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 Industry Roundup |
Apparel & Accessories
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From recycled box to seed paper: fashion is looking for ways to make even the packaging of our clothes sustainable
CE Noticias Financieras (Latin America) (12/20)
Euratex publishes manifesto with 15 demands to maintain competitiveness in European textile, apparel industries, emphasizing sustainability, entrepreneurship, innovation; manifesto advocates for a 'smart' EU industrial policy, digitalization investments
Textile Value Chain (India) (12/20)
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Auto Parts & Accessories
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Hyundai Motor America rolls out ignition cylinder anti-theft protectors for vehicles ineligible for a software upgrade; plans to install devices in 646,000 vehicles for free at all dealerships to prevent social media-driven thefts
ENP Newswire (12/19)
O'Reilly Automotive expands into Canada with acquisition of Canadian auto parts supplier Groupe Del Vasto, which operates under the name Vast-Auto Distribution; Vast-Auto has two DCs, six warehouses, 23 company-owned stores and independent partners
Zack's Commentary (12/19)
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Books & Bookselling
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PEN America report gives data summary of nearly 6,000 public school book bans the organization has documented since July 2021; PEN notes that many banned books in one district are banned in others, often in other states, a trend tied to political groups
Publisher's Weekly (12/15)
Tencent subsidiary China Literature buys Tencent Animation and Comics for US$83.6M; Tencent holds 56% of shares in China Literature so deal is merger of subsidiaries
Publisher's Weekly (12/15)
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Home Improvement / Hardware Stores
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Westlake Ace Hardware to take over former Sears building in Johnson County, Missouri; soft opening for the 12,000-sq.-ft. store is set for Q2
WDAF-TV (Kansas City, MO) (12/15)
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Kitchenware / Cookware / Bakeware
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Worldwide cookware market size to grow at CAGR of 5.88% from 2023 to 2028; APAC accounts for 44% of growth during forecast period on high potential for cookware market players with the inclusion of the rural customer base in India and China: Technavio
PR Newswire (12/18)
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Private-Label Products
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McKinsey: European supermarkets have increased their range of alternatives to branded foods, as 78% of consumers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK, across income groups, say they're switching to cheaper products or shopping at lower-priced retailers
Reuters (12/19)
Surging prices of UK household paper products impact sales volume, benefiting Accrol's Magnum and other value brands; plans for new lower-priced launches and strategies are in place, according to executives from Essity, K-C, Cheeky Panda
Grocer (UK) (12/15)
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Vitamins / Supplements
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Global digestive health supplements market forecast to grow from US$11.0B in 2021 to US$21.41B by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 8.68%; growth driven by increasing consumer awareness of gut health: Straits Research
Globe Newswire (12/20)
Rat study suggests vitamin D may decrease the detrimental brain health effects of high fructose corn syrup by lowering number of HFCS-related degenerative neurons, regulating oxidant-antioxidant balance, reducing oxidative stress
FoodNavigator.com (12/15)
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Pop-Up Stores / Businesses
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Macy's collaborates with fashion brand Anne Klein to host a pop-up shop in New York City; shop will be open daily from 11 am until 8 pm in the city's SoHo neighborhood, showcasing styles from Anne Klein's latest collection
Retail Dive (12/14)
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Point-of-Purchase (POP) / In-Store Display
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Menasha Packaging purchases two Highcon Beam 2 Digital Die Cutting Systems for installation at one of its North American packaging facilities; Menasha produces folding cartons, corrugated packaging, display merchandising solutions
WhatTheyThink (12/14)
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Brick-and-Mortar Retail
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Mall operator Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to debt maturities, three years after a previous bankruptcy filing; company's malls continue to report performance declines this year
Retail Dive (12/19)
Walmart to bring Affirm’s pay-over-time options to self-checkout kiosks at over 4,500 Walmart stores in the US; Affirm research finds 54% of customers are looking for retailers to offer a buy now, pay later option at checkout
Associated Press (12/19)
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Frictionless Retail / Checkout
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WSJ highlights Uniqlo's RFID-based self-checkout counter at its outlet store in New York City, calling it 'the self checkout even the haters will love'; system performs all checkout-related tasks, takes a total of 30 seconds
Kiosk Marketplace (12/18)
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Retailing
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Whole Foods Market releases new pollinator health policy for fresh produce and floral; by 2025, company will require all growers to implement an Integrated Pest Management system, will prohibit use of nitroguanidine neonicotinoids in all potted plants
Whole Foods Market Inc. (12/20)
Kwik Trip to invest over US$151M to expand operations in Wisconsin; plans include growing facilities in La Crosse, the purchase and renovation of a commercial office building in Onalaska, construction of new satellite distribution center
States News Service (12/20)
Kohl's appoints Wendy Arlin to board of directors; Arlin most recently served as CFO for Bath & Body Works, brings over 30 years of experience
Kohl's Corp. (12/20)
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Retail group
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Rite Aid banned from using facial recognition technology for surveillance purposes for five years to settle FTC lawsuit; FTC says Rite Aid falsely tagged consumers, particularly women and people of color, as shoplifters
