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global eyes
Making a
Quiet Mark
The UK is hearing a lot from the Quiet Mark program at the moment, with the aim being to make life and living just a little quieter and better.
If you think there might not be a need for such a program, know that World Health Organisation research shows that environmental noise pollution affects both mental and physical health and is now second only to air pollution as the world’s largest killer pollutant.
Now in its 10th year, Quiet Mark
is an international approval award programme associated with the UK Noise Abatement Society charity which conducts expert acoustic testing and verification of everyday machines, appliances, technologies, and house build materials, creating a unique one-stop platform for third-party approved noise reduction solutions.
Quiet Mark identifies the quietest products in 70+ product categories giving consumers and trade buyers a more informed choice about products’ sound levels at the same time as driving designers and manufacturers to reduce sound levels of their products enabling the households and workplaces to reduce stressful unwanted noise.
Most relevant to our audience, on top of noisy domestic appliances, early last year Quiet Mark expanded its service
to tackle noise related problems in building design, and include third- party verification of specialist acoustic materials for the building sector including walls, floors, ceilings, doors, windows etc.
www.quietmark.com
Who were last year’s biggest US retailers?
IT’S ALWAYS FASCINATING to gauge the relative scales of the largest corporations so it’s well worth noting who rose to the top in this year’s NRF Top 100 Retailers list.
The Nation Retail Foundation (NRF) and Kantar rank the US retail industry’s largest companies according to sales and the following is 2021’s top 10, with their 2020 US retail sales (US $ billions):
1. Walmart $430.82
2. Amazon $187.27
3. Kroger $131.57
4. The Home Depot $121.26
5. Costco Wholesale $121.22
6. Walgreens Boots $104.70
7. Target $92.40
8. CVS Health $89.53
9. Lowe’s $82.88
10. Albertsons $69.73
While pureplayer Amazon made it to #2 by dint of online-only sales, in terms of omnichannel, Walmart was still top dog and by a country mile.
In terms of the surge in home improvement retail, The Home Depot’s 2020 US sales were +21.3% on 2019, Lowe’s +23.8%, while Amazon’s was +33.7%.
The Home Depot also increased same store sales by 19.7% over 2019, while Lowe’s saw same store sales increase by 26.1%.
The NRF says of the list: “For a year that included so much upheaval in retail, the National Retail Federation’s Top 100 Retailers list remained relatively stable. Walmart continues at the top, where
it has been comfortably ensconced. Amazon remains in second place.
“While pandemic-related lockdowns negatively impacted some retailers, others were able to benefit Grocers like Publix, Aldi and H-E-B all moved up in the rankings, as did The Home Depot and Target. Those taking a hit included retailers like TJX Companies and Macy’s.”
“Companies that invested heavily in buy online, pick up in store [BOPIS] in 2018 and 2019 were losing money on it then,” says David Marcotte, Senior Vice President for Kantar, before adding: “In 2020, it all paid off. If you didn’t have that capability, you had to scramble to build it.”
https://nrf.com/
32 NZHJ | AUGUST 2021
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