New strategy pays off for Loblaw

Article Excerpt

Dear safe-money investor: Loblaw continues to profit from its improved computer systems and labour agreements, and the closure of unprofitable stores. Investments in the company’s e-commerce operations have also paid off. They include the expansion of Loblaw’s click-and-collect program, which lets customers order groceries online and pick them up at nearby stores. LOBLAW COMPANIES $69.23 (Toronto symbol L; Shares outstanding: 400.8 million; Market cap: $27.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 1.5%; www.loblaw.ca) operates over 1,090 supermarkets and 1,325 Shopper Drug Mart pharmacies across Canada. The company reported higher sales and earnings for the fourth quarter of 2016 thanks to strong customer traffic during the holiday season. That helped offset lower food prices. In the three months ended December 31, 2016, the company’s sales rose 2.4%, to $11.1 billion from $10.9 billion a year earlier. Excluding gasoline purchases, same-store sales at Loblaw’s supermarkets rose 1.1% in the quarter. Same-store sales for Shoppers Drug Mart gained 3.4%. That reflects a 2.5% rise in the sale…