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Article Excerpt

NORTH WEST CO. $31.27 (Toronto symbol NWC; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (604-231-1100; www.northwest.ca; Shares o/s: 49.1 million; Market cap: $1.5 billion; Dividend yield: 4.2%) sells food and everyday products and services through 244 stores. Those locations are mainly in northern communities across Canada and Alaska. The company also operates in remote regions of Hawaii, the South Pacific and the Caribbean. North West signed a 30-year deal in 2002 with Ottawa-based Giant Tiger for the exclusive right to open and operate Giant Tiger general merchandise stores in Western Canada. It now operates 44 stores. Giant Tiger has over 200 locations elsewhere in Canada. In the quarter ended April 30, 2019, the company’s overall sales rose 6.2%, to $494.5 million from $465.7 million a year earlier. Improved same-store sales for North West’s Canadian and international operations, plus the addition of new stores, spurred those gains. The higher overall sales were only partially offset by weaker sales at Giant Tiger due to colder-than-usual weather and increased discount food…