Metro Inc.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Metro Inc. 2024 Second Quarter Results Conference Call. Note that all participant lines are in a listen-only mode. Following the presentation, we will conduct a question-and-answer session. And if at any time during this call you require immediate assistance, please press star zero for the operator. Also note that this call is being recorded on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. At this time, I would like to turn the call over to Estelle Riva. Please go ahead.

Thank you, Sylvie. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us today. I'm standing in for Sharon Kadosh with Absent Today. Our comments will focus on the financial results of our second quarter, which ended on March 16th. During the call, we'll present our second quarter results and comment on its highlights. We will then be happy to take your questions. Before we begin, I would like to remind you that we will use in today's discussion different statements that could be construed as forward-looking information. In general, any statement which does not constitute a historical fact may be deemed a forward-looking statement. Words or expressions such as expect, intend, are confident that, will, and other similar words or expressions are generally indicative of forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are based upon certain assumptions regarding the Canadian food and pharmaceutical industries, the general economy, our annual budgets, and our 2024-2025 action plan. These forward-looking statements do not provide any guarantees as to the future performance of the company and are subject to potential risks, known and unknown, as well as uncertainties that could cause the outcome to differ materially. Risk factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from our expectations as expressed in or implied by our forward-looking statements are described under the risk management section in our 2023 annual report. We believe these forward-looking statements to be reasonable and pertinent at this time and represent our expectations. The company does not intend to update any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law. I will now turn the call over to Eric Laflèche.

Merci, Estelle. Good morning, everyone. Today, François and I are joined by Marc Giroux, CEO of All Our Food Banners, and Jean-Michel Coutu, President of our Pharmacy Division. You had a chance to meet them at our investor day last year, and we thought it would be helpful if they participated on the analyst call going forward. Francois will lead off as usual with the review of our financials, and I will follow with the quarter's highlights. The four of us will then answer your questions. So, Francois, up to you.