can 'its' refer to a person

[er_singhabhishek]

How 'its' refer to retailer in the following sentence?

Reporting that one of its many problems had been the recent sales decline, the retailer said it would start a sale in its store.

Can 'it' or 'its' refer to a person?

[tim]

the retailer is probably a corporation and not a person..

[LimeiC714]

Hi instructor: I know OG problem is banned resource here, but I wonder whether can I ask part of the problem since I really confused with the topic of tense, please mention me if I can't do that,thank you a lot.
I remember Ron has cited two sentences elsewhere in the forum:
1. the work program hired workers who were incarcerated. this sentence means the program hired prisoners.
2.the work program hired workers who had been incarcerated.this sentence means the worker were free during the program.
and in this link: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/foru ... 58397.html the explaination of Ron about choice A and B both imply same usage of past tense( the action happened and state changed before main verb )

so in this problem, it seems to me that the past perfect tense(had been)would imply that the situation of decline changed or disappeared when retailers said something. I never totally understand the usage of tense because there is no such thing in my language, I feel really painful about that.
Ron has helped me solve millions of puzzles in SC, and I really hope you can help me with this one, thank you in advance, sincerely.

[RonPurewal]

Hi instructor: I know OG problem is banned resource here, but I wonder whether can I ask part of the problem

banned = banned. not partially banned. (:

MORE IMPORTANTLY --
i don't recall seeing any official problems that actually depend on the tense difference you're describing.
if a verb-tense decision is actually REQUIRED to solve a problem, the distinction will be MUCH bigger and more black-and-white than this—e.g., using a past tense to describe something in the future, or some error of similar magnitude.

...so, if you're staring at THESE two tenses, you're probably being distracted from some OTHER decision (that you could probably make much more easily).