These Three Can Handle Wal-Mart

Article Excerpt

Thanks to Free Trade Agreement with the United States, many U.S. retail chains have expanded their operations in Canada. That includes Wal-Mart, the world’s biggest retailer. Wal-Mart’s sophisticated inventory control systems and leverage with suppliers let it sell products for less than most of its competitors. Faced with this threat, many Canadian retailers have copied some of Wal-Mart’s tactics. This has helped them hang on to their market share, and the improved efficiencies have increased their profits. Here are three top Canadian retailers that have overhauled their businesses in the past few years. Sobeys and Canadian Tire are now enjoying the benefits of new equipment and better stores. Loblaw’s restructuring is taking longer than we anticipated, but its recent moves should also pay off. LOBLAW COMPANIES LTD. $51 (Toronto symbol L; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 274.1 million; Market cap: $14.0 billion; SI Rating: Above average) is Canada’s largest food seller, with about 1,700 stores under the Loblaws, Fortinos, No Frills,…