JOLLIBEE opened a branch in Manhattan in October.

HOMEGROWN food giant Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) expanded its attributable profit by a fourth from July to September, lifted by its global store expansion alongside the consolidation of American burger chain Smashburger into its portfolio.
In a disclosure to the stock exchange on Monday, JFC said net income attributable to equity holders of the parent climbed to P2.04 billion in the third quarter of 2018, 26% higher year-on-year. Its topline also registered a 22% increase to P39.75 billion, on the back of a 26% uptick in system-wide retail sales to P53.27 billion.
The listed firm attributed the system-wides sales increase to the consolidation of Smashburger into its portfolio. Without Smashburger, JFC’s system-wide sales for the third quarter went up by 16%, following a same store sales growth of 6% coupled with changes in foreign exchange rates.
Smashburger drove the North American business 218% higher. Without Smashburger, the North American business grew by 30.3%.
Meanwhile, its business in Europe, Middle East, and Asia ex-Philippines improved by 32%, while China went up by 5.2%.
The Philippines business, on the other hand, firmed up by 15%, after same-store sales growth reached seven percent. JFC’s local business accounts for 70% of system-wide sales.
This brought JFC’s attributable profit 19.2% higher to P6.09 billion in the first nine months of the year, after revenues logged a 21% increase to P114.84 billion. System-wide retail sales for the period also surged 24% to P153.18 billion.
Earnings per share on a year-to-date basis went up by 18.4% to P5.60.
“Sales grew strongly in most regions in the world including the Philippines. We are encouraged particularly by the strong performance of Jollibee and Highland Coffee in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam which have been growing by 35% driven by high same store sales and the opening of 73 new stores in the first nine months of the year with strong return on investments,” JFC Chief Financial Officer Ysmael V. Baysa said in a statement.
The JFC Group’s worldwide store network stood at 4,353 by end-September, after opening 302 stores during the period. Of this, 3,003 are located in the country across several brands such as Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Burger King, and Pho 24.
Overseas, the group also manages other brands like Dunkin’ Donuts, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, Highlands Coffee, Hard Rock Cafe, and Smashburger.
The nine-month period saw JFC’s entry into new markets, including Milan, Italy last April, Macau in June, and the United Kingdom in October. The company looks to open Jollibee stores in Malaysia and Guam in the following months.
Mr. Baysa said they expect the new stores to further improve earnings with the next one to two years, amid “episodes of high inflation rate and the acquisition of new businesses.”
Shares in JFC fell by 1.44% or P4 to close at P274 each on Monday. — Arra B. Francia

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