These retailers have made all the right moves

Article Excerpt

Both Loblaw and Metro successfully weathered the pandemic. In fact, the shares of both are now trading near all-time highs for our subscribers! Meanwhile, many of their customers who opted for home delivery (or in-store pickup) during pandemic lockdowns are sticking with that value-added service. At the same time, both retailers have improved their loyalty programs, which should continue to spur additional spending per visit, both in-store and online. LOBLAW COMPANIES, $111.52, is a buy. Through your shares (Toronto symbol L; Shares o/s: 325.4 million; Market cap: $36.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Divd. yield: 1.5%; www.loblaw.ca), you tap 1,091 food stores and 1,346 Shoppers Drug Mart outlets in Canada. In the quarter ended June 18, 2022, overall sales rose 2.9%, to $12.85 billion from $12.49 billion a year earlier. Loblaw has increased its selling prices in response to rising costs for food, fuel and other inputs. Excluding one-time items, per-share earnings in the latest quarter gained 25.2%, to $1.69 from $1.35. The jump was due…