Empire Reports Fiscal 2026 First Quarter Results
Empire Reports Fiscal 2026 First Quarter Results |
| [11-September-2025] |
STELLARTON, NS, Sept. 11, 2025 /CNW/ - Empire Company Limited ("Empire" or the "Company") (TSX: EMP.A) today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended August 2, 2025. For the quarter, the Company recorded net earnings of $212 million ($0.91 per share) compared to $208 million ($0.86 per share) last year. On an adjusted basis for the quarter, the Company recorded net earnings of $212 million ($0.91 per share) compared to $219 million ($0.90 per share) last year. "Fiscal 2026 is off to a solid start as we delivered another quarter of strong bottom line growth, the strongest quarterly earnings per share in our history, underscoring the fact our team's execution continues to improve," said Michael Medline, President & CEO, Empire.
Company Priorities The Company is continuing to enhance data capabilities and deepen its understanding of its customers, allowing the Company to effectively capture emerging trends. The Company aims to grow total adjusted EPS over the long-term through net earnings growth and share repurchases. The Company intends to continue improving sales, gross margin (excluding fuel) and adjusted EBITDA margin by focusing on priorities such as: Continued Focus on Stores: Over recent years, the Company has accelerated investments in renovations, conversions, and new stores along with store processes, communications, training, technology and tools. Investing in the store network will remain a key priority, demonstrated by a sustained emphasis on renovations and continued new store expansion. The Own Brands program enhancement will remain a priority through increased distribution, product innovation and supporting Canadian suppliers. The Company intends to invest capital in its store network and is on track with its plan to renovate approximately 20% to 25% of the network, which started in fiscal 2024 and continues through fiscal 2026. This capital investment includes important sustainability initiatives such as refrigeration system upgrades and other energy efficiency initiatives. Enhanced Focus on Digital and Data: The focus on digital and data will include continued e-commerce expansion, personalization and loyalty through Scene+ (see "Business Updates - E-Commerce" and "Business Updates - Scene+" for more information), improved space productivity and the continued improvement of promotional optimization. Space productivity will further enhance the customer experience by improving store layouts, optimizing category and product adjacencies and tailoring product assortment for each store. The advanced analytics tools built for promotional optimization will continue to be refined through the partnership between the advanced analytics team and category merchants. Enhancing digital and data capabilities will allow the Company to deliver personalized experiences to elevate its in-store and e-commerce experience for its customers. To further enhance our internal systems, the Company is currently transforming its legacy Enterprise Resource Planning ("ERP") environment by migrating to a national SAP S/4HANA ERP platform (see "Business Updates - Technology Platform" for more information). Efficiency and Cost Control: The Company has significantly improved its efficiency and cost effectiveness through sourcing efficiencies, optimizing supply chain productivity and improving systems and processes. The Company will continue to focus on driving efficiency and cost effectiveness through initiatives related to sourcing of goods not for resale, supply chain productivity and the organizational structure. The Company has implemented several cost savings initiatives in the Voilà business, including pausing the opening of its fourth CFC and ending its mutual exclusivity with Ocado and continues to pursue other cost saving initiatives. SUMMARY RESULTS - FIRST QUARTER Comparative amounts have been rounded to the nearest million to conform with current year presentation.
FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE BY SEGMENT Food Retailing The following is a review of Empire's Food retailing segment's financial performance, comprising the consolidated results of Sobeys for the quarter ended August 2, 2025. The following financial information is Sobeys' contribution to Empire as the amounts are net of consolidated adjustments.
