Continue reading the main story. 1  AMID the squawks and pings of our digital devices, the old-fashioned virtues of reading novels can seem faded, even futile. 2  Brain scans are revealing what happens in our heads when we read a detailed description, an evocative metaphor or an emotional exchange between characters.
One metric that investors use to evaluate companies and industries is profit margin, which speaks of the company's ability to manage its cost and effectively price its products. In May 2015, the profit margin for companies in the food and beverage sector ranged from -24.1% to 24%. The average profit margin was 5.2%.Profit margin is calculated as net income divided by the company's total revenues.n May 2015, the profit margin for companies in the food and beverage sector ranged from -24.1% to 24%. The average profit margin was 5.2%.
There is no average gross profit margin for a small retail business, since every retail business is unique. To show the range of gross profit margins, consider that a retail grocery store operates with a gross profit margin of around 25 percent, while a small jewelry store can operate at a gross profit margin level of around 50 percent.