Headquarters

Iceland Foods Corporate Office

Iceland Foods got its start back in 1970 when Peter Hinchcliffe and Malcolm Walker opened their first store on Leg Street in Shropshire. They invested one month’s rent and hoped to make a go of it. It was Walker’s wife who suggested the name Iceland since the company originally planned to sell only frozen foods.

By 1977, the business was doing so well they opened another location in Manchester and by the end of 1978, the company had 28 locations to their name.

Iceland’s main products remain frozen foods, but they also offer non-frozen grocery items such as produce, meat, dairy, and dry goods. The company has an approximate 2.2% share of the UK food market.

In May 2014, Iceland reintroduced online shopping, which was dropped in 2007.

Iceland stated in June 2019 that it intended to open at least 34 new locations amid savage competition among grocery store chains.

In July 2019, the company became the first major supermarket to ban the use of plastic bags at its stores.

Iceland has 800 locations in the UK and more than 100 locations in 10 other countries, including Iceland, who is currently contesting the companies use of the name.

Iceland Foods

By 1977, the business was doing so well they opened another location in Manchester and by the end of 1978, the company had 28 locations to their name.

History

In May 2014, Iceland reintroduced online shopping, which was dropped in 2007.

Iceland stated in June 2019 that it intended to open at least 34 new locations amid savage competition among grocery store chains.

In July 2019, the company became the first major supermarket to ban the use of plastic bags at its stores.

Iceland has 800 locations in the UK and more than 100 locations in 10 other countries, including Iceland, who is currently contesting the companies use of the name.

Viking Cruises Corporate Office

Viking Cruises was founded in 1997 by current CEO Torstein Hagen. Originally founded as Viking River Cruises, the company had 4 ships, but after acquiring KD River Cruises of Europe in 2000, the fleet totaled 26 vessels, making it the largest river cruise company in the world.

The company overhauled many of their ships, targeting older Americans who wanted to travel but weren’t necessarily interested in paying for luxury accommodations such as swimming pools and gymnasiums. Viking Cruises opened an office in California in 2003 and China in 2004.

In 2013, the company modified its name to Viking Cruises as it launched small oceangoing ships, christening 10 new ships in a single day.

Most of the ocean cruise ships are one-third smaller than typical cruise ships, which allows the company to dock in smaller ports, offering new cities and land trips for tourists. The company launched its newest vessel, Jupiter, in July 2019.

In March 2019, Viking Cruise ship Sky encountered engine trouble and headed into heavy Norweigean seas, tossing the 1300 passengers about and forcing them to be rescued via helicopter. The company says all passengers were given refunds and tickets for a new cruise of choice.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the founder of Viking Cruises, Torstein Hagen, has lost 66% of his wealth.

In August 2020, the company decided to cancel all cruises through December 2020 due to uncertainity regarding the coronavirus.

This policy was later updated to all cruises through 2021.

The company states that “Passengers booked on a canceled Viking cruise can either opt for a 125 percent Future Cruise Voucher or request a refund before Aug. 24, 2021.”

US headquarters for Viking are located in Woodland Hills, California.

Viking Cruise Lines

History

In 2013, the company modified its name to Viking Cruises as it launched small oceangoing ships, christening 10 new ships in a single day.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the founder of Viking Cruises, Torstein Hagen, has lost 66% of his wealth.

In August 2020, the company decided to cancel all cruises through December 2020 due to uncertainity regarding the coronavirus.

This policy was later updated to all cruises through 2021.

The company states that “Passengers booked on a canceled Viking cruise can either opt for a 125 percent Future Cruise Voucher or request a refund before Aug. 24, 2021.”

US headquarters for Viking are located in Woodland Hills, California.

Woolworths Australia Corporate Office

Woolworths, best known as Woolies, got its start back in 1924 when it opened in Sydney as Woolworths Stupendous Bargain Basement. The new store was unique at the time and the first variety store to print out receipts for customers, rather than handwritten notes.

The company began to expand, with Woolworths New Zealand opening in 1956, along with stores in Brisbane and Perth. By the end of 1933, despite the Great Depression, the company had 23 stores and opened its first store in Melbourne in 1936.

By 1955 the company had 200 stores. In 1997, the first Metro convenience store opened in Sydney. The company opened a buying office in Hong Kong in June 2006 which allowed them to cut prices by cutting out the middle man. That same year, the company announced a joint venture with the India-based Tata Group to sell Dick Smith electronics in India and it introduced self-serve checkouts at some locations.

