Adidas

Adidas AG (German pronunciation: [adidas]) is a German multinational corporation that designs and
manufactures sports shoes, clothing and accessories. The company is based
in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the holding company for the Adidas Group, which
consists of the Reeboksportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company (including Ashworth),
9.1% of FC Bayern Munich and Runtastic, a former-Austrian fitness company. Besides sports
footwear, Adidas also produces other products such as bags, shirts, watches, eyewear and other
sports and clothing-related goods. Adidas is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and the
second biggest in the world, after Nike (since 2012).[3]
Adidas was founded on 18 August 1949 by Adolf Dassler, following a family feud at the Gebrder
Dassler Schuhfabrik company between him and his older brother Rudolf.[1] Rudolf had earlier
established Puma, which quickly became the business rival of Adidas. Both the Adidas and Puma
companies still remain based in Herzogenaurach, Germany to this day.
The company's clothing and shoe designs typically feature three parallel bars, and the same motif is
incorporated into Adidas's current official logo.[4][5] The brand name is appropriately uncapitalized, with
a lower case "a."[6] The company revenue for 2012 was listed at 14.88 billion.[2]

Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology companyheadquartered in Cupertino, California,
that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and online services.
Itshardware products include the iPhone smartphone, the iPad tablet computer, the Mac personal
computer, the iPod portable media player, and the Apple Watch smartwatch. Apple's consumer
software includes the OS X and iOS operating systems, the iTunes media player, theSafari web
browser, and the iLife and iWork creativity and productivity suites. Its online services include
the iTunes Store, the iOS App Storeand Mac App Store, and iCloud.
Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayneon April 1, 1976, to develop
and sell personal computers.[5] It was incorporated as Apple Computer, Inc. on January 3, 1977,
and was renamed as Apple Inc. on January 9, 2007, to reflect its shifted focus toward consumer
electronics. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) joined the Dow Jones Industrial Average on March 19, 2015.[6]
Apple is the world's largest information technology company by revenue, the world's largest
technology company by total assets,[7] and theworld's second-largest mobile phone manufacturer.
[8]

On November 25, 2014, in addition to being the largest publicly traded corporation in the world by

market capitalization, Apple became the first U.S. company to be valued at over US$700 billion.
[9]

The company employs 115,000 permanent full-time employees as of July 2015 [4] and maintains

453retail stores in sixteen countries as of March 2015;[1] it operates theonline Apple Store and iTunes
Store, the latter of which is the world's largest music retailer.
Apple's worldwide annual revenue totaled $233 billion for the fiscal yearending in September 2015.
[3]

The company enjoys a high level of brand loyalty and, according to the 2014 edition of

the Interbrand Best Global Brands report, is the world's most valuable brand with a valuation of
$118.9 billion.[10] By the end of 2014, the corporation continued toreceive significant
criticism regarding the labor practices of its contractors and its environmental and business
practices, including the origins of source materials.

BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (

pronunciation (helpinfo); English: Bavarian Motor

Works; BMW) is a German luxury automobile, motorcycle, and engine manufacturing company
founded in 1916. Headquartered in Munich,Bavaria, Germany, it also owns and produces Mini cars
and serves as the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles
underBMW Motorrad, and plug-in electric cars under the BMW i sub-brand. It is one of the bestselling luxury automakers in the world.[4] The company is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock
market index.[5]

Shareholder structure[edit]
by ownership[23]