States News Service (12/20)
Kenya competition authority fines Carrefour franchisee Majid al Futtaim US$7.2M for abuse of buyer power; Carrefour is required to amend all supplier contracts to remove clauses that facilitate abuse of power
Bizcommunity (South Africa) (12/20)
Amazon opens 200,000-sq-ft same-day delivery center in Westborough, Massachusetts
Community Advocate (Westborough, MA) (12/20)
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Food Retail
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Supermarket
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Albertsons appoints Sarah Mensah and Lisa Gray to board of directors; Mensah joins from Nike, Gray is vice chair and senior legal officer at Cerberus Operations & Advisory Co.
Business Wire (12/19)
Mercadona, unions agree to wage increase of up to 6% per year until the end of 2028 to keep pace with inflation; agreement extends to logistics workers, including those in warehouses exclusively for online sales
CE Noticias Financieras (Latin America) (12/18)
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Drug Retail
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Drugstore Chain
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Rite Aid offers mpox vaccine at eight additional locations in California in partnership with the California Department of Health
Rite Aid Corp. (12/18)
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Independent Drugstore
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McKesson names Crystal Lennartz, Pharm.D., MBA, as president of Health Mart & Health Mart Atlas; most recently, Lennartz served as VP & general manager of Health Mart Atlas & Atlas Specialty
Contify Life Science News (12/15)
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Hypermarkets & Super Centers
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Club Store
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Costco CEO says company's lower turnover rates, bolstered by good wages and benefits, is one of its keys to success; among other reasons, he says less turnover means less spent on training employees
Marietta Daily Journal (GA) (12/19)
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Mass Merchandise Retailers
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Hershey's sales teams are building merchandising buy-in from retailers by using augmented reality to help determine the best merchandising scenarios for its new Reese's Caramel Big Cup, says Andy Hunt, manager of applied digital innovation
Consumer Goods Technology News (12/20)
Target's chief information officer says company's use of AI aims to foster emotional connection with customers; solutions include forecasting demand to keep items from going out of stock, personalized ads via company's retail media business, Roundel
Target Corp. (12/18)
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Big Box Retailers
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Target outlines ways customers can make last minute holiday purchases as late as Christmas Eve
PR Newswire (12/14)
Former Walmart Spark delivery driver sues company, claiming gig drivers should be considered employees, hourly earnings do not meet minimum wage; suit also claims drivers are not paid while being made to wait for orders to be prepared
Business Insider (12/14)
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Internet Retail
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E-Commerce Trends & Statistics
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Euromonitor: Japan's adult incontinence online sales up 30% in first three quarters of 2023 from year-ago period, driven by expansive offerings, convenience of e-commerce that offers discreet transactions; lower-priced products see strongest price hikes
Euromonitor International Ltd. (12/15)
FMI expects global micro flute paper market to grow at CAGR of 5.1% to hit US$4.37B by 2033, fueled by interest in sustainable consumption, rising demand for lightweight, recyclable packaging; key segments driving growth include food/beverage, e-commerce
Textile Value Chain (12/15)
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Online Media & Digital Apps
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Fiery announces new website, user community, learning platform where customers can find product information, free trials, training courses, expert advice, engage with peers about printing, packaging, sign and display graphics, specialty products
Fiery LLC (12/20)
FSC to launch webinar series on January 18, which provides comprehensive package, FSC EUDR Aligned, to help stakeholders adapt to EU's Regulation on Deforestation Free Products; voluntary module to present chain of custody and controlled wood requirement
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) (12/18)
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Online Selling / Shopping
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Kammac expands operations from four million-sq-ft to 8.5 million in 18 months; Amazon’s Vendor Flex service to also now operate from Kammac site using their expertise in e-fulfillment, trained staff, to serve up major beer brands to Amazon customers
Packaging News (12/20)
Foodservice Packaging Institute’s 15th annual Trends Report highlights decreased international shipping costs, uptick in purchase of foodservice packaging via ecommerce channels, post-pandemic shifts and inflation, and policy considerations such as EPR
Foodservice Packaging Institute (FPI) (12/20)
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General Retailing
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Dollar Stores / Deep Discounters
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Dollar Tree receives score of 85 out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index, which measures policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality
Dollar Tree Inc. (12/19)
Dollar General, marketing firm Goodway Group named finalists at 2023 Modern Retail Awards; companies witnessed 'unprecedented growth' for Dollar General's media network, including an 80% sales growth rating in 2023 Path to Purchase Institute Trends survey
News Direct (12/18)
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Off-Price Stores / Outlets
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Nordstrom Rack to Open New Location in Omaha, Nebraska
PR Newswire (12/19)
Nordstrom Rack to open new location in Noblesville, Indiana
PR Newswire (12/14)
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Consumers
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Consumer Economics
