<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Stellarton, NS-</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By Jordan Okumura<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">12.14.12</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Due to acquisitions Empire Co Ltd is reporting a higher second-quarter profit as sales at its Sobeys supermarket chain. Empire is the parent company to Sobeys. Net earnings rose from from $78.1 million (Canadian) a year earlier to $93.3 million (Canadian) or the equivalent of about $95 million U.S. dollars.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Total sales rose 9 percent to C$4.40 billion in the quarter which ended November 3. Sales at established stores rose 1.3 percent at Sobeys.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/hl_sobeys_body01.jpeg" alt="Images 121312" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Sobeys' contribution to sales rose from C$3.98 billion to C$4.34 billion, presenting an increase of 11 percent. The growth has been the result of the acquisition of 236 retail gas locations and related convenience store operations in the fourth quarter, according to a press release.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"We are pleased with Empire's second quarter financial performance and the dedication and hard work of our employees and franchisees," stated Paul Sobey, President and Chief Executive Officer of Empire. "During the second quarter we continued to execute on our strategic initiatives, which resulted in profitable growth despite a highly competitive marketplace. We remain committed to further enhancing the shopping experience of our customers and improving our cost structure and productivity,' he continued.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.sobeyscorporate.com/en/Media-Centre/News-Releases.aspx" target="_new">Sobeys</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
