grammatical number - If "variety" is a singular collective noun, can I refer to it with "it"?


In this sentence I used it to refer to a variety mentioned a few words earlier, because I consider variety to be a collective noun which can be referred to in the singular. However, I'm not certain that the result actually reads that way: is it in my sentence actually referring unambiguously to the variety?



Shop vendors should include a variety of imported products because it solidifies the bond between countries and offers wide range of choice to customers.





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