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Commentary: Analysts predict US recession is off the table in 2024, but companies still bracing for slowdown and continue to cut inventories as they adjust to sluggish demand; survey finds two-thirds of consumers still think recession could happen in 2024
Reuters (12/20)
Bank of America economist predicts 'soft landing' for US economy despite Fed's rate hikes, indicating greater resilience in labor market, consumer spending; revised forecast shows increased economic growth, with lower inflation and unemployment by 2024
Fortune (12/20)
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Consumer Behavior / Attitudes
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The changing tides of sustainable packaging in the US
MarketLine (12/20)
NIO's ET7 EV reportedly sets new range record, covering over 1,000 kilometers on a single charge using a 150 kWh battery, effectively addressing potential customers' range anxiety issues; NIO plans to mass produce the battery starting in April 2024
Boy Genius Report (12/20)
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Consumer Health & Wellness
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US adults tend to consume up to 500 calories throughout the day in non-nutritious treats, making up nearly a quarter of their daily calorie intake and about one-third of daily added sugar, according to Ohio State University research
New York Post, The (12/19)
Pacific Spice Co. predicts 2024 Spice Flavor Trends for food manufacturers, including: earthy flavors with nutritious properties, global spice blends, complex heat and smoked spices
Pacific Spice Company (12/15)
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Population / Demographics
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In the US, 169.8 million persons worked at some point in 2022, representing 63.8% of the civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and up; proportions of men and women who worked were 68.8% and 58.9%, respectively: Dept. of Labor
U.S. Dept. of Labor (DOL) (12/19)
Canadian population increased by 430,635 people from July 1 to a total of 40,528,396 as of October 1; international migration accounted for 96.0% of the population growth: Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (12/19)
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Stock
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Latest: Dec, 20 2023
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Latest Value |
Prev |
Chg |
YOY Chg |
| Watchlist |
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Albertsons Cos. Inc. (ACI)
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22.76
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22.62
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0.62%
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10.11%
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Amazon Com (AMZN)
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152.12
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153.79
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-1.09%
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78.57%
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Costco Wholesale (COST)
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661.00
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677.74
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-2.47%
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44.38%
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Cvs Caremark (CVS)
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77.24
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76.26
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1.29%
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-18.69%
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Dollar General (DG)
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128.91
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130.02
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-0.85%
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-46.49%
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Dollar Tree (DLTR)
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134.41
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133.60
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0.61%
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-3.45%
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Home Depot (HD)
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348.66
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352.07
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-0.97%
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10.74%
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Kroger Company (KR)
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45.00
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45.07
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-0.16%
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0.94%
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Lowes Companies (LOW)
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222.01
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225.42
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-1.51%
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10.53%
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Target (TGT)
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136.90
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139.58
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-1.92%
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-4.43%
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Tesco plc (TSCO) :LON
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286.10
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283.50
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0.92%
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27.89%
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Wal Mart Stores (WMT)
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153.71
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155.53
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-1.17%
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6.71%
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Walgreen (WBA)
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25.40
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26.03
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-2.42%
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-35.75%
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Retail & Omnichannel
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