores, Bhs operates more than 100 stores throughout the UK. One of the high street's best-known names, it sells clothing, shoes, and accessories for men, women, and children, as well as a variety of furnishings, appliances, gifts, and accessories for the home.

KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union, is a federation of 47 consumer cooperative societies in Sweden, with over 3 million individual members. KF is the parent company of KF Group where Coop's grocery retail trade constitutes its core business. Coop operates grocery retail shops in chains like Coop Forum, Coop Extra, Coop Konsum and Coop Nära. Together with the retail consumer cooperative societies, Coop accounts for 21.5 percent of the entire Swedish grocery retail sector. The KF Group is also home to a number of companies within different business sectors as well as companies offering internal services. The subsidiaries include, amongst others, KF Fastigheter (real estate business), Akademibokhandeln with its online bookstore Bokus, Norstedts publishing group, PAN Vision Group (distribution of films and digital games), Vi Magazine, KF Invest and Vår Gård Saltsjöbaden (conference facility).

Founded in 1939, RONA generates about 40% of its sales from distribution. RONA has employed an aggressive acquisition strategy to expand throughout Canada. RONA believes a tool belt befits both genders. The company is Canada's top home improvement retailer (ahead of Home Depot of Canada) with about 685 franchised, affiliated, and corporate stores. Looking beyond traditional male customers, RONA stores court women shoppers (more than half of its customers) with features such as decorator boutiques and product displays set for the average woman's eye level. The stores range in format from small RONA L'express shops to RONA L'entrepot big-box outlets and the retailer carries some 2,000 RONA-branded products.

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).

The Wet Seal, Inc., a specialty retailer, operates stores that sell fashionable and contemporary apparel and accessory items designed for female customers. The company operates two primarily mall-based chains of retail stores under the Wet Seal and Arden B names. Its Wet Seal stores provide fashionable and basic apparel, and accessories for teenage girls; and Arden B stores offer contemporary collections of fashion, basic separates, and accessories for the feminine contemporary woman. In addition, the company operates Web-based stores, including wetseal.com that provides Wet Seal merchandise; and ardenb.com, which offers Arden B apparel and accessories. As of May 1, 2010, it had 501 stores, including 422 Wet Seal stores and 79 Arden B stores in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The Wet Seal, Inc. was founded in 1962 and is based in Foothill Ranch, California.

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