The following table provides a breakdown of the Company's total sales for the Food retailing segment:
Investments and Other Operations The following table provides a summary of operating income in the Investments and Other Operations segment:
Empire Company Limited Operating Results Sales Food sales for the quarter ended August 2, 2025 increased by 2.6% primarily driven by positive growth across the business, particularly in Full-Service and Discount banners and the Company's national wholesale distribution network. Fuel sales for the quarter ended August 2, 2025 decreased by 13.7% primarily driven by lower fuel prices due to the removal of the government carbon tax. Gross Profit Gross profit for the quarter ended August 2, 2025 increased by 5.1% primarily driven by higher sales, strong performance and operational discipline in Full-Service banners aimed at reducing shrink. Gross margin for the quarter ended August 2, 2025 increased to 27.1% from 26.1% in the prior year, primarily due to strong performance in Full-Service banners as a result of disciplined execution and targeted efficiencies in our stores, including initiatives aimed at inventory control and reducing shrink, and better promotional mix control. Gross margin, excluding the mix impact of fuel, increased by 63 basis points. Operating Income
For the quarter ended August 2, 2025, operating income from the Food retailing segment increased mainly due to higher sales and gross profit, partially offset by higher selling and administrative expenses and an increase in depreciation and amortization. For the quarter ended August 2, 2025, operating income from the Investments and other operations segment increased primarily as a result of higher equity earnings from Crombie REIT, mainly due to increased property sales compared to the prior year. EBITDA
For the quarter ended August 2, 2025, EBITDA increased to $671 million from $645 million in the prior year mainly as a result of an increase in gross profit, partially offset by selling and administrative expenses which increased mainly due to higher retail and supply chain labour costs driven by wage rate increases, and higher incentive program expenses and accruals (an increase of $20 million compared to the prior year), driven by share price appreciation and increased vesting level. Selling and administrative expenses also increased due to continued investment in business expansion (Farm Boy, Voilà and FreshCo). Adjusted EBITDA margin remained at 8.1%, (August 3, 2024 - 8.1%). Depreciation and Amortization For the quarter ended August 2, 2025, depreciation and amortization increased to $289 million from $276 million in the prior year mainly as a result of higher right-of-use asset deprecation associated with new lease agreements. Income Taxes For the quarter ended August 2, 2025, the effective income tax rate was 26.0% compared to 22.6% in the same quarter in the prior year. The effective tax rate was lower than the statutory rate primarily due to non-taxable capital items, and consolidated structured entities which are taxed at lower rates. The effective tax rate in the same quarter in the prior year was lower than the statutory rate primarily due to non-taxable capital items, the revaluation of tax estimates, not all of which are recurring, and consolidated structured entities which are taxed at lower rates. Net Earnings
Adjusted Impacts on Net Earnings The Company has taken actions in its e-commerce business to decrease costs and increase its flexibility to serve customers, including ending its mutual exclusivity agreement with Ocado. In the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the Company incurred a non-cash charge related to ending the exclusivity and this impact is included in the adjusted metrics. The impact to net earnings for the quarter ended August 2, 2025 was $ nil (August 3, 2024 - ($9) million). In the first quarter of fiscal 2024, Empire began to pursue strategies to optimize its organization, improve efficiencies and reduce costs including changes to its leadership team and organizational structure and the voluntary buyout of certain unionized employees (the "Restructuring"), and included this impact in adjusted earnings. The impact to net earnings for the quarter ended August 2, 2025 was $ nil (August 3, 2024 – ($2) million). Capital Expenditures The Company invested $138 million in capital expenditures(1) for the quarter ended August 2, 2025 (August 3, 2024 - $152 million) including store renovations, construction of new stores and investments in advanced analytics technology and other technology systems.
Free Cash Flow
For the quarter ended August 2, 2025, free cash flow decreased versus prior year primarily as a result of a decrease in cash flows from operating activities as a result of changes in working capital which are impacted primarily by changes in accounts payable and accrued liabilities as well as a decrease in proceeds on disposal of assets and lease modifications and terminations partially offset by a decrease in capital investments. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL CONDITION
Sobeys' credit ratings for both Morningstar DBRS ("DBRS") and S&P Global ("S&P") remained unchanged from the prior quarter. The following table shows Sobeys' credit ratings as at September 10, 2025:
