KUALA LUMPUR: Empire Premium Food Bhd remains optimistic about its prospects for the financial year ending March 31, 2027 (FY27), as the Empire Sushi operator continues to expand its nationwide footprint.
The group is targeting 158 outlets by the end of FY27, up from 151 as at June 30, comprising 133 grab-and-go outlets and 18 quick dine-in outlets.
Chief executive officer Nicole Lim said the group's strengthened balance sheet following its listing would support its outlet expansion plans while allowing it to improve operational efficiency and menu offerings.
“We remain focused in executing our outlet expansion plans as we work towards our target of 158 outlets by the end of FY2027,” she said in a statement.
For the first quarter ended June 30, Empire posted a net profit of RM10.8mil, or earnings per share of 1.02 sen, on revenue of RM84.7mil.
There are no year-on-year comparative figures as this is the group's first interim financial report following its listing on Bursa Malaysia.
On a quarter-on-quarter basis, revenue rose 5.5% from RM80.3mil, driven by stronger sales at existing outlets, higher customer traffic during the mid-year school holidays and contributions from eight new outlets opened during the quarter.
The grab-and-go segment contributed RM73.2mil, or 86.4% of revenue, while the quick dine-in segment contributed RM11.5mil, or 13.6%.
Gross profit rose 4.8% quarter-on-quarter to RM35mil, while normalised profit after tax increased 7.8% to RM12.5mil after adjusting for RM1.7mil in one-off listing expenses.
Lim said the group remained positive on FY27, supported by its established brand, ongoing outlet expansion and favourable industry fundamentals.
