Iconic retailer profits from new-store push

Article Excerpt

Canadian Tire is down 36% from its April 2008 peak of $70. Investors fear that rising unemployment will hurt its sales and increase losses on its credit-card loans. However, the company has been improving its stores. It also owns some of Canada’s best-known brands. These factors give it a big advantage in a highly competitive industry. CANADIAN TIRE CORP. $45 (Toronto symbol CTC.A; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 81.5 million; Market cap: $3.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.4; SI Rating: Above Average) operates 475 stores that sell automotive, household and sporting goods. It also operates 86 PartSource auto-parts stores, 372 Mark’s Work Wearhouse casual-clothing stores and 273 gas stations. Canadian Tire continues to replace its older stores with new ones that are more shopper-friendly. The new stores have wider aisles, brighter lighting and clearer signage. On average, its stores are a third larger than they were five years ago. These improvements contributed, at least in part, to a rise in Canadian Tire’s…