On June 21, 2024, Sobeys established a senior, unsecured non-revolving term credit facility for $120 million with a maturity date of June 20, 2025. On June 18, 2025, Sobeys amended the facility to extend the maturity by one year. This facility will now mature June 19, 2026. All other terms of the facility are unchanged. Interest payable on this facility fluctuates with changes in the Canadian prime rate or Canadian Overnight Repo Rate Average ("CORRA"). The facility was fully utilized on June 21, 2024, with the proceeds used to refinance amounts owing under its existing credit facility. As of August 2, 2025, the outstanding amount of the facility was $120 million (August 3, 2024 - $120 million). Normal Course Issuer Bid ("NCIB") Under the NCIB with the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") from July 2, 2024 to July 1, 2025, the Company purchased 9,956,481 (July 1, 2024 - 10,004,868) Class A shares at a weighted average price of $42.34 (July 1, 2024 - $35.31) for a total consideration of $422 million (July 1, 2024 - $353 million). On June 18, 2025, the Company renewed its NCIB by filing a notice of intention with the TSX to purchase for cancellation up to 11,500,000 Class A shares representing approximately 9.6% of the public float of 120,095,524. The Company believes that repurchasing shares at the prevailing market prices from time to time is a worthwhile use of funds and in the best interest of the Company and its shareholders. Purchases under the renewed NCIB may commence on July 2, 2025 and shall terminate no later than July 1, 2026. As of August 2, 2025, the Company purchased 463,000 Non-Voting Class A shares (August 3, 2024 - 1,297,000) under this filing at a weighted average price of $55.87 (August 3, 2024 - $36.11) for a total consideration of $26 million (August 3, 2024 - $47 million). The Company intends to repurchase up to $400 million of Class A shares in fiscal 2026. Shares purchased are shown in the table below:
For the quarter ended August 2, 2025, the Company has recognized tax on the repurchase of equity of $2 million (August 3, 2024 - $4 million) as a charge to retained earnings on the unaudited Interim Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. Fiscal year to date, as at September 10, 2025, the Company has purchased for cancellation 2,139,401 Non-Voting Class A shares (September 6, 2024 - 3,826,075) at weighted average price of $53.76 (September 6, 2024 - $35.93) for a total consideration of $115 million (September 6, 2024 - $138 million). Business Updates E-Commerce Voilà, the Company's online delivery business, has three active CFCs located in Toronto, Montreal and Calgary. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, the Company decided to pause the opening of its fourth CFC in Vancouver to focus efforts on driving volume and performance in its three active CFCs. Construction of the external building for the fourth CFC has been substantially completed with the internal work related to the grid build and robot commissioning not yet started. Once e-commerce penetration rates in Canada increase, the Company will be in a position to make a decision quickly on when it will proceed with the opening of its fourth CFC. The Company has also taken actions to decrease costs and increase its flexibility to serve customers, including ending its mutual exclusivity agreement with Ocado before it was originally estimated to end. This resulted in a non-cash pre-tax charge related to ending the exclusivity of $12 million during the first quarter of fiscal 2025. In fiscal 2025, the Company announced partnerships with Instacart and Uber Eats, providing customers with new ways to shop its stores online. The Company expanded these partnerships to Ontario, Western Canada, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, completing the national grocery rollout based on serviceable locations. These new partnerships complement Voilà by providing a full suite of delivery options for our customers across the marketplace platforms at many of the Company's banners such as Sobeys, Farm Boy, Longo's, FreshCo, Safeway, IGA, Foodland and Lawtons Drugs. The actions that the Company has taken as outlined above had a positive impact on the e-commerce financial performance in fiscal 2025 and is expected to have an even greater benefit in fiscal 2026 and beyond. Voilà's future earnings will primarily be impacted by sales volume, with strong margins, operational efficiencies and cost discipline also serving as important drivers to manage financial performance. While the market penetration of Voilà continues to be strong, the size and growth of the Canadian grocery e-commerce market is smaller than anticipated, resulting in higher net earnings dilution. In the quarter ended August 2, 2025, the Company's e-commerce platforms Voilà (including curbside pickup), IGA.net, ThriftyFoods.com and the partnerships with Instacart and Uber Eats, generated a combined sales increase of 80.9% compared to the same quarter in the prior year. The increase is primarily driven by contribution from the rollouts of the new partnerships in fiscal 2025 and continued strong double-digit sales growth of Voilà. Technology Platform The Company is currently implementing a significant transformation of its core business systems by migrating the legacy ERP system to a modern national SAP S/4HANA platform. This implementation is a strategic investment aimed at centralizing the Company's ERP system to streamline financial reporting, procurement, and supply chain operations. The upgraded system will provide improved real-time data visibility, improved automation, and enhanced analytics capabilities, supporting more agile decision-making across the organization. The project is progressing according to plan, with full deployment expected to be phased across the Company over the next two fiscal years. Scene+ Along with Scotiabank and Cineplex, Empire is a co-owner of Scene+, one of Canada's leading loyalty programs. Scene+ has been rewarding customers in almost all of the Company's banners since launching in fiscal 2023. In that time, Scene+ has grown from 10 million to over 15 million members, while offering a breadth of rewards categories to its members, providing a strategic marketing and promotional tool for the Company. The Company's key priority with Scene+ is to accelerate program engagement by focusing on personalization. By using machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms, personalization recommendations will be improved, delivering the right message to the right customer at the right time, through