Smaller Metro Has More Growth Potential

Article Excerpt

The supermarket business is getting more competitive. Wal-Mart continues to build new supercentres, which are 50% larger than its traditional stores. These supercentres sell discount-priced produce, dairy products and meat, as well as general merchandise. To compete, Canadian grocery chains Metro and Loblaw have aggressively cut their costs. They are also investing heavily in new inventory control technology and stores. We feel these moves will help both companies thrive in the next few years. However, we think a smaller company, like Metro Inc., is in a better position to expand earnings than Loblaw. Metro Inc. $25 (Toronto symbol MRU.A; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 111.9 million; Market cap: $2.8 billion; SI Rating: Extra risk) operates around 600 retail food stores under the Metro, Metro Plus, Super C, A&P, Dominion, Loeb and Food Basics banners. Metro has completed the first phase of its 2005 acquisition of A&P Canada, which operates 244 stores in Ontario. The first phase involved combining the two companies’ purchasing…