Metro Retail Stores Group Inc.’s (MRSGI) net income after tax grew to P52.8 million, up 69.2 percent from P31.2 million in 2015. Without interest income from both periods, net income growth is at 18.3 % for the first quarter of 2016.
Driven by strong same stores sales growth of 7.4%, MRSGI, the largest retailer in the Visayas, posted a 9.7-percent all-stores growth in net sales for the first three months of 2016.
“Building on our robust growth last year, our strong start for 2016 demonstrates our continued commitment to deliver more value to our customers and shareholders,” said MRSGI Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Frank S. Gaisano, who added that the company continues to expand both its store network and its logistics and supply chain facilities.
MRSGI recently opened a hypermarket in Calbayog City in Eastern Visayas, as well as two department stores in UP Town Center and Fairview Terraces in Quezon City, bringing its store network to 49—representing 24 supermarkets, 13 hypermarkets, and 12 department stores.
MRSGI had previously acquired department store assets from SIAL Specialty Retailers, Inc., a joint venture between Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) and Store Specialists, Inc. (SSI), and is set to open another department store in Fairview Terraces Mall, also in Quezon City.
MRSGI has also entered into a partnership with ALI for the establishment of its stores in four (4) new Ayala commercial developments — a department store and supermarket in Capitol Central in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental; a supermarket in The Shops at Atria in Mandurriao, Iloilo City; a supermarket in Central Bloc in Cebu City; and a department store and supermarket in the Ayala Malls Feliz in Pasig City.
Ramping up its supply chain and logistics modernization program, MRSGI also recently inaugurated a 6,500-square-meter leased warehouse facility in Cebu with advanced storage and security features. It has also acquired 37 new delivery trucks from Isuzu Philippines Corporation and 30 from Hino Philippines—each equipped with tracking devices to ensure real-time monitoring of delivery and improve overall cost efficiency.
MRSGI made its debut at the Philippine Stock Exchange in November 2015, raising the largest new equity issuance for the year at P3.6 billion. MRSGI’s net income grew 20.6 percent in the same year on the back of strong performances across its three retail formats.
“The dynamic Philippine retail industry continues to present a lot of opportunities for growth, and we are currently ahead of schedule in doubling our footprint by 2020 with 40% of this target already secured today,” shared Gaisano, highlighting the company’s thrust to encourage economic growth in key cities across the country.
Metro stores are present in key cities in Central, Western and Eastern Visayas, as well as in Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and South Luzon. According to Euromonitor, Metro is the Visayas’ largest department store and hypermarket operator, and second-largest supermarket operator in 2014 in terms of retail sales value. Metro was also Cebu’s largest retailer across all its three store formats in terms of retail value in the same year. # |