Tap into Loblaw’s tech

Article Excerpt

LOBLAW COMPANIES $69.82, is a buy. Through this stock (Toronto symbol L; Shares o/s: 366.1 million; Market cap: $25.1 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Divd. yield: 1.8%; www.loblaw.ca) investors tap a chain of 1,087 supermarkets and 1,341 Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacies across Canada. And now, investors will also gain from the company’s latest move to thrive in an intensely competitive industry marked by slim profit margins. That reality means even a small reduction in costs can spur big profit gains. As part of its strategy, Loblaw will close its distribution centres in Ottawa and Laval, Quebec, and consolidate their operations in its automated complex in Cornwall, Ontario, which it plans to expand. The company has yet to tell investors how much it will pay in severance and other costs. However, the move to an automated facility will cut Loblaw’s long-term operating costs. The new high-tech facility will be built on Highway 401 in a business-friendly city and on lower-priced land. The community is also home to…