DirectGroup Bertelsmann GmbH runs book clubs especially popular in Europe and Asia under such brands as Der Club in Germany, France Loisirs in France, and Circulo de Lectores in Spain. Club members can access its products through mail-order catalogs, the Internet, or one of 800 retail stores worldwide. DirectGroup Bertelsmann boasts 35 million members worldwide and operates in more than 20 countries. The company is a division of German media firm Bertelsmann AG, which sold its faltering American book club operations in 2008 to focus on Europe and Asia.

LTD Commodities was founded in 1963 as a small mail-order business. You won't find soybeans or pork bellies, but you can buy a little silver (as in a pair of sterling silver earrings) from LTD Commodities. The company, which also does business under the ABC Distributing name, is a business-to-business supplier of apparel for women, men, and children, as well as home and garden accessories, jewelry, electronics, luggage, toys, furniture, gift items, and other general merchandise. LTD Commodities sells its products through numerous catalogs as well as the Internet. It ships only to US business addresses.

EZCORP, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, lends or provides credit services to individuals to meet their short-term cash needs. It offers pawn loans, which are non recourse loans collateralized by tangible personal property, including jewelry, consumer electronics, tools, sporting goods, and musical instruments. The company also provides signature loans consisting of payday loans, installment loans, auto title loans, or fee-based credit services to customers seeking loans. In addition, EZCORP provides credit services, including advice and assistance to customers in obtaining loans from unaffiliated lenders. As of September 30, 2009, it operated a total of 910 locations consisting of 369 the U.S. pawnshops, 62 pawnshops in Mexico, 477 the U.S. short-term loan stores, and 2 short-term loan stores in Canada. EZCORP, Inc. was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Holiday Diver urges those who enjoy getting wet while going down under to swim over to its Divers Direct Web site. The online store sells everything to dress the diving enthusiast from head to fin. It also offers beach wear, shoes, sunglasses, and jewelry. On the bricks-and-mortar side of business, the company operates five scuba shops in Florida that also do business under the Divers Direct name. The shops offer air tank fills in addition to beach essentials and dive gear. Holiday Diver was founded in 1984 as Divers Outlet.

Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., founded in 1982, also sells graphic novels and related collectibles to comic book stores and bookstores nationwide. Diamond promotes comic book reading by organizing, sponsoring, and supplying Free Comic Book Day when stores give away select comic books to all attendees. Industry mainstays DC Entertainment (Batman), Dark Horse Comics, and Marvel Publishing (Spider-Man) also participate. Diamond president Steve Geppi also owns comic book publisher Gemstone Publishing, publishes Baltimore Magazine, and is an investor in the Baltimore Orioles.

Cargiant was founded in 1977, helping to pioneer the car supermarket concept in the UK. The London-based dealer stocks as many as 5,000 cars, including models from Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Fiat, Ford, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus, Mercedes, MG, and Vauxhall. The dealer offers financing through Blackhorse Plc, a unit of Llyods Banking Group(formerly Lloyds TSB), and other financial institutions. A PCP Program is provided for those who prefer 24- to 36-month leases.People looking for really big deals on wheels sometimes turn to Cargiant. The company, formerly The Great Trade Centre Ltd., is a supermarket for used automobiles.

VOW Europe pledges to be the UK and Ireland's one-stop shop for workplace essentials. VOW Europe Ltd. is a wholesale distributor of office supplies to dealers and resellers. Its offerings total more than 20,000 products, including stationery, toner, planners, business machines (calculators, printers), office furniture, and break room supplies. Besides brand-name office necessities, VOW Europe Ltd. markets supplies from Q Connect, a brand of the InterACTION distributors alliance in Europe; VOW is a member of the alliance. Chairman Richard Martin led a buyout of the firm, formerly known as Kingfield Heath, in 2007. It was merged with ISA Wholesale to form VOW. VOW Europe Ltd. is a unit of the Vasanta Group.

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) runs more than 3,100 facilities -- including PXs and BXs (Base Exchanges) -- at US Army and Air Force bases in more than 30 countries (including Iraq), all 50 US states, and five US territories. Its presence ranges from tents to shopping centers, including 180 retail stores, 1,000 fast-food outlets (brands like Burger King and Taco Bell), movie theaters, beauty shops, and gas stations. AAFES serves active-duty military personnel, reservists, retirees, and their family members. Although it's a government agency under the DOD, it receives less than 5% of its funding from the department.

Arnold Clark Automobiles Scotland's biggest auto dealer and one of its largest private companies, operates more than 145 retail new- and used-car franchises that sell more than 200,000 cars a year. The company also runs auto parts and accessories stores throughout the UK. Arnold Clark Automobiles additionally offers maintenance and repair services, car and van rental, and auto insurance. Founded in 1954 as a single dealership, Arnold Clark began in Glasgow shortly after Sir Arnold Clark (he was knighted in 2004) the man retired from his position as a motor mechanics instructor in the Royal Air Force.

The Birthdays concept was later launched in 1986. Clinton Cards purchased its rival Birthdays in 2004 and runs the unit as a separate business. Amid economic turmoil and slowed consumer spending, however, Birthdays collapsed into administration (the equivalent of bankruptcy in the US) in 2009. You say it's your birthday? Well, your friends better run to a Birthdays store for those cards! The company operates about 200 (down from more than 400) Birthdays stores in the UK and Ireland offering discount greeting cards and party supplies for every occasion. Founded in 1966 as Ron Wood Greeting Cards, the company was originally a distributor of cards and gift wrap until the mid-1970s when it opened three card shops.

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