Consumers Wary of Product Sourcing, Report Reveals

* 70 percent of retailers whose comparable store sales outperform the average have increased the percentage of merchandise they design together with suppliers;

* 80 percent of these retailers have experienced improvements in gross margin over the same period; and

* on-time delivery remained the most important criteria for suppliers, followed by order and merchandise quality, willingness to collaborate, fair labor practices, and the ability to provide new ideas for better products.