"In the last couple of months, we've seen quite a few deals come across our desk," president and chief executive
The potential deals span both
"We'll remain disciplined. We commit to that," Hannasch said, noting the company can't guarantee any deals will come to fruition. "But we'd like to think we can land a few opportunities over the coming quarters."
The focus on acquisitions comes as the
The company said Wednesday that Hannasch, who has been with the firm for 10 years, will retire on
When chief operating officer
News of Hannasch's future came the same day the company hosted a call to discuss its fourth-quarter performance with analysts.
During the period ended
"No doubt, this was another challenging quarter with persistent inflation and continued pressure on consumers who are carefully watching their spending," Hannasch said.
On the fuel front, he has noticed customers buying lower amounts per visit.
Inside stores, there's been a gravitation toward private label products and shoppers trading down from premium to lower tier brands in categories like alcohol.
Cigarette sales have also been "an issue," he said.
"As prices have gone up, consumers have gotten squeezed, the percentage of people buying in the illicit channels continues to rise and that's a big headwind to fight," he said.
"It's going to continue to be a bit of a drag on us in
These factors have already hampered the business, pushing same-store merchandise revenue down 0.5 per cent in the
The results nudged the company's share price down by about two per cent or, or
Yet Hannasch was still optimistic about the business.
He noted it has been working to expand its loyalty program, improve employee training and launch promotions in the beverage category, which he said is the No. 1 reason why people visit the chain's stores.
"We feel good — barring any weather — that the summer is going to be good for us," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published
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