Marks and Spencer:

"1884 Michael Marks, a Russian born Polish refugee opened a stall at Leeds Kirkgate Market. Michael moved to 20 Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester. In the following year, he opened a shop in the lower part of the same building.

Michael formed a partnership with Tom Spencer, a former cashier from the wholesale company IJ Dewhirst.

We have over 400 stores located throughout the UK, this includes our largest store at Marble Arch, London. We also have a growing international business including wholly-owned stores in the Republic of Ireland and Hong Kong, franchises in 30 territories and Kings Super Markets in the US.

We are one of the UK's leading retailers of clothing, home, beauty, food products and financial services. Virtually everything we sell carries the Marks & Spencer brand and this allows us to influence every aspect of how a product is made. Around 10 million customers shop with us every week.

We try to make sure that all the labels on our products are clear and relevant so that people can make informed decisions about what they buy and how they use it. We sell a wide range of products and our customers may want to know about ingredients, production and usage. Our aim is to provide 'open and honest' labelling. For example, we believe that we are the only major retailer to label all products with the country in which they were produced. Further information about the origins of ingredients such as meat and fish are included on some food products.

We sell a wide range of foods. Some are indulgent treats, others healthier options. We see our role as assisting our customers in achieving a healthy diet by providing them with the information they need to make informed choices. Within our product ranges we aim to offer options for customers with specific needs, for example children and those on a diet.

We employ over 100 specialist technologists to set and develop quality standards, and work with our suppliers to make sure we meet them. Alongside traditional types of product quality, such as the taste of food or the fit of clothing, we also take a serious approach to safety issues that affect the wider world.

In 2005 we launched a specialised website to provide customers with information about the ingredients, safety and environmental care of our household cleaning products.

By understanding our customers' lifestyles we are able to develop new products and services that meet their needs. We respect the privacy of any personal data we hold and only use it in line with customers' wishes. We do not sell any personal information to third parties without permission."

If you have been tempted by this, here's the link: