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Largest foreign companies with U.S. HQs IN L.A.: ranked by parent company revenue.

By Nusbaum, David
Publication: Los Angeles Business Journal
Date: Monday, June 16 2008

* EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

THE 25 largest foreign companies with U.S. headquarters in L.A. County had combined revenues of $450 billion for the 2007 fiscal year.

Many foreign companies saw revenues increase as a result of the weak U.S. dollar. In comparison with Japanese yen, the dollar

has seen a 13 percent decline in value over the past 12 months.

Great Britain's largest retailer, Tesco PLC, made its initial move into L.A. County two years ago by launching El Segundo-based Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market. The British retailer plans to invest $2 billion in the chain, giving it a significant presence in North America.

Fresh & Easy has already opened 61 locations in California, Arizona and Nevada. Each store employs 20 to 30 people in 10,000-square-foot markets. It will open its 62nd North American location in Manhattan Beach next month.

Meanwhile, one foreign company plans to suspend its North American operations starting in 2009. Isuzu Motors North America Inc. will halt sales of vehicles. However, the company plans to keep its parts and service operation centers fully functional.

The 25 largest foreign companies with local headquarters employ 1.2 million people worldwide.

--David Nusbaum

* THE TRENDS

[GRAPHICS OMITTED]

* THE PACESETTER

AMERICAN Honda Motor Co. Inc., the Torrance-based subsidiary of Honda Motor Co. Ltd., tops the list of largest foreign companies with U.S. headquarters in L.A. County for the third consecutive year.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Tokyo-based Honda reported $113 billion in revenues for 2007. The company manufactures a wide array of engine-powered vehicles including automobiles, motorcycles, light business jets, marine engines and personal watercraft.

The company manufactures automobiles under the Honda and Acura flags. In May, the company shattered its previous sales record in the United States with 167,997 vehicles sold. Its best selling model was the Civic, which accounted for 53,299 units. That was the company's highest-ever number of vehicles in one model sold in the U.S. The previous record of 49,098 was set in August 2003 by the Accord.

Honda Performance Division, the Santa Clarita-based division for professional auto racing operations announced last month that it extended its contract with IndyCar Series to provide the motor sport with engines for the next five years. Honda joined the league in 2003.

Founded in 1946 in Japan as the Honda Technical Research Institute to develop and produce two-cycle motorbike engines. It opened U.S. operations in 1959 in Los Angeles and now has more that) 27,000 employees in the United States.

--David Nusbaum

                                Parent
                                Company
Rank  Company                  Revenues             Description
      * name                 (in billions)         of Operations
      * address                 * 2007
      * Web Address             * 2006

1     American Honda Motor       $113             manufacturer of
      Co. Inc.                   $84.3       automobiles, motorcycles,
      1919 Torrance Blvd.                      light business jets,
      Torrance 90501                         marine engines, personal
      honda.com                             watercraft, generators and
                                               other power equipment

2     Nestle U.S.A. Inc.         95.5            food manufacturer
      800 N. Brand Blvd.         80.7
      Glendale 91203
      nestleusa.com

3     Fresh & Easy               93.2             grocery stores
      2120 Park Place,           84.1
      Suite 200
      El Segundo 90245
      freshandeasy.com

4     Kirin Brewery               17               beer importer
      of America LLC             13.7
      970 W. 190th St.,
      Suite 890
      Torrance 90404
      kirin.com

5     Isuzu Motors               15.8            auto distributor
      America Inc.               14.5
      13340 183rd St.
      Cerritos 90702
      isuzu.com

6     Asahi Beer                 13.9              beer importer
      U.S.A. Inc.                11.9
      20000 Mariner
      Ave., Suite 300
      Torrance 90503
      asahibeerusa.com

7     Epson America Inc.         13.5             digital imaging
      3840 Kilroy Airport         12
      Way Long Beach 90806
      epson.com

8     Nippon Steel Trading       11.7        wholesale trade in steel
      America Inc.                8.8        products including bars,
      725 S. Figueroa St.,                    sheets and plates; sale
      Suite 1860                                     of fuels
      Los Angeles 90017
      N/A

9     Taiheiyo Cement             8.9         cement and construction
      U.S.A. Inc.                 7.8                materials
      2025 East Financial
      Way Glendora 91741
      taiheiyo-cement.co.jp

10    Korean Air                  7.5       Korean Air is a commercial
      1813 Wilshire Blvd.,        6.9       airline and cargo carrier;
      Fourth Floor                          parent company Hanjin is a
      Los Angeles 90057                            logistics and
      koreanair.com                         transportation conglomerate

11    China Southern              7.5           commercial airline
      Airlines                     6
      6300 Wilshire Blvd.,
      Suite 101
      Los Angeles 90048
      cs-airl.com/en

12    Pioneer North America       7.3         sales and marketing of
      2265 E. 220th St.           7.2          consumer electronics,
      Long Beach 90810                      including high performance
      pioneerelectronics.                      home audio, video and
      com                                   computer equipment for use
                                             in home, car and business
                                                   environments

13    Westfield LLC               6.7          retail property group
      11601 Wilshire Blvd.,       4.4
      11th Floor Los
      Angeles 90025
      westfield.com

14    DBS Bank                    6.2           financial services
      445 S. Figueroa St.,        5.3
      Suite 3550
      Los Angeles 90071
      dbs.com

15    Iwatani International       5.8        sales of tabletop stoves,
      Corp. of America            5.4          butane fuel, lumber,
      385 Van Ness Ave.,                        emergency/survival
      Suite 110                              products, paint, valves,
      Torrance 90501                         helium, specialty gases,
      iwatani.com                              soil, machinery, wire
                                              products and chinaware

16    Red Bull North              4.9          beverage manufacturer
      America Inc.                3.3             and distributor
      1740 Stewart Street
      Santa Monica 90404
      redbullusa.com

17    China Airlines              4.2           commercial airline
      200 N. Continental          3.7
      Blvd. El Segundo
      90245
      china-airlines.com

18    Sankyu U.S.A. Inc.          4.1                logistics
      24700 S. Main St.           3.4
      Carson 90745
      sankyu-usa.com

19    Nissin Foods                3.2            food manufacturer
      U.S.A. Co. Inc.             3.2
      2001 W. Rosecrans
      Ave. Gardena 90249
      nissinfoods.com

20    NMB (USA) Inc.              3.2       ball bearings manufacturer
      9730 Independence           2.7
      Ave. Chatsworth 91311
      nmbusa.com

21    Taisho Pharmaceutical       2.4          pharmaceutical sales
      California Inc.              2
      3878 Carson St.,
      Suite 216
      Torrance 90503
      taisho.co.jp/en

22    Clarion Corp. of            1.7          consumer electronics
      America                     1.6              manufacturer
      661 W. Redondo Beach
      Blvd. Gardena 90247
      clarion.com

23    Kenwood USA Corp.           1.6        home and car electronics
      2201 E. Dominguez St.       1.5              manufacturer
      Long Beach 90810
      kenwoodusa.com

24    Oberthur Card               1.2          manufacturer of smart
      Systems of America          0.7        cards, contactless cards,
      3150 E. Ana St.                       SIM cards, magnetic stripe
      Rancho Dominguez                         cards, government and
      90221                                   corporate ID cards, and
      oberthurcs.com                           related software and
                                                     equipment

25    Sanrio Inc.                 0.9        develops, distributes and
      990 W. 190th St.,           0.9       licenses a gift, stationery
      Suite 220                             and fashion accessory items
      Torrance 90502                           for women of all ages
      sanrio.com

Rank  Company
      * name                      Profile          Parent Company
      * address              * total employees         * name
      * Web Address          * U.S. employees        * location

1     American Honda Motor
      Co. Inc.                    167,231       Honda Motor Co. Ltd.
      1919 Torrance Blvd.         27,000                Tokyo
      Torrance 90501
      honda.com

2     Nestle U.S.A. Inc.
      800 N. Brand Blvd.          276,000            Nestle S.A.
      Glendale 91203                N/A                Zurich
      nestleusa.com

3     Fresh & Easy
      2120 Park Place,            450,000             Tesco plc
      Suite 200                     N/A           Cheshunt, England
      El Segundo 90245
      freshandeasy.com

4     Kirin Brewery
      of America LLC                256          Kirin Brew Co. Ltd.
      970 W. 190th St.,             N/A                 Tokyo
      Suite 890
      Torrance 90404
      kirin.com

5     Isuzu Motors
      America Inc.                23,200          Isuzu Motors Ltd.
      13340 183rd St.               183                 Tokyo
      Cerritos 90702
      isuzu.com

6     Asahi Beer
      U.S.A. Inc.                   N/A         Asahi Breweries Ltd.
      20000 Mariner                 N/A                 Tokyo
      Ave., Suite 300
      Torrance 90503
      asahibeerusa.com

7     Epson America Inc.
      3840 Kilroy Airport         88,925          Seiko Epson Corp.
      Way Long Beach 90806          N/A             Nagano, Japan
      epson.com

8     Nippon Steel Trading
      America Inc.                  N/A             Nippon Steel
      725 S. Figueroa St.,          N/A           Trading Co. Ltd.
      Suite 1860                                        Tokyo
      Los Angeles 90017
      N/A

9     Taiheiyo Cement
      U.S.A. Inc.                  2,061        Taiheiyo Cement Corp.
      2025 East Financial           N/A                 Tokyo
      Way Glendora 91741
      taiheiyo-cement.co.jp

10    Korean Air
      1813 Wilshire Blvd.,        16,825            Hanjin Group
      Fourth Floor                  N/A                 Seoul
      Los Angeles 90057
      koreanair.com

11    China Southern
      Airlines                      N/A            China Southern
      6300 Wilshire Blvd.,          N/A           Airlines Co. Ltd.
      Suite 101                                   Guangzhou, China
      Los Angeles 90048
      cs-airl.com/en

12    Pioneer North America
      2265 E. 220th St.           37,622            Pioneer Corp.
      Long Beach 90810              N/A                 Tokyo
      pioneerelectronics.
      com

13    Westfield LLC
      11601 Wilshire Blvd.,         N/A            Westfield Group
      11th Floor Los                N/A                Sydney
      Angeles 90025
      westfield.com

14    DBS Bank
      445 S. Figueroa St.,        13,000              DBS Group
      Suite 3550                    N/A             Holdings Ltd.
      Los Angeles 90071                               Singapore
      dbs.com

15    Iwatani International
      Corp. of America             1,341               Iwatani
      385 Van Ness Ave.,            N/A          International Corp.
      Suite 110                                         Tokyo
      Torrance 90501
      iwatani.com

16    Red Bull North
      America Inc.                  N/A             Red Bull GmbH
      1740 Stewart Street           N/A            Fuschl, Austria
      Santa Monica 90404
      redbullusa.com

17    China Airlines
      200 N. Continental           9,831         China Airlines Ltd.
      Blvd. El Segundo              N/A            Taipei, Taiwan
      90245
      china-airlines.com

18    Sankyu U.S.A. Inc.
      24700 S. Main St.            8,675             Sankyu Inc.
      Carson 90745                  N/A                 Tokyo
      sankyu-usa.com

19    Nissin Foods
      U.S.A. Co. Inc.             21,900             Nissin Food
      2001 W. Rosecrans             N/A           Products Co. Ltd.
      Ave. Gardena 90249                            Osaka, Japan
      nissinfoods.com

20    NMB (USA) Inc.
      9730 Independence           49,563          Minebea Co. Ltd.
      Ave. Chatsworth 91311         N/A                 Tokyo
      nmbusa.com

21    Taisho Pharmaceutical
      California Inc.              5,327        Taisho Pharmaceutical
      3878 Carson St.,              N/A               Co. Ltd.
      Suite 216                                         Tokyo
      Torrance 90503
      taisho.co.jp/en

22    Clarion Corp. of
      America                     10,774          Clarion Co. Ltd.
      661 W. Redondo Beach          N/A              Toda, Japan
      Blvd. Gardena 90247
      clarion.com

23    Kenwood USA Corp.
      2201 E. Dominguez St.        4,483            Kenwood Corp.
      Long Beach 90810              N/A            Hachioji, Japan
      kenwoodusa.com

24    Oberthur Card
      Systems of America           5,000          Francois-Charles
      3150 E. Ana St.               N/A            Oberthur Group
      Rancho Dominguez                                  Paris
      90221
      oberthurcs.com

25    Sanrio Inc.
      990 W. 190th St.,             807            Sanrio Co. Ltd.
      Suite 220                     N/A                 Tokyo
      Torrance 90502
      sanrio.com

Rank  Company                Top Local Executive
      * name                 * name
      * address              * title
      * Web Address          * phone

1     American Honda Motor   Tetsuo Iwamura
      Co. Inc.               ceo, president
      1919 Torrance Blvd.    (310) 783-2000
      Torrance 90501
      honda.com

2     Nestle U.S.A. Inc.     Brad Alford
      800 N. Brand Blvd.     chairman, ceo
      Glendale 91203         (818) 549-6000
      nestleusa.com

3     Fresh & Easy           Tim Mason
      2120 Park Place,       ceo
      Suite 200              (310) 341-1200
      El Segundo 90245
      freshandeasy.com

4     Kirin Brewery          Randy Higa
      of America LLC         president
      970 W. 190th St.,      (310) 354-2400
      Suite 890
      Torrance 90404
      kirin.com

