Empire Reports Fiscal 2025 First Quarter Results
- Earnings per share ("EPS") of
$0.86 and adjusted EPS(1) of$0.90 - Prior year EPS of
$1.03 and adjusted EPS of$0.78 - Same-store sales, excluding fuel, increased by 1.0%
- Gross margin, excluding fuel, increased by 46 bps
"We enter fiscal 2025 with confidence due to strengthening same-store sales growth and strong control of our margins and costs," said
(1) |
Adjusted Metrics include adjusted operating income, adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA"), adjusted net earnings, and adjusted EPS. The Company is excluding from its Adjusted Metrics: a one-time charge related to ending the mutual exclusivity agreement with Ocado Group plc ("Ocado"), costs incurred to plan and implement strategies to optimize the organization and improve efficiencies, gains associated with the sale of the retail fuel sites in |
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Company Priorities
Since fiscal 2017, the Company has successfully completed two transformation strategies, Project Sunrise and Project Horizon. These strategies have comprehensively reset Empire's foundation, enhanced the Company's data capabilities, deepened the understanding of customers, and prepared the business to effectively capture emerging trends. With these transformation strategies now accomplished and the turnaround complete, 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 priority, demonstrated by a sustained emphasis on renovations and continued store expansion in discount. The Own Brands program enhancement will remain a priority through increased distribution, shelf placement and product innovation.
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 between fiscal 2024 and 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 with Voilà, personalization, loyalty, through Scene+ (see "Business Updates – Voilà" 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 the best personalized experiences to elevate its in-store and e-commerce experience for its customers.
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. In addition, the Company is pursuing cost savings in the Voilà business by pausing the opening of its fourth Customer Fulfilment Centre ("CFC") and has ended its mutual exclusivity with Ocado, amongst other initiatives.
SUMMARY RESULTS – FIRST QUARTER
|
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13 Weeks Ended |
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$ |
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($ in millions, except per share amounts) |
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|
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Change |
|
Sales |
$ |
8,136.9 |
$ |
8,075.5 |
$ |
61.4 |
|||
Gross profit(1) |
|
2,126.3 |
|
2,074.5 |
|
51.8 |
|||
Operating income |
|
369.1 |
|
456.5 |
|
(87.4) |
|||
Adjusted operating income(2) |
|
383.2 |
|
374.9 |
|
8.3 |
|||
EBITDA(1) |
|
645.0 |
|
723.0 |
|
(78.0) |
|||
Adjusted EBITDA(2) |
|
659.1 |
|
641.4 |
|
17.7 |
|||
Net earnings(3) |
|
207.8 |
|
261.0 |
|
(53.2) |
|||
Adjusted net earnings(1)(2)(3)(4) |
|
218.7 |
|
196.2 |
|
22.5 |
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|
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|
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|
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Diluted earnings per share |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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EPS(3) |
$ |
0.86 |
$ |
1.03 |
$ |
(0.17) |
|||
Adjusted EPS(2)(3)(4) |
$ |
0.90 |
$ |
0.78 |
$ |
0.12 |
|||
Diluted weighted average number of shares outstanding (in millions) |
|
242.3 |
|
252.2 |
|
(9.9) |
|||
Dividend per share |
$ |
0.2000 |
$ |
0.1825 |
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13 Weeks Ended |
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|
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Gross margin(1) |
26.1 % |
|
25.7 % |
|
EBITDA margin(1) |
7.9 % |
|
9.0 % |
|
Adjusted EBITDA margin(2) |
8.1 % |
|
7.9 % |
|
Same-store sales(1) growth |
0.5 % |
|
3.0 % |
|
Same-store sales growth, excluding fuel |
1.0 % |
|
4.1 % |
|
Effective income tax rate |
22.9 % |
|
27.5 % |
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|
(1) |
See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures & Financial Metrics" section of this News Release. |
(2) |
See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures & Financial Metrics" section of this News Release for a description of the types of costs and recoveries included. |
(3) |
Attributable to owners of the Company. |
(4) |
See "Adjusted Impacts on Net Earnings" Section of this News Release. |
Sales
Sales for the quarter ended
Gross Profit
Gross profit for the quarter ended
Gross margin for the quarter increased to 26.1% from 25.7% in the prior year, primarily as a result of strong execution in Full-Service banners from several targeted initiatives aimed at closely managing shrink and inventory and improving promotional mix. Gross margin, excluding the mix impact of fuel, increased by 46 basis points.
