Loblaw sales, earnings beat estimates

Loblaw Cos. Ltd. reported that Q2 net earnings rose to $508 million, or $1.58 per share, from $387 million ($1.16) a year earlier. The company attributed the 31 percent gain largely to a $111 million tax charge that bit into its Q2 earnings in 2022.  Revenues for the quarter rose by 6.9 percent to $13.7 billion, while grocery same-store sales were up by 6.1 percent.