Grocery and drugstore retailer Metro reports $217M fourth-quarter profit
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MONTREAL – Grocery and drugstore retailer Metro Inc. says it earned a fourth-quarter profit of $217 million, down from $219.9 million in the same quarter last year, as it was hit by costs related to problems at its frozen food distribution centre in Toronto.
The company said operations at the facility resumed last week after it was shut down for almost two months, but the temporary closure cost it $22.5 million in the quarter.
Metro chief executive Eric La Flèche said the company expects the distribution centre to be essentially back to normal by the end of December.
“I want to thank all our teams who continue to execute our contingency plan to supply our stores, thereby minimizing the impact on our customers,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Metro was forced to stop work at the Toronto frozen food distribution centre on Sept. 12 due to an issue with its refrigeration system. It resumed operations on Nov. 10.
In its outlook, the company said it estimates that the direct costs associated with the temporary shutdown of the distribution centre will impact its net earnings by about $15 million to $20 million in its first quarter of its 2026 financial year.
The company behind the Metro grocery chain and Jean Coutu drugstores says its profit amounted to $1.00 per diluted share for the 12-week period ended Sept. 27, up from 98 cents per diluted share a year ago when it had more shares outstanding.
Sales for the quarter totalled $5.11 billion, up from $4.94 billion in the same quarter last year.
Food same-store sales for the quarter were up 1.6 per cent, while pharmacy same-store sales gained 4.8 per cent with a 5.5 per cent increase in prescription drugs and a 2.9 per cent increase in front-store sales.
On an adjusted basis, Metro says it earned $1.13 per diluted share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.02 per diluted share in the same quarter last year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 19, 2025.
Companies in this story: (TSX: MRU)