Photo: The Canadian Press Empire Co. Ltd. reported a second-quarter profit of $181.1 million, down from $189.9 million in the same quarter last year. The grocer, which owns Sobeys, Safeway and FreshCo stores, says the profit amounted to 72 cents per diluted share for the 13-week period ended Nov. 4, down from 73 cents per diluted share a year earlier. Sales for the quarter totalled $7.75 billion, up from $7.64 billion in the same quarter last year. Same-store sales gained 2.2 per cent, while same-store sales, excluding fuel sales, rose 2.0 per cent. On an adjusted basis, Empire says it earned 71 cents per diluted share in its most…
