For Fabindia, converting suppliers into partners translates into deeper ties and a more efficient supply chain, enabling the 97-unit retailer to expand at the rate of 2 new store openings every month.

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We define cash productivity as the amount of free cash flow that a retailer produces per unit of retail space.

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But they also have the highest sales per unit area of any U.S. retailer, double that of Tiffany.

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Ms. Black said profit margins on unit-dose detergents are constrained because the wholesale price is already high, so the retailer is wary of putting too much of a markup on it.

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Ebay's move would also open the online retailer to a pool of minors who are already making payments through the company's PayPal unit.

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