‘Buy Canadian’ should boost their sales

Article Excerpt

Retaliatory tariffs by Canada would push up the prices of U.S.-made products. However, they would likely have little impact on these two supermarket operators, as consumers would probably switch to Canadian-made products, including their popular private-label brands. LOBLAW COMPANIES LTD. $187 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol L; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 302.6 million; Market cap: $56.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.9; Dividend yield: 1.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.loblaw.ca) operates 1,131 supermarkets under several banners, including Loblaws, Zehrs, Provigo, Real Canadian Superstore and No Frills. It also operates 1,361 Shoppers Drug Marts across Canada. Loblaw continues to benefit from its plan to open more discount-price stores, which are helping it attract cost-conscious consumers. In 2024, the company converted 38 of its regular locations to discount outlets. In the quarter ended December 28, 2024, overall sales rose 2.9%, to $14.95 billion from $14.53 billion a year earlier. Same-store sales for its supermarkets rose 2.5% from a year earlier, due to higher customer traffic…