Myer founder, Sidney Myer, has long been remembered as a retail visionary and one of Australia’s great philanthropists. Myer welcomed customers into his amazing department stores, offering international class services and merchandise. Today as always, Myer – Australia’s favourite department store – continues a legacy born of history.

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.

Founded in 1952, Interstate Battery System of America, Inc. is owned by chairman Norm Miller. Interstate Battery System of America offers a battery of batteries. Interstate Battery System of Amerian can provide the electrical juice for everything from cell phones and laptops to boats, lawn mowers, motorcycles, and RVs. It also makes replacement automobile batteries for such brands as Ford, Subaru, and Toyota. Consumers can purchase Interstate Battery's products online and at more than 200,000 retail locations, including some 340 Interstate All Battery Centers in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. Interstate Battery System of America, Inc. has about 300 distributors throughout North America. Interstate Battery sponsors the Joe Gibbs Racing team on the NASCAR circuit.

Drugs are merely part of the story at Discount Drug Mart. One of the largest drugstore chains in Ohio, Discount Drug Mart, Inc. offers pharmacy services, medical and home health care supplies, and over-the-counter medications, as well as groceries (including fresh produce), beauty aids, pet supplies, housewares, and hardware. It also provides video rentals and photo developing service. Discount Drug Mart's nearly 70 stores are 25,000 sq. ft. on average, about twice the size of its rivals' locations, but smaller and more convenient than its national big-box competitors, such as Wal-Mart and Target. Chairman and CEO Parviz Boodjeh owns Discount Drug Mart, Inc., which he founded in 1969.

Englefield Oil Company supplies fuel and lubricants and operates about 100 convenience stores under the Duke and Duchess Shoppe banner in Ohio and West Virginia. Many of the company's convenience stores sell BP brand gasoline. In addition, Englefield Oil operates several truck stops, a pair of Super 8 motels, several Taco Bell Express restaurants, and other various businesses in Ohio and West Virginia. Englefield also operates more than a dozen Pacific Pride automated commercial fueling sites. Chairman F. W. "Bill" Englefield III founded the company in 1961 with three service stations and an office operating out of his basement.

Wal-Mart Stores is an irresistible (or at least unavoidable) retail force that has yet to meet any immovable objects. Bigger than Europe's Carrefour, Tesco, and Metro AG combined, it's the world's #1 retailer with 2.1 million employees in more than 8,400 stores, including about 800 discount stores, 3,100 combination discount and grocery stores (Wal-Mart Supercenters in the US and ASDA in the UK), and 595 Sam's Club warehouses. Wal-Mart's international division (25% of sales) is growing at a fast pace; it's the #1 retailer in Canada and Mexico and it has operations in Asia (where it owns a 95% stake in Japanese retailer SEIYU), Europe, and South America. Founder Sam Walton's heirs own about 45% of Wal-Mart.

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.

Dobbies Garden Centres plc was founded by James Dobbie in 1865 as a seeds and cut flowers shop, after a lifelong hobby as a horticulturist. It first floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1997. In 2008 Dobbies became a subsidiary of Tesco, the UK's largest retailer. Also in 2008, the chain acquired Sandyholm Garden Center in Crossford, Carluke. What started out as a hobby has become Dobbies. Dobbies Garden Centres operates about two dozen nurseries in the UK, providing merchandise for all types of gardening, including plants, fertilizers, and tools, garden furniture and grills, outdoor clothing, certain home wares, and books on gardening. Gardening centers also offer such services as demonstrations and catering facilities.

Retail Holdings N.V., through its subsidiary, Singer Asia Limited, engages in the retail distribution of various consumer durable products primarily for homes in Asia. Its products include home appliances, such as air conditioners, dishwashers, kitchen ranges, microwaves, refrigerators, freezers and bottle coolers, washing machines, and dryers, as well as small kitchen appliances and sewing machines; electronic equipment, including color televisions, such as plasma, LCD, and LED products, as well as home theatres, DVD players, personal computers, portable audio products, and telephone and satellite television equipment; and other consumer durables comprising generators, home furnishings, motorcycles, and water heaters. The company also assembles motorcycles, microwaves, washing machines, sewing machines, and televisions; and manufactures freezers, gas appliances, refrigerators, sewing machines, domestic and agricultural water pumps, furniture, and paddy threshers, as well as consumer and industrial electric wire and cable. It distributes products through various channels, such as retail, direct selling, wholesale, licensing, and third party distribution channels. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 231 Singer Plus retail stores and 43 satellite shops in Bangladesh; 169 Singer Plus retail stores in Pakistan; and 162 Singer Plus retail stores, 12 Singer Mega stores, 42 Sisil World retail stores, 12 Singer Homes furniture showrooms, and 128 Singer satellite shops in Sri Lanka. In addition, it provides consumer credit and other financial services. The company was formerly known as Singer N.V. and changed its name to Retail Holdings N.V. in September 2004. Retail Holdings N.V. was founded in 1851 and is headquartered in Willemstad, the Netherlands Antilles.

Artfulhome.com, an online and catalog retailer of fine art and gifts, is an offshoot of The Guild, an art publishing company founded in 1985 that represents more than 1,200 North American artists. The Web site and catalog, which feature fine art prints, paintings, photography, and sculpture, were launched in 1999. In addition Artfulhome.com sells nontraditional works of art (made of glass, fiber, metal, and wood), ceramics, home furnishings and lighting, tableware, jewelry, and books. Toni Sikes, a Madison entrepreneur, launched the company from a Wisconsin warehouse. The firm changed the name of its Web site from Guild.com to Artfulhome.com in 2008.

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