Loblaw’s sales in the full year ended December 31, 2011 rose 1.3% to C$31.3bn (£19.69bn) and like-for-like sales edged up 0.9%.

In the fourth quarter, the grocery and general merchandise retailer reported that sales of food and clothing were strong while drugstore sales remained flat. Sales growth in general merchandise, excluding apparel, declined marginally due to optimisation of range and assortment of products.

The 3.2% climb in retail sales for the period was driven by a 2.5% rise in like-for-like sales.