Empire Company Limited · Stellarton, NS Canada ·(Toronto: EMP)

Decline and fall? Not for this Empire of supermarkets, food distribution, movie theaters, and real estate. Empire Company owns Sobeys, Canada's #2 grocery chain (after Loblaw). Sobeys operates some 1,325 food and drug stores across Canada under names such as Sobeys, IGA, Foodland, Price Chopper, and Lawton's Drug; it distributes food to its company-owned stores and other retailers. The stores offer about 4,800 products under the Compliments private label. Wholly-owned Empire Theatres operates about 50 theaters and is the #2 movie exhibitor in Canada with some 375 screens. Controlled by the Sobey family, Empire also develops and manages commercial and, to a lesser extent, residential real estate. To read the full description, subscribe now.