In Preparing for an Audit of the Retail Footwear Division

In preparing for an audit of the retail footwear division of a major retail organization,the auditor gathered the following information about the organization's stores: $$\begin{array} { l r r r r } & \text { All } & \text { Northeast } & \text { Southwest } & \text { Mid-Central } \\& \text { Stores } & \text { Region } & \text { Region } & \text { Region } \\& \$ 736,000 & \$ 840,000 & \$ 760,000 & \$ 630,000 \\\text { Average sales per store } & \$ 375,000 & \$ 420,000 & \$ 325,000 & \$ 395,000 \\\text { Average cost of goods sold per store } & 48 & 13 & 18 & 17 \\\text { Number of stores } & 1,800 & 2,200 & 1,850 & 1,550 \\\text { Average square feet per store } & \$ 137,000 & \$ 152,000 & \$ 140,000 & \$ 122,000 \\\text { Average sales per full-time employee } & \$ 98,000 & \$ 102,000 & \$ 82,000 & \$ 112,000 \\\text { Average wage related expense per store } & \$ 35,000 & \$ 285,000 & \$ 320,000 & \$ 115,000\end{array}$$ Based on the previous information,which of the following preliminary conclusions can the auditor use as a basis for further investigations?

A) Sales per store are directly related to the size of the store.
B) Sale clerks are less productive in larger size stores.
C) Gross margin is directly related to the size of the store.
D) Average square feet of store correlates with the number of stores in the district.