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.

American Signature operates about 130 stores in 20 states under the American Signature Furniture and Value City Furniture banners. Stores feature wood and upholstered home furnishing collections, as well as bedding. In addition to its retail operations, American Signature designs and manufactures its own pieces and operates its own warehouses and distribution centers. The American Signature Furniture concept was introduced by parent Schottenstein Stores in 2002, in an effort to expand the company's higher-end offerings.

What's next in style is what concerns NEXT. NEXT plc sells moderately priced clothing for men, women, and children; housewares; and furniture through about 515 stores (including some 25 stand-alone NEXT Home stores) in the UK and Ireland. It also franchises 180-plus stores elsewhere in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Russia, and Turkey. NEXT targets customers in their 20s and 30s who are looking for stylish but affordable clothes to take them through the next fashion cycle. Sales comes from its retail stores, its NEXT Directory catalog and website, and Ventura, a division which provides call center and customer support services

Southern Foods' other products include seafood, cheeses, pasta, condiments, and more. For busy families, the company offers Crazy Plates Meal Kits fast, easy, and nutritious meals in a box. Southern Foods also sells professional cookware, freezers, and grills to its home-delivery customers. Southern Foods is being acquired by Pate Dawson Food Co.For those hungry in Hickory or time-pressed in Tarboro, Southern Foods delivers frozen food products directly to individual home customers, foodservice operators, and restaurants in the Carolinas, Georgia, and southern Virginia. The company produces much of its own meat, but also distributes cuts from Tyson Fresh Meats, Cargill Meat Solutions, and other companies.

Popular culture goes on sale every day at Bloomingdale's. It runs about 40 upscale stores in a dozen states, including California, Florida, Illinois, and New York. The company's flagship store at 59th and Lexington is a Manhattan institution and tourist attraction in its own right. A smaller Manhattan store opened in downtown's SoHo neighborhood in 2004. In 2010 Bloomies opened its first store outside the US: a 200,000-square-foot outlet in Dubai. Founded in 1872 by brothers Lyman and Joseph Bloomingdale, the store rode the popularity of the hoop skirt to sales success and practically invented the department store concept at the start of the 20th Century. Bloomingdale's is a division of Macy's, Inc.

One of the largest automotive parts distributors in North America, Keystone Automotive Operations keeps a solid logistics plan locked in place. Keystone Automotive Operations provides more than 700 lines of automotive parts and accessories to some 17,000 customers, mostly small specialty retailers and installers, in the US, Canada, and about 40 other countries. It operates four warehouses and about 20 stocking facilities in the US and Canada, as well as a fleet of more than 300 delivery trucks. In addition, Keystone Automotive Operations runs about 25 retail stores in Pennsylvania under the A&A Auto Parts banner. Founded by the Amato family in 1971, Keystone Automotive is controlled by Bain Capital.

Oddbins has been struggling financially and has been closing unprofitable stores. Founded in 1963, the company was acquired by its smaller rival Ex Cellar in August 2008. (Ex Cellar bought the chain from a subsidiary of French group Castel Frères)Whether you're looking for a whole bin or just an odd bottle, Oddbins likely sells your libation of choice. The specialty retailer sells a wide assortment of wines and spirits through some 130 Oddbins stores across the UK and Ireland, a single shop in Calais, France, and online. The managers of local stores are encouraged to promote particular labels based on their own tastes in wine; the company is known for the wine expertise of the staff in its stores.

E-machitown is happy to lend its bank of servers and Web-hosting expertise to those who are willing to shell out a little Yen. The company, owned by Japan's largest reseller of mobile phones and formerly named Crayfish, provides Web-hosting services in Japan. As part of its business, e-machitown offers an e-mail service called DESKWIN, resells Internet advertising space, and develops custom software products. Since early 2009, e-machitown has been a 15% owner in a Tokyo joint venture named Alibaba Japan that sells products online. Telecommunications services provider Hikari Tsushin, which specializes in cell phone and Internet services and distribution among other things, owns 82% of e-machitown.

Founded in 1988 by two fanatical skiers (Tim Slade and Jules Leaver) who sold clothing from their backpacks to support their skiing habits, Fat Face opened its first shop in London's Fulham Road in 1993. Its name is derived from an Olympic ski trail in the Alps. Fat Face was acquired by the London-based private equity firm Bridgepoint Capital in 2007 for about $707 million. Fat Face draws more than just name from a ski theme. Fat Face Limited company sells ski-and-surf-style activewear and outdoor clothing from more than 140 shops in the UK, Ireland, and France, as well as by catalog and online. Products include extreme sports apparel, footwear, jewelry, and accessories.

Monsoon's founder Peter Simon took the company private in 2007 in a deal valued at £755 million. Monsoon rains down fuchsia Nehru-collar blouses and purple chenille throws. The company offers women's, men's, and children's apparel, home furnishings, and accessories from about 1,000 Monsoon and Accessorize stores in the UK & Ireland and more than 50 other countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Originally a purveyor of ethnic fashions from India and the Far East, Monsoon now sells what it calls "deluxe boho chic" casual and dress apparel. Some Monsoon stores carry bridal apparel. Its Monsoon Home store and in-store departments offer interior design items and accessories.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.