the right channels. FreshCo Since fiscal 2018, the Company has been expanding its FreshCo discount banner to Western Canada and its significant growth has been driven by store conversions and regional expansion. The value proposition and strong multicultural assortment, along with the addition of the Scene+ loyalty program, has supported the growth and expansion of the Discount banner. The Company opened two new FreshCo stores in Western Canada during the quarter and one subsequent to the end of the quarter. As at September 10, 2025, FreshCo has 51 stores operating in Western Canada and expects to open an additional four stores in fiscal 2026. The Company expects to have opened 65 FreshCo stores in Western Canada over the next several years. Sustainable Business Reporting Environmental, Social and Governance ("ESG") has deep roots in the Company's history, and the principles of ESG have been a part of the organization since the Company started over 118 years ago. The Company published its 2025 Sustainable Business Report in July 2025, highlighting significant advancements in achieving its ESG objectives. This year's report demonstrates continued progress across the three pillars of its ESG framework: People, Planet, and Products. Notable achievements include: reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Scope 1 and 2 by 31% as part of the Company's science-based climate targets, donating approximately 30 million pounds of surplus food to local charities through partnerships with Second Harvest, raising and donating nearly $25 million to support health and wellness, and further embedding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion ("DE&I") initiatives with 92% of Directors and above setting DE&I performance and accountability goals. The Sustainable Business Council ("SBC") plays a critical role in overseeing the Company's sustainability initiatives. The SBC is a functional group of senior business leaders with sustainability mandates whose purpose is to foster collaboration on sustainability commitments, key initiatives, and reporting disclosures. The Company remains focused on several key initiatives as part of its ongoing ESG journey, including expanding carbon reduction projects to meet Scope 1 and 2 climate targets, eliminating avoidable and hard-to-recycle plastics, fostering a fair, equitable, and inclusive environment, and integrating sustainable business mandates within performance management goals. These efforts underscore the Company's commitment to sustainability and its role in driving positive change for its stakeholders, business, and shareholders. We continue to assess potential Forest, Land and Agriculture ("FLAG") related targets for Scope 3, Category 1-purchased goods and services. We are collaborating with suppliers to collect the information required for FLAG emissions calculations and ensure we take a thoughtful approach. OUTLOOK The objective of the Company is to grow total adjusted EPS over the long-term through net earnings and share purchases. The Company intends to continue improving sales, gross margin (excluding fuel) and adjusted EBITDA margin by focusing on priorities such as; a continued focus on stores (investing in renovations, new store expansion, and Own Brands program enhancement), an expanded focus on digital and data (through key strategic initiatives including e-commerce, Scene+, personalization, space productivity and promotional optimization), and driving efficiency and cost effectiveness through initiatives related to sourcing of goods not for resale, supply chain productivity and the organizational structure. For fiscal 2026, capital spend is expected to be approximately $850 million, with approximately half of this investment allocated to renovations and new store expansion (including a 1.5% increase in store footprint expansion from new stores), 25% allocated to IT and business development projects and the remainder allocated to logistics and sustainability. By the end of fiscal 2026, the Company expects to complete the network renovations of approximately 20% to 25%, which began in fiscal 2024. During fiscal 2026, the Company expects aggregate pre-tax earnings from Other income plus Share of earnings from investments, at equity (both found in the Company's Consolidated Statements of Earnings), to be in the range of $120 million to $140 million (2025 - $158 million). In the quarter ended August 2, 2025, the Company's internal food inflation continued to be below the Consumer Price Index for food purchased from stores and was largely in line with internal food inflation from the quarter ended May 3, 2025. The Company is focused on supplier relationships and negotiations to ensure competitive pricing for customers. The Company continues to be well positioned to pursue long-term growth despite the impacts of global economic uncertainties. Continued uncertainty related to the timing and extent of imposition of future tariffs by the United States government and the risk of potential retaliatory tariffs by the Canadian government could create volatility in the Canadian economy, including higher future costs for importing goods, potentially contributing to higher inflation if increased costs are passed to Canadian consumers. The timing and duration of increased tariffs create financial uncertainty for Canadian companies, and may lead to potential job losses, reduced economic activity, and weakening confidence in the future, and could disrupt supplier relationships and the supply chain, and this may increase the volatility in the Company's operational results. The Company remains focused on promoting local and Canadian products and seeking alternate sources of supply outside of the United States. Dividend Declaration The Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share on both the Class A shares and the Class B common shares that will be payable on October 31, 2025 to shareholders of record on October 15, 2025. These dividends are eligible dividends as defined for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and applicable provincial legislation. FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This document contains forward-looking statements which are presented for the purpose of assisting the reader to contextualize the Company's financial position and understand management's expectations regarding the Company's strategic priorities, objectives and plans. These forward-looking statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements are identified by words or phrases such as "anticipates", "expects", "believes", "estimates", "intends", "could", "may", "plans", "predicts", "projects", "will", "would", "foresees" and other similar expressions or the negative of these terms. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following items:
