Final answer:
There are 153 ways to select 16 stores from a total of 18.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the number of possible groups of 16 stores that can be selected, we can use the formula for combinations. The formula for combinations is nCk = n! / (k!(n-k)!), where n is the total number of stores and k is the number of stores to be selected. In this case, n = 18 and k = 16. Plugging in these values into the formula, we get:
18C16 = 18! / (16!(18-16)!) = (18 * 17 * 16!) / (16! * 2!) = 18 * 17 / 2 = 153.
Therefore, there are 153 ways to select 16 stores from a total of 18.