Impact of Tariffs Showing in Aluminum Cans, Canadian Grocer Says

(Bloomberg) -- Montreal-based Metro Inc. says it accepted price hikes from some suppliers, notably on soft drinks, because tariffs on aluminum have made cans more expensive.

• Metro Chief Executive Officer Eric La Fleche tells reporters in Montreal that tariff-related price increases hit the whole industry and couldn’t be passed on to consumers in every case because of competition.
• Grocer says it’s monitoring Amazon, the “elephant in the room” when it comes to competition
• Metro is adding self-checkout cashiers; electronic price tags in some Quebec stores. It’s looking into a “scan-and-go” pilot project, a technology that has customers use a hand-held device or their own smartphone to scan their goods .
• E-commerce options cover 60 percent of the Quebec population, service will start in Ontario this year.
  Note: Metro First Quarter Sales Beat Highest Estimate

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