Empire earnings fall on higher sales

Empire Co., the parent of grocers Sobeys and Safeway, posted Q1 net earnings of $207.8 million, $0.86 per share, down from $261 million ($1.03) a year earlier. On an adjusted basis, earnings rose to $218.7 million, or $0.90 per share, from $196.2 million ($0.78 cents). Total revenues rose by 0.8 percent to $8.14 billion, with comp sales up by 1.0 percent.