“This is a critical time of year, the time when most retailers make a lot of their money,” Schade said. Only four companies in the top 50 retailers earned an A or A- — Apple, Sephora, Target and Walmart. Three companies — Ulta Beauty, IKEA and Whole Foods Market — received a B grade, while 26 companies were equally split between C and D grades. “We also grade companies on whether the changes requested from their suppliers are actually implemented, if they have truly ‘banned the bad,’ so to speak,” Peele said. Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the number of retailers who earned an A or A-.

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