Today, this conglomerate includes supermarkets (under the Woolworths name in Australia and the Countdown name in New Zealand), liquor retailing (as BWS and Dan Murphy’s in Australia), hotels and pubs under the Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group umbrella, and discount department stores under the Big W name in Australia.

In June 2019, the company announced that it was increasing the price of milk, but it is unclear if dairy farmers are going to benefit from this price increase.

Also in June 2019, a popular ice cream cake, Bulla Ready to Decorate, was pulled from store shelves over fears that the cake might contain undeclared allergens, which could pose a health risk.

Company headquarters are located in Bella Vista, New South Wales.

Woolworths

History

In June 2019, the company announced that it was increasing the price of milk, but it is unclear if dairy farmers are going to benefit from this price increase.

Also in June 2019, a popular ice cream cake, Bulla Ready to Decorate, was pulled from store shelves over fears that the cake might contain undeclared allergens, which could pose a health risk.

Company headquarters are located in Bella Vista, New South Wales.

Diesel Corporate Office

At the age of 15, Renzo Rosso was using his mother’s sewing machine to sew jeans for himself and friends in Molvena, Italy. In 1976, he began working for a clothing manufacturer owned by Andriano Goldschmied. After working there for several years, Rosso obtained a loan from his father to purchase a 40% stake in the company. He changed the name to Diesel and began manufacturing jeans.

Rosso bought out Goldschmied’s interest in the Diesel brand name in 1985 for US $500,000, becoming the sole owner of the company. By 1991, Diesel branded, Italian made jeans were being sold in American stores. By 1998, The Wall Street Journal called Diesel jeans “the label of the moment.”

Rosso began acquiring fashion companies in 2002. In 2005, on his 50th birthday, Rosso released a limited edition book entitled “Fifty”, which features an illustrated history of the company.

At its peak in 2010, the company had more than 400 stores, with half of them being franchises, and in 2012, Rosso made the Forbes billionaire list for the first time.

In March 2019, Diesel USA filed for bankruptcy. The company has stated that they have no plans to sell or close out the company, but they did close 28 locations. Diesel currently has 340 locations in the US.

Diesel’s Red Tag X jeans recently made Mashable’s list of the Worst Jean Trends of 2019.

American headquarters for the brand are located in New York, New York.

Diesel

History

Rosso began acquiring fashion companies in 2002. In 2005, on his 50th birthday, Rosso released a limited edition book entitled “Fifty”, which features an illustrated history of the company.

At its peak in 2010, the company had more than 400 stores, with half of them being franchises, and in 2012, Rosso made the Forbes billionaire list for the first time.

Diesel’s Red Tag X jeans recently made Mashable’s list of the Worst Jean Trends of 2019.

American headquarters for the brand are located in New York, New York.

Royal Bank of Canada Corporate Office

Royal Bank of Canada was founded in 1864 in Nova Scotia by a group of 8 businessmen who wanted to offer banking services for the fishing and timber industries. The original name of the bank was Merchants Bank of Halifax. The bank grew to include maritime services. When the Newfoundland bank collapsed, the company expanded to New Foundland.

With their expansion to Newfoundland, the bank changed its name to the Royal Bank of Canada and they moved headquarters to Montreal, Canada, in 1901.

Today, the company is a multinational financial services company and the largest bank in Canada. The bank serves over 16 million clients and has more than 80,000 employees worldwide.

The bank’s personal and commercial banking operations are branded as RBC Royal Bank in English and RBC Banque Royale in French and serve approximately ten million clients through its network of 1,209 branches.

In June 2019, the Royal Bank of Canada and Microsoft announced that they were creating a joint venture called “Go Digital” to help businesses confront the challenges of going digital.

In July 2019, the company stated that they believed the natural gas “glut” will continue at least through 2020, with China about to become the largest consumer of propane.

In 2011, RBC was the largest Canadian company by revenue and market capitalization. It was ranked at No. 50 in the 2013 Forbes Global 200 list. The company has operations in Canada, and 40 other countries.

Royal Bank of Canada

With their expansion to Newfoundland, the bank changed its name to the Royal Bank of Canada and they moved headquarters to Montreal, Canada, in 1901.

History

Today, the company is a multinational financial services company and the largest bank in Canada. The bank serves over 16 million clients and has more than 80,000 employees worldwide.

In June 2019, the Royal Bank of Canada and Microsoft announced that they were creating a joint venture called “Go Digital” to help businesses confront the challenges of going digital.

In July 2019, the company stated that they believed the natural gas “glut” will continue at least through 2020, with China about to become the largest consumer of propane.