By its nature, forward-looking information requires the Company to make assumptions and is subject to inherent risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements made. For more information on risks, uncertainties and assumptions that may impact the Company's forward-looking statements, please refer to the Company's materials filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities, including the "Risk Management" section of the fiscal 2025 annual MD&A. Although the Company believes the predictions, forecasts, expectations or conclusions reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, it can provide no assurance that such matters will prove correct. Readers are urged to consider the risks, uncertainties and assumptions carefully in evaluating the forward-looking information and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking information. The forward-looking information in this document reflects the Company's current expectations and is subject to change. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made by or on behalf of the Company other than as required by applicable securities laws. NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES & FINANCIAL METRICS There are measures and metrics included in this News Release that do not have a standardized meaning under generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") and therefore may not be comparable to similarly titled measures and metrics presented by other publicly traded companies. Management believes that certain of these measures and metrics, including gross profit and EBITDA, are important indicators of the Company's ability to generate liquidity through operating cash flow to fund future working capital requirements, service outstanding debt and fund future capital expenditures and uses these metrics for these purposes. In addition, management presents adjusted measures and metrics, including operating income, EBITDA and net earnings in an effort to provide investors and analysts with a more comparable year-over-year performance metric than the basic measure by excluding certain items. These items may impact the analysis of trends in performance and affect the comparability of the Company's core financial results. By excluding these items, management is not implying they are non-recurring. The Company includes these measures and metrics because it believes certain investors use these measures and metrics as a means of assessing financial performance. Empire's definition of the non-GAAP terms included in this News Release are as follows:
The following table reconciles gross profit on a consolidated basis:
The following tables reconciles net earnings to EBITDA on a consolidated basis and for the Food retailing segment:
The following tables reconciles finance costs, net to interest expense:
The following table shows the calculation of Empire's book value per common share:
The following table reconciles the Company's funded debt and total capital to GAAP measures:
CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION The Company will hold an analyst call on Thursday, September 11, 2025 beginning at 8:30 a.m.. (Eastern Daylight Time) during which senior management will discuss the Company's financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2026. To instantly join the conference call by phone, please use the following URL to easily register yourself and be connected into the conference call automatically: https://emportal.ink/4fAQQp9. You can also be entered to the call by an Operator by dialing (888) 699-1199 outside the Toronto area or (416) 945-7677 from within the Toronto area. To secure a line, please call 10 minutes prior to the conference call; you will be placed on hold until the conference call begins. The media and investing public may access this conference call via a listen mode only. You may also listen to a live audiocast of the conference call by visiting the "Quick Links" section of the Company's website located at www.empireco.ca, and then navigating to the "Empire Company Limited Quarterly Results Call" link. The replay will be available by dialing (888) 660-6345 and entering access code 49443 until midnight September 25, 2025, or on the Company's website for 90 days following the conference call. ABOUT EMPIRE Empire Company Limited (TSX: EMP.A) is a Canadian company headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia. Empire's key businesses are food retailing, through wholly-owned subsidiary Sobeys Inc., and related real estate. With approximately $31 billion in annual sales and $17 billion in assets, Empire and its subsidiaries, franchisees and affiliates employ approximately 129,000 people. Additional financial information relating to Empire, including the Company's Annual Information Form, can be found on the Company's website at www.empireco.ca or on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. SOURCE Empire Company Limited | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Company Codes: Toronto:EMP.A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
