MONTREAL -- Metro here last week said merchandising strategies and retail investments helped sustain sales growth amid tough competition during the fiscal third quarter that ended July 2.
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Labor conflicts at some stores, a loss of food-service customers and a decrease in tobacco sales were offset some by the addition of 15 Metro stores acquired during the quarter, the company said.
Excluding these events, sales increased 4.4% for the quarter, and same-store sales increased 3.7%, Metro said.
Earnings of $47 million increased 12.9%. Earnings of 58 Canadian cents per share increased from 51 cents a year ago and outperformed analyst estimates by a penny.