Stefan Quandt: 25.8%

Susanne Klatten: 20.9%

Free Float: 53.3%

by types

Strategic investors: 46.7%

Institutional investors: 39.7%

North America: 13.5%

United Kingdom and Ireland: 7.7%

Other Europe: 12.1%

Germany: 3.5%

Rest of the world: 3.0%

Other investors: 13.6%

Dunkin' Donuts
Dunkin' Donuts is an American global doughnut company and coffeehouse chain based in Canton,
Massachusetts, in Greater Boston. It was founded in 1950 by William Rosenberg in Quincy,
Massachusetts.[2] Since its founding, the company has grown to become one of the largest coffee
and baked goods chains in the world, with more than 11,300 restaurants in 36 countries. [3][4] The
chain's products include doughnuts, bagels, other baked goods, and a wide variety of hot and iced
beverages.[5][6]
The company primarily competes with Starbucks, as over half the company's business is in coffee
sales, as well as with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Honey Dew Donuts.[7]
Before 1990, Dunkin' Donuts' primary competitor was Mister Donut, but in February of that year
Mister Donut was acquired by Dunkin' Donuts' ownerAllied-Lyons.[8] After the acquisition of Mister
Donut by Allied-Lyons, all Mister Donut stores in North America were offered the chance to change
their name to Dunkin' Donuts.[8]
As of 2014, Dunkin' Donuts is owned by Dunkin' Brands Inc., which also ownsBaskin-Robbins and
previously owned the Togo's chain.

Ferrero SpA
Ferrero SpA (Italian pronunciation: [ferrro]) is an Italian manufacturer of branded chocolate and
confectionery products and it is the third biggestchocolate producer and confectionery company in
the world.[1] It was founded in 1946 in Alba, Piedmont, Italy by Pietro Ferrero, a confectioner and
small-time pastry maker who laid the groundwork for the Nutella and famously added hazelnut to
save money on chocolate.[2] The company saw a period of tremendous growth and success under
Pietro's son Michele Ferrero, who in turn handed over the daily operations to his sons. His son Pietro
(the founder's grandson), who oversaw global business, died on April 18, 2011, in a cycling accident
in South Africa at the age of 47. Reputation Institute's 2009 survey ranks Ferrero as the most
reputable company in the world.[3] Ferrero SpA is a private company owned by the Ferrero family and
has been described as "one of the world's most secretive firms". [4] The Ferrero Group worldwide

now headed by CEO Giovanni Ferrero includes 38 trading companies, 18 factories, approximately
21,500 employees and produces around 365,000 tonnes [5] of Nutella each year. Ferrero International
SA's headquarters is inLuxembourg. Its German factory is the largest of all and Pasquale Giorgio is
its current CEO.

Ford Motor Company

The Ford Motor Company (commonly referred to as simply Ford) is
an American multinational automaker headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It
was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobiles
and commercial vehicles under the Ford brand and most luxury cars under the Lincoln brand. Ford
also owns Brazilian SUV manufacturer, Troller, and Australian performance car manufacturer FPV.
In the past it has also produced tractors and automotive components. Ford owns a 2.1% stake
in Mazda of Japan, an 8% stake in Aston Martin of the United Kingdom, and a 49% stake
in Jiangling of China. It also has a number of joint-ventures, two in China (Changan Ford
Mazda and Ford Lio Ho), one in Thailand (AutoAlliance Thailand), one in Turkey (Ford Otosan), and
one in Russia (Ford Sollers). It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is controlled by
the Ford family, although they have minority ownership.[2]
Ford introduced methods for large-scale manufacturing of cars and large-scale management of an
industrial workforce using elaborately engineered manufacturing sequences typified by
moving assembly lines; by 1914 these methods were known around the world as Fordism. Ford's
former UK subsidiaries Jaguar and Land Rover, acquired in 1989 and 2000 respectively, were sold
to Tata Motors in March 2008. Ford owned the Swedish automaker Volvo from 1999 to 2010.[3] In
2011, Ford discontinued the Mercury brand, under which it had marketed entry-level luxury cars in
the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Middle East since 1938.
During the financial crisis at the beginning of the 21st century, it was close to bankruptcy, but it has
since returned to profitability.
Ford is the second-largest U.S.-based automaker (preceded by General Motors) and the fifthlargest in the world based on 2010 vehicle sales.[4]At the end of 2010, Ford was the fifth largest
automaker in Europe.[5]Ford is the eighth-ranked overall American-based company in the
2010Fortune 500 list, based on global revenues in 2009 of $118.3 billion.[6]In 2008, Ford produced
5.532 million automobiles[7] and employed about 213,000 employees at around 90 plants and
facilities worldwide.
The company went public in 1956 but the Ford family, through special Class B shares, still retain 40
percent voting rights.[8]

