The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday, Nov. 7, edition that on Thursday, Canadian Tire posted wider sales in its third quarter. The Globe's Susan Krashinsky Robertson writes that growth in discretionary purchases outpaced sales of essential items at its stores for the first time since 2021. Canadian Tire reported on Thursday that sales increased across its store banners. Sales growth was slowest at the flagship Canadian Tire chain, which saw stronger demand in Ontario and Quebec, offset by weaker performance in Alberta. An unusually warm October in many parts of Canada contributed to softening sales in the first part of the fourth quarter. Growth will depend partly on the weather and the stabilization of the Canada Post labour disruption. Executives noted that the company had to shift to less effective delivery options for important paper flyers in the meantime. Canadian Tire's third quarter net income dropped to $169.1-million or $3.13 a share from $198.5-million or $3.55 a year earlier, yet it still exceeded analyst expectations. The dip in earnings was largely attributed to expenses related to the company's True North strategy -- a $2-billion plan to strip out inefficiencies in the business.