LOWE’S POSTS STRONG CANADIAN SALES

Lowe’s Cos. Inc. is in a strong position in Canada even before the home improvement giant closes its pending $ 3.2- billion acquisition of Rona Inc. The North Carolina- based retailer, which announced a friendly takeover of the Quebec- based hardware chain earlier this month, posted its third consecutive year of double-digit Canadian samestore sales growth on Wednesday. For the fourth quarter ended Jan. 29, Lowe’s said its sales at stores open for more than a year in Canada grew 13.8 per cent compared with the same period a year ago, up from 7.5- percent same-store sales growth in the third quarter.