General Motors

General Motors Company,[1] commonly known as GM, is an Americanmultinational

corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, that designs, manufactures, markets and distributes
vehicles and vehicle parts and sells financial services. General Motors produces vehicles in 37
countries under thirteen
brands: Alpheon, Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Holden, HSV, Opel,Vauxhall, Wuling, Baojun, Jie
Fang, UzDaewoo.[7][8] General Motors holds a 20% stake in IMM, and a 77% stake in GM Korea. It
also has a number of joint-ventures, including Shanghai GM, SAIC-GM-Wuling and FAW-GM in
China,GM-AvtoVAZ in Russia, Ghandhara Industries in Pakistan, GM Uzbekistan,General Motors
India, General Motors Egypt, and Isuzu Truck South Africa. General Motors employs 212,000 people
and does business in more than 120 countries.[2] General Motors is divided into five business
segments: GM North America (GMNA), Opel Group, GM International Operations (GMIO), GM
South America (GMSA), and GM Financial.[9]:12, 13 As part of its 2009 bankruptcy restructuring the
current company, General Motors Company LLC, ("new GM"), was founded in 2009, after the
bankruptcy of the General Motors Corporation ("old GM"). The new company purchased the majority
of the assets of "old GM", including the name "General Motors".

Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational technology company specializing inInternet-related
services and products. These include online advertisingtechnologies, search, cloud computing,
and software.[7] Most of its profits are derived from AdWords,[8][9] an online advertising service that
places advertising near the list of search results.
Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D.students at Stanford
University. Together they own about 14 percent of its shares but control 56 percent of the
stockholder voting power throughsupervoting stock. They incorporated Google as a privately held
company on September 4, 1998. An initial public offering followed on August 19, 2004. Itsmission
statement from the outset was "to organize the world's information and make it universally
accessible and useful,"[10] and its unofficial slogan was "Don't be evil".[11][12] In 2004, Google moved to
its new headquarters inMountain View, California, nicknamed the Googleplex.[13] In August 2015,
Google announced plans to reorganize its interests as a holding companycalled Alphabet Inc. When
this restructuring took place on October 2, 2015, Google became Alphabet's leading subsidiary, as
well as the parent for Google's Internet interests.[14][15][16][17][18]
Rapid growth since incorporation has triggered a chain of products,acquisitions and partnerships
beyond Google's core search engine (Google Search). It offers online productivity software (Google
Docs) including email(Gmail), a cloud storage service (Google Drive), an office suite (Google Docs)
and a social networking service (Google+). Desktop products include applications for web browsing
(Google Chrome), organizing and editing photos(Picasa and Google+ Photos/Google Photos),

and instant messaging(Hangouts). The company leads the development of

the Android mobileoperating system and the browser-only Chrome OS[19] for a class
of netbooksknown as Chromebooks. Google has moved increasingly into communications hardware:
it partners with major electronics manufacturers[20] in the production of its "high-quality lowcost"[21] Nexus devices.[22] In 2012, a fiber-optic infrastructure was installed in Kansas City to facilitate
a Google Fiberbroadband service.[23]
The corporation has been estimated to run more than one million servers in data centers around the
world (as of 2007).[24] It processes over one billion search requests[25] and about 24 petabytes of usergenerated data each day (as of 2009).[26][27][28][29] In December 2013, Alexa listed google.com as the
most visited website in the world. Numerous Google sites in other languages figure in the top one
hundred, as do several other Google-owned sites such as YouTube andBlogger.[30] Its market
dominance has led to prominent media coverage, including criticism of the company over issues
such as aggressive tax avoidance,[31] search neutrality, copyright, censorship, and privacy.[32][33]

Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational medical devices, pharmaceutical and consumer
packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones
Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500.
Johnson & Johnson is headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, directly adjacent to the
campus of Rutgers University, the consumer division being located in Skillman, New Jersey. The
corporation includes some 250 subsidiary companies with operations in over 57 countries and
products sold in over 175 countries. Johnson & Johnson had worldwide sales of $65 billion for the
calendar year of 2011.[3]
Johnson & Johnson's brands include numerous household names of medications and first
aid supplies. Among its well-known consumer productsare the Band-Aid Brand line
of bandages, Tylenol medications, Johnson's babyproducts, Neutrogena skin and beauty
products, Clean & Clear facial wash andAcuvue contact lenses.
On December 31, 2012, the Food and Drug Administration approved Sirturo(bedaquiline), a Johnson
& Johnson tuberculosis drug that is the first new medicine to fight the infection in more than forty
years.[4]

Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. is an American global doughnut company and coffeehouse
chain based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Krispy Kreme founder Vernon Rudolph bought a

yeast-raised recipe from a New Orleans chef, and in 1937 rented a building in what is now historic
Old Salem in Winston-Salem, and began selling to local grocery stores. [3]
Products are sold in Krispy Kreme stores, grocery stores, convenience
stores, Walmart, Target and Shaw's stores in the United States. Internationally, doughnuts are sold
in Loblaws supermarkets[citation needed],Petro-Canada gas stations[citation needed], and as freestanding stores in
Canada, along with BP Service Stations and Travel Centres[citation needed] and7-Eleven stores[citation needed] in
Australia.[4][dead link] In the United Kingdom,Tesco supermarkets, Tesco Extra, and most Tesco service
stations carry Krispy Kreme products. Service stations Moto, Welcome Break & Road Chef also
carry self-service cabinets.[5] The company's growth was steady prior to its initial public offering but
profits have decreased in recent quarters.
On February 24, 2015, Krispy Kreme opened its 1,000th shop in Kansas City, Kansas. [6]

L'Oral
The L'Oral Group is a French cosmetics and beauty company, headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-deSeine.[2] It is the world's largest cosmetics company, and has a registered office in Paris.[3] It has
developed activities in the field of cosmetics, concentrating on hair colour, skin care, sun
protection,make-up, perfumes and hair care, the company is active in
the dermatology,toxicology, tissue engineering, and biopharmaceutical research fields and is the
top nanotechnology patent-holder in the United States.[4] The company is a component of the Euro
Stoxx 50 stock market index.[5]

McDonald's
McDonald's is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 68
million customers daily in 119 countries across more than 36,000 outlets. [4][5] Founded in the United
States in 1940, the company began as a barbecue restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice
McDonald. In 1948, they reorganized their business as a hamburger stand using production line
principles. Businessman Ray Kroc joined the company as a franchise agent in 1955. He
subsequently purchased the chain from the McDonald brothers and oversaw its worldwide growth. [6]
A McDonald's restaurant is operated by either a franchisee, an affiliate, or the corporation itself. The
McDonald's Corporation revenues come from the rent, royalties, and fees paid by the franchisees,
as well as sales in company-operated restaurants. In 2012, the company had annual revenues of
$27.5 billion and profits of $5.5 billion.[7] According to a 2012 BBC report, McDonald's is the world's
second largest private employerbehind Walmartwith 1.9 million employees, 1.5 million of whom
work for franchises.[8]

McDonald's primarily sells hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken, french fries,breakfast items, soft
drinks, milkshakes, and desserts. In response to changing consumer tastes, the company has
expanded its menu to includesalads, fish, wraps, smoothies, fruit,[9][10] and seasoned fries.[11]

Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (German pronunciation: [m tseds bnts]) is a German automobile manufacturer, a
multinational division of the German manufacturerDaimler AG. The brand is known for luxury
automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. The headquarters of Mercedes-Benz is
in Stuttgart, Baden-Wrttemberg, Germany.
The name first appeared in 1926 under Daimler-Benz, but traces its origins toDaimler-MotorenGesellschaft's 1901 Mercedes and to Karl Benz's 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen, which is widely
regarded as the first gasoline poweredautomobile. Mercedes-Benz's slogan is "The Best or Nothing".
Mercedes-Benz is one of the most recognized automotive brands worldwide. [1]

Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation /makrsft, -ro-, -sft/[5][6] (commonly referred to as Microsoft) is an
American multinational technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington, that
develops, manufactures, licenses, supports and sells computer software,consumer
electronics and personal computers and services. Its best known software products are the Microsoft
Windows line of operating systems, Microsoft Office office suite, and Internet Explorer and Edgeweb
browsers. Its flagship hardware products are the Xbox game consoles and the Microsoft
Surface tablet lineup. It is the world's largest software maker by revenue,[7] and one of the world's
most valuable companies.[8]
Microsoft was founded by Paul Allen and Bill Gates on April 4, 1975, to develop and
sell BASIC interpreters for Altair 8800. It rose to dominate the personal computer operating
system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s, followed by Microsoft Windows. The company's
1986 initial public offering, and subsequent rise in its share price, created three billionaires and an
estimated 12,000 millionaires among Microsoft employees. Since the 1990s, it has increasingly
diversified from the operating system market and has made a number of corporate acquisitions. In
May 2011, Microsoft acquired Skype Technologies for $8.5 billion in its largest acquisition to date.[9]
As of 2015, Microsoft is market dominant in both the IBM PC-compatibleoperating system (while it
lost the majority of the overall operating system market to Android) and office software suite markets
(the latter with Microsoft Office). The company also produces a wide range of other software for
desktops and servers, and is active in areas includingInternet search (with Bing), the video game

industry (with the Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles), the digital services market
(through MSN), and mobile phones (via the operating systems of Nokia's former
phones[10] and Windows Phone OS). In June 2012, Microsoft entered the personal computer
production market for the first time, with the launch of the Microsoft Surface, a line of tablet
computers.
With the acquisition of Nokia's devices and services division to formMicrosoft Mobile Oy, the
company re-entered the smartphone hardware market, after its previous attempt, Microsoft Kin,
which resulted from their acquisition of Danger Inc.[11]
Microsoft is a portmanteau of the words microcomputer andsoftware.[12]

Nestl
Nestl S.A. (French pronunciation: [nsle]; English /nsle/, /nsl/,/nsli/) is
a Swiss transnational food and beverage company headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is
the largest foodcompany in the world measured by revenues,[4][5] and ranked #72 on the Fortune
Global 500 in 2014.[6]
Nestls products include baby food, bottled water, breakfast
cereals,coffee and tea, confectionery, dairy products, ice cream, frozen food,pet foods, and snacks.
Twenty-nine of Nestls brands have annual sales of over CHF1 billion (about US$1.1 billion),
[7]

including Nespresso,Nescaf, Kit Kat, Smarties, Nesquik, Stouffers, Vittel, and Maggi. Nestl has

447 factories, operates in 194 countries, and employs around 339,000 people. [1] It is one of the main
shareholders of LOreal, the worlds largest cosmetics company.[8]
Nestl was formed in 1905 by the merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1866
by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lacte Henri Nestl, founded in 1866
by Henri Nestl (born Heinrich Nestle). The company grew significantly during the First World War
and again following the Second World War, expanding its offerings beyond its early condensed
milk and infant formulaproducts. The company has made a number of corporate acquisitions,
including Crosse & Blackwell in 1950, Findus in 1963, Libby's in 1971,Rowntree Mackintosh in 1988,
and Gerber in 2007.
Nestl has a primary listing on the SIX Swiss Exchange and is a constituent of the Swiss Market
Index. It has a secondary listing onEuronext. In 2011, Nestl was listed No. 1 in the Fortune Global
500 as the worlds most profitable corporation.[9] With a market capitalisation ofUS$239.6 billion,
Nestl ranked No. 11 in the FT Global 500 2014.[10]

Nike, Inc.

Nike, Inc. (official, US /naki/; also, non-US /nak/)[note 1] is an Americanmultinational corporation that is
engaged in the design, development, manufacturing and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear,
apparel, equipment, accessories and services. The company is headquartered
nearBeaverton, Oregon, in the Portland metropolitan area. It is one of the world's largest suppliers
of athletic shoes and apparel[6] and a major manufacturer ofsports equipment, with revenue in excess
of US$24.1 billion in its fiscal year 2012 (ending May 31, 2012). As of 2012, it employed more than
44,000 people worldwide. In 2014 the brand alone was valued at $19 billion, making it the most
valuable brand among sports businesses.[7]
The company was founded on January 25, 1964, as Blue Ribbon Sports, byBill Bowerman and Phil
Knight,[1] and officially became Nike, Inc. on May 30, 1971. The company takes its name from Nike,
the Greek goddess of victory. Nike markets its products under its own brand, as well as Nike Golf,
Nike Pro,Nike+, Air Jordan, Nike Blazers, Air Force 1, Nike Dunk, Air Max, Foamposite,Nike
Skateboarding, and subsidiaries including Brand Jordan, Hurley International and Converse. Nike
also owned Bauer Hockey (later renamedNike Bauer) between 1995 and 2008, and previously
owned Cole Haan andUmbro.[8] In addition to manufacturing sportswear and equipment, the
company operates retail stores under the Niketown name. Nike sponsors many high-profile athletes
and sports teams around the world, with the highly recognized trademarks of "Just Do It" and
the Swoosh logo.

