Empire Co. sales, earnings grow

Empire Co. reported Q3 net earnings of $134.2 million, up 8.5 percent from $125.7 million a year earlier. The parent of Sobeys, Safeway, and FreshCo saw stable sales for the quarter, totalling about $7.49 billion compared to about $7.48 billion in the prior Q3. The results fell at the low end of Bay Street estimates.