The firm was founded in 1991 by Graham and Ursula Hodson and is jointly owned by the Hodsons and managing director Colin Hills, who has run the business since 1997. Fresh Bouquets knows how to grow its business. The floral firm grows, sources, and distributes 100,000 bunches of flowers a week to service stations and convenience stores across the UK under the Flowerfete label. Fresh Bouquets grows its own flowers in company-owned nurseries and supplements those with selected imported flowers from Israel, South Africa, Spain, and Turkey. Through its FDL e-commerce division, Fresh Bouquets has diversified beyond flowers to offer higher-margin items such as sunglasses, umbrellas, corkscrews, and other gadgets.

Holt's Cigar Company gets stoked about stogies. The company sells more than 170 brands of premium cigars, including its Ashton and Holt's brands, and related smoking accessories (cases, humidors, lighters, ashtrays). Almost half of its sales are from wholesale distribution through a direct sales force. It also sells cigars through a catalog, its Web site, a pair of stores in Philadelphia, and a club in Philly's Wachovia Complex arena. Dominican Republic-based Fuente Cigar supplies two-thirds of the company's smokes. HCH Acquisition, controlled by Holt's Cigar CEO Robert Levin and the Fuente family, took the company private in December 2000.

Chesswood Group owns cars4U.com (launched in 2000), which operates an online auto dealership (the first of its kind in Canada), where hassles like haggling for price are removed from the equation. The car dealer also provides leasing services through its Lease-Win subsidiary. Chesswood's other holdings include an Acura dealership in Toronto (Acura Sherway) and Pawnee Leasing Corp., a Colorado-based lending and finance company serving US clients. Founded as cars4U, the firm changed its name to Chesswood Group in 2011 upon its conversion from a trust to an corporation.

Delaware Valley Wholesale Florist, one of the largest wholesale flower distributors in the US, provides fresh cut flowers and greenery, floral supplies and accessories, and botanicals to professional florists from distribution centers in Maryland and New Jersey. The company also supplies supermarkets and mass marketers. The family-run company was started by the late Bob S. Wilkins (a former flower salesman) and his wife, Doris, in 1959. Their sons, Robert M. (chairman) and John R. (EVP) and their sons' sons continue to be involved in Delaware Valley's management. Delaware Valley Wholesale Florist is a division of Delaware Valley Floral Group.

Like Ellis Island in the past, Cruise America welcomes thousands of Europeans each year. Cruise America is the US's largest recreational vehicle renter with about 20 company-owned stores, some 120 dealer locations, and a 3,000-vehicle rental fleet of RVs (cab-over motor homes). For those who choose to cruise north of the US-Canada border, Cruise America boasts locations in Canada. Up to a million dollars in liability insurance is included with each rental. The company allows its customers (nearly half of whom are foreign) to have the freedom of the open road while saving money on travel and lodging costs. It also sells its used trucks, along with new and used RVs, through RV Depot dealerships.

Darcars was founded in 1977 by chairman and CEO John Darvish, whose family still owns and runs the company. Buying a new vehicle in the Washington, DC, area can expose you to the Darcars side of human nature. Darcars Automotive Group, an automobile dealership holding company, has about 25 automobile dealerships in Maryland and Virginia. They sell new and used automobiles, including cars made by Ford, General Motors, Kia, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo. Darcars also offers a full range of automotive services, including collision repair through nearly 10 locations, parts and service departments, and rental cars.

Luxottica Group S.p.A. and its subsidiaries design, manufacture, and distribute luxury, fashion, and sport/performance eyewear worldwide. It operates in two segments: Manufacturing and Wholesale Distribution, and Retail Distribution. The Manufacturing and Wholesale Distribution segment engages in the design, manufacture, wholesale distribution, and marketing of house and designer lines prescription frames and sunglasses. It offers performance optics products, including sun and prescription eyewear, ski goggles, and electronically-enabled eyewear, as well as apparel, footwear, watches, and accessories. This segment offers its products under various brands, including house brands, such as Ray-Ban, Oakley, Arnette, Eye Safety Systems, K&L, Luxottica, Mosley Tribes, Oliver Peoples, Persol, Revo, Sferoflex, and Vogue; and licensed designer brands comprising Anne Klein, Brooks Brothers, Bvlgari, Burberry, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, D&G, Donna Karan, DKNY, Fox, Miu Miu, Paul Smith, Polo Ralph Lauren, Chaps, Club Monaco, POLO, RALPH, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, PRADA, Salvatore Ferragamo, Stella McCartney, Tiffany & Co., Tory Burch, Versace, and Versus. It serves retailers of mid to premium-priced eyewear, such as independent opticians, optical retail chains, specialty sun retailers, and duty-free shops, as well as independent optometrists and ophthalmologists, and department stores. The Retail Distribution segment operates optical and sun glass stores under the LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, Pearle Vision, ILORI, The Optical Shop of Aspen, OPSM, Laubman & Pank, Budget Eyewear, Bright Eyes, Oakley ‘O’ Stores and Vaults, and David Clulow names, as well as licensed brands, such as the Sears Optical and Target Optical. As of March 31, 2010, this segment operated 5,809 corporate stores and 536 franchised or licensed locations. Luxottica Group S.p.A. has a strategic alliance with Drugstore.com Inc. Luxottica Group was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Milan, Italy.

Ryman is owned by chairman Theo Paphitis, who purchased the company in 1995. Ryman thinks that if you really want to inject something inspired and clever into your love letters, you'd better sit down and write them using the proper equipment. Ryman Limited, better known by its retail brand, Ryman the stationer, sells office supplies through about 100 stores throughout the UK. Its products include paper and envelopes, writing instruments and desk accessories, and filing and storage items. Ryman also sells office equipment that will help you with your earlier letter drafts, such as printers, fax machines, shredders, and laminating equipment, as well as calculators, typewriters, and mobile phones.

ADESA PA, originally named Pennsylvania Auto Dealers' Exchange, was founded in 1957 by Jacob Hershey. It was acquired by ADESA in 2008.ADESA PA is in the fast lanes of auto sales. The company, a subsidiary of fleet sales giant ADESA, sells cars, motorcycles, trucks, and other vehicles through about 10 lanes on a 140-acre site. It maintains national accounts with such firms as Emkay, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and PHH, noting an average consignment of more than 2,000 vehicles. ADESA PA serves dealers and fleet owners from throughout the US and more than 30 other countries. In addition to auctions, the company provides repair and maintenance services and operates a reconditioning facility with nearly 10 lanes.

Hong Kong-based Chow Sang Sang has its eye on China and the growing luxury market there. The company operates about 155 Chow Sang Sang jewelery stores in some 60 cities across mainland China, with another 50-plus stores in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The fast-growing jeweler aims to open another 50 shops in the near future. The company makes and sells necklaces, bracelets, watches, diamonds, and other shiny luxuries and trendy baubles. Chow Sang Sang has production facilities in China and in Hong Kong. It also wholesales precious metals (gold, platinum, and palladium) and brokers stocks and commodities. Chairman Kwen Lim Chow and general manager Wing Shing Chow together own about a third of the company.

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.