"Take out the yeast of rising energy prices and overall producer prices are flat as a pancake, " said Ron Schreibman, vice president of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, a trade group whose members buy goods from producers and then resell them.
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Shanley said consumer purchasing is growing at a 4 percent to 5 percent rate in Europe while it's " flat as a pancake " in the United States, meaning that Nike and other shoemakers are " in a market share battle in this country, so it's tougher to get momentum going when you're basically just trading shoe wall space with your competitors ."