Pfizer
Pfizer Inc. /fazr/ is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation headquartered in New
York City,[3] with its research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut. It is among the world's largest
pharmaceutical companies.[4] Pfizer is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and its shares have
been a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since 2004.[5]
Pfizer develops and produces medicines and vaccines for a wide range of medical disciplines,
including immunology, oncology, cardiology, diabetology/endocrinology, and neurology. Pfizer's
products include theblockbuster drug Lipitor (atorvastatin), used to lower LDL blood cholesterol;
Lyrica (pregabalin) for neuropathic pain/fibromyalgia; Diflucan (fluconazole), an oral antifungal
medication; Zithromax (azithromycin), an antibiotic; Viagra (sildenafil) for erectile dysfunction; and
Celebrex/Celebra (celecoxib), an anti-inflammatory drug.
Pfizer was founded in 1849 by cousins Charles Pfizer and Charles F. Erhart in New York City as a
manufacturer of fine chemicals. Its discovery of Terramycin (oxytetracycline) in 1950 put it on a path
towards becoming a research-based pharmaceutical company. Pfizer has made numerous
acquisitions, includingWarnerLambert in 2000, Pharmacia in 2003, and Wyeth in 2009 (the largest
of the three at $68 billion).[6][7]

In 2016, Pfizer Inc. is expected to merge with Allergan plc, in a deal worth $160 billion, to create
the Ireland-based "Pfizer plc".[8]

Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Co., also known as P&G, is an American multinationalconsumer goods company
headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, founded by William Procter and James
Gamble, both from the United Kingdom. Its products include cleaning agents, and personal
care products. Prior to the sale of Pringles to the Kellogg Company, its product line included foods
and beverages.[3] In 2014, P&G recorded $83.1 billion in sales. On August 1, 2014, P&G announced
it was streamlining the company, dropping around 100 brands and concentrating on the remaining
80 brands, which produced 95 percent of the company's profits. A.G. Lafley, the company's
chairman, president and CEO until October 31, 2015, said the future P&G would be "a much simpler,
much less complex company of leading brands that's easier to manage and operate". [4] David Taylor
became P&G CEO and President effective November 1, 2015. P&G remains a highly selective
employer as less than 1% of all applicants are hired annually.[5]

Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an American coffee company and coffeehouse chain. The chain was
founded in Seattle, Washington in 1971; it operates 23,450 locations worldwide, including 12,937 (79) in the United States, 2,118 (+56) in China, 1,430 (-3) in Canada, 1,158 (+8) in Japan and 869
(+6) in the United Kingdom (Differences reflect growth since December 17, 2015)l. [1][5]
Starbucks locations serve hot and cold drinks, whole-bean coffee, microground instant coffee known
as VIA, espresso, caffe latte, full-leaf teas, Evolution Fresh juices, Frappuccino beverages, pastries,
and snacks; some offerings (including their Pumpkin Spice Latte) are seasonal or specific to the
locality of the store. Many stores sell pre-packaged food items, hot and cold sandwiches, and
drinkware including mugs and tumblers; select "Starbucks Evenings" locations offer beer, wine, and
appetizers.[6] Starbucks-brand coffee, ice cream and bottled cold coffee drinks are also sold
at grocery stores.
Starbucks first became profitable in Seattle in the early 1980s,[7] and despite an initial economic
downturn with its expansion into the Midwest and British Columbia in the late 1980s,[8] the company
experienced revitalized prosperity with its entry into California in the early 1990s. [9] The first
Starbucks location outside North America opened in Tokyo in 1996; overseas properties now
constitute almost one third of its stores.[10] The company had opened an average of two new
locations daily between 1987 and 2007.[11]

Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational consumer goods company co-headquartered
in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and London, United Kingdom. Its products include food,
beverages, cleaning agents andpersonal care products. It is the world's third-largest consumer
goods company measured by 2012 revenue, after Procter & Gamble andNestl.[5] Unilever is the
world's largest producer of food spreads, such as margarine.[6] One of the oldest multinational
companies, its products are available in around 190 countries. [7]
Unilever owns over 400 brands, but focuses on 14 brands with sales of over 1
billion euros - Axe/Lynx, Dove, Omo, Becel/Flora, Heartbrand ice
creams, Hellmann's, Knorr, Lipton, Lux, Magnum, Rama, Rexona aka
Sure\Degree\Rexena\Shield, Sunsilk and Surf.[7] It is a dual-listed company consisting of Unilever
N.V., based in Rotterdam, and Unilever plc, based in London. The two companies operate as a
single business, with a common board of directors. Unilever is organised into four main divisions Foods, Refreshment (beverages and ice cream), Home Care, and Personal Care. It has research
and development facilities in the United Kingdom (2), the Netherlands, China, India and the United
States.[8]

Head office Unilever N.V. Rotterdam, Netherlands

Unilever was founded in 1930 by the merger of the Dutch margarineproducer Margarine Unie and
the British soapmaker Lever Brothers. During the second half of the 20th century the company
increasingly diversified from being a maker of products made of oils and fats, and expanded its
operations worldwide. It has made numerous corporate acquisitions, including Lipton (1971), Brooke
Bond (1984), Chesebrough-Ponds (1987), Best Foods and Ben & Jerry's (2000), andAlbertoCulver (2010). Unilever divested its speciality chemicals businesses to ICI in 1997. In the 2010s,
under leadership of Paul Polman, the company gradually shifted its focus toward health and beauty
brands and away from food brands showing slow growth. [6]
Unilever N.V. has a primary listing on Euronext Amsterdam and is a constituent of the AEX index.
Unilever plc has a primary listing on theLondon Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE
100 Index. The company is also a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index.[9]

Toyota
Toyota Motor Corporation (Japanese: Hepburn:Toyota
Jidsha KK , IPA: [tojota], /tot/) is a Japanese automotivemanufacturer headquartered
?

in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. In March 2014 themultinational corporation consisted of 338,875 employees
worldwide[5] and, as of November 2014, is the eleventh-largest company in the world by revenue.
Toyota was the largest automobile manufacturer in 2012 (by production) ahead of the Volkswagen
Group and General Motors.[8] In July of that year, the company reported the production of its 200millionth vehicle.[9] Toyota is the world's first automobile manufacturer to produce more than 10
million vehicles per year. It did so in 2012 according to OICA, [8] and in 2013 according to company
data.[10] As of July 2014, Toyota was the largest listed company in Japan by market
capitalization (worth more than twice as much as #2-rankedSoftBank)[11] and by revenue.[12]
The company was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937 as a spinoff from his father's company Toyota
Industries to create automobiles. Three years earlier, in 1934, while still a department of Toyota
Industries, it created its first product, the Type A engine, and, in 1936, its first passenger car,
the Toyota AA. Toyota Motor Corporation produces vehicles under 5 brands, including the Toyota
brand, Hino, Lexus, Ranz, and Scion. It also holds a 51.2% stake in Daihatsu, a 16.66% stake in Fuji
Heavy Industries, a 5.9% stake in Isuzu, a 3.58% stake in the Yamaha Motor Company,[13] and a
0.27% stake in Tesla, as well as joint-ventures with two in China (GAC Toyota and Sichuan FAW
Toyota Motor), one in India (Toyota Kirloskar), one in the Czech Republic (TPCA), along with several
"nonautomotive" companies.[14] TMC is part of the Toyota Group, one of the largest conglomerates in
the world.