5     Isuzu Motors           Yoshitomo Utaka
      America Inc.           chairman
      13340 183rd St.        (562) 229-5000
      Cerritos 90702
      isuzu.com

6     Asahi Beer             Takaharo Tsuzuki
      U.S.A. Inc.            president
      20000 Mariner          (310) 921-4000
      Ave., Suite 300
      Torrance 90503
      asahibeerusa.com

7     Epson America Inc.     John Lang
      3840 Kilroy Airport    ceo, president
      Way Long Beach 90806   (562) 981-3840
      epson.com

8     Nippon Steel Trading   Yosuke Hara
      America Inc.           president
      725 S. Figueroa St.,   (213) 485-9072
      Suite 1860
      Los Angeles 90017
      N/A

9     Taiheiyo Cement        N/A
      U.S.A. Inc.            N/A
      2025 East Financial    (626) 852-6200
      Way Glendora 91741
      taiheiyo-cement.co.jp

10    Korean Air             T.S. Suk
      1813 Wilshire Blvd.,   managing director
      Fourth Floor           (310) 417-5200
      Los Angeles 90057
      koreanair.com

11    China Southern         Annie Ye
      Airlines               general manager
      6300 Wilshire Blvd.,   (888) 338-8988
      Suite 101
      Los Angeles 90048
      cs-airl.com/en

12    Pioneer North America  Tom Haga
      2265 E. 220th St.      group president, coo
      Long Beach 90810       (310) 952-2000
      pioneerelectronics.
      com

13    Westfield LLC          Peter S. Lowy
      11601 Wilshire Blvd.,  group managing director, U.S. ceo
      11th Floor Los         (310) 478-4456
      Angeles 90025
      westfield.com

14    DBS Bank               Andrew Ko
      445 S. Figueroa St.,   general manager
      Suite 3550             (213) 627-0222
      Los Angeles 90071
      dbs.com

15    Iwatani International  Tomohiko Kawasaki
      Corp. of America       treasurer
      385 Van Ness Ave.,     (310) 212-3331
      Suite 110
      Torrance 90501
      iwatani.com

16    Red Bull North         Selim Chidiac
      America Inc.           chairman
      1740 Stewart Street    (310) 393-4647
      Santa Monica 90404
      redbullusa.com

17    China Airlines         Charles Peng
      200 N. Continental     regional director, Americas
      Blvd. El Segundo       (800) 227-5118
      90245
      china-airlines.com

18    Sankyu U.S.A. Inc.     Yoshikazu Matsuzawa
      24700 S. Main St.      president
      Carson 90745           (310) 834-2245
      sankyu-usa.com

19    Nissin Foods           Takayuki Naruto
      U.S.A. Co. Inc.        president
      2001 W. Rosecrans      (323) 321-6453
      Ave. Gardena 90249
      nissinfoods.com

20    NMB (USA) Inc.         Myron Jones
      9730 Independence      president
      Ave. Chatsworth 91311  (818) 709-1770
      nmbusa.com

21    Taisho Pharmaceutical  N/A
      California Inc.        N/A
      3878 Carson St.,       (310) 543-2035
      Suite 216
      Torrance 90503
      taisho.co.jp/en

22    Clarion Corp. of       Matt Matsuda
      America                president
      661 W. Redondo Beach   (310) 327-9100
      Blvd. Gardena 90247
      clarion.com

23    Kenwood USA Corp.      Scott Eguchi
      2201 E. Dominguez St.  president
      Long Beach 90810       (310) 639-9000
      kenwoodusa.com

24    Oberthur Card          Martin Ferenczi
      Systems of America     managing director, North America
      3150 E. Ana St.        (310) 884-7900
      Rancho Dominguez
      90221
      oberthurcs.com

25    Sanrio Inc.            Daniel Inoue
      990 W. 190th St.,      executive vice president
      Suite 220              (310) 523-1705
      Torrance 90502
      sanrio.com

N/A--Not Available

Note: Companies are ranked by 2007 parent company revenues.

To the best of our knowledge, this information is accurate
as of press time. While every effort is made to ensure the
accuracy and thoroughness of the list, omissions and
typographical errors sometimes occur. Please send corrections
or additions on company letterhead to the Research Department,
Los Angeles Business Journal, 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 170,
Los Angeles 90036. [c] 2008 Los Angeles Business Journal. This
list may not be reprinted in whole or in part without prior
written permission from the editor. Reprints are available
from the YGS Group, (800) 290-5460 ext. 176.