More companies are starting to say that "things are bottoming out and getting better," Berner said. "If CEOs start to think that business is improving, that's a big deal."
At HJ Heinz Co, the biggest ketchup-maker's sales to restaurants are starting to improve, Chief Executive Officer William Johnson said in an interview. "Things are getting better -- I certainly sense that in North America," he said.
Big Lots Inc, the nation's largest broad line closeout retailer with annual sales of more than US$3 billion, is "doing better than we anticipated based on what consumer sentiment had been predicting a couple of months ago," Executive Vice President Brad Waite said.
Retailers have benefited from cheaper wholesale goods. The decline in wholesale prices was the largest since a similar drop in May.
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