Net Sales 46021, 29865, 37536, 36012, 34553 (2017-2013)

1. Determine the sales-growth rate (in percentage) from 2014 to 2017. What trend do we observe?
2. If we were to use the four-year average sales growth to forecast 2018 sales, what rate would we use?
3. c. The annual report reveals that 2016 included a 53rd week (as is common for retailers, every four years) and that the company acquired a smaller company during that year. Sales for the newly acquired company were included in the consolidated income statement: from the date of acquisition, which amounted to $5,235 million. Use this information to refine the sales-growth rate. (Hint: Consider multiplying sales for a 53-week year by 52/53 to get an apples-to-apples comparison with numbers from 52-week years.)