Operating Income
|
13 Weeks Ended |
|
$ |
|
||||||
($ in millions) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Change |
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|
Food retailing |
$ |
357.9 |
$ |
449.1 |
$ |
(91.2) |
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Investments and other operations: |
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Crombie REIT(1) |
|
12.8 |
|
8.9 |
|
3.9 |
|||
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Real estate partnerships |
|
3.5 |
|
1.1 |
|
2.4 |
|||
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Other operations, net of corporate expenses |
|
(5.1) |
|
(2.6) |
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(2.5) |
|||
|
|
|
11.2 |
|
7.4 |
|
3.8 |
|||
Operating income |
$ |
369.1 |
$ |
456.5 |
$ |
(87.4) |
||||
Adjustments: |
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E-commerce Exclusivity(2) |
$ |
11.9 |
$ |
- |
$ |
11.9 |
|||
|
Restructuring(2) |
|
2.2 |
|
9.7 |
|
(7.5) |
|||
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Cybersecurity Event(2) |
|
- |
|
(0.5) |
|
0.5 |
|||
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Western Canada Fuel Sale(2) |
|
- |
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(90.8) |
|
90.8 |
|||
|
|
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14.1 |
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(81.6) |
|
95.7 |
|||
Adjusted operating income(3) |
$ |
383.2 |
$ |
374.9 |
$ |
8.3 |
|
|
(1) |
Crombie Real Estate Investment Trust ("Crombie REIT"). |
(2) |
See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures & Financial Metrics" section of this News Release for a description of the types of costs and recoveries included. |
(3) |
See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures & Financial Metrics" section of this News Release. |
For the quarter ended
For the quarter ended
EBITDA
|
|
13 Weeks Ended |
|
$ |
|
||||
($ in millions) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Change |
|
EBITDA (1) |
$ |
645.0 |
$ |
723.0 |
$ |
(78.0) |
|||
Adjustments: |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
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E-commerce Exclusivity(2) |
|
11.9 |
|
- |
|
11.9 |
|||
Restructuring(2) |
|
2.2 |
|
9.7 |
|
(7.5) |
|||
Cybersecurity Event(2) |
|
- |
|
(0.5) |
|
0.5 |
|||
Western Canada Fuel Sale(2) |
|
- |
|
(90.8) |
|
90.8 |
|||
|
|
14.1 |
|
(81.6) |
|
95.7 |
|||
Adjusted EBITDA(1)(2) |
$ |
659.1 |
$ |
641.4 |
$ |
17.7 |
|
|
(1) |
See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures & Financial Metrics" section of this News Release. |
(2) |
See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures & Financial Metrics" section of this News Release for a description of the types of costs and recoveries included. |
For the quarter ended
Income Taxes
The effective income tax rate for the quarter ended
Net Earnings
|
|
13 Weeks Ended |
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$ |
|
||||
($ in millions, except per share amounts) |
|
|
|
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Change |
|
Net earnings(1) |
$ |
207.8 |
$ |
261.0 |
$ |
(53.2) |
|||
EPS (fully diluted) |
$ |
0.86 |
$ |
1.03 |
|
(0.17) |
|||
Adjustments(2) (net of income taxes) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
E-commerce Exclusivity(3) |
|
8.8 |
|
- |
|
8.8 |
|||
Restructuring(3) |
|
2.1 |
|
7.1 |
|
(5.0) |
|||
Cybersecurity Event(3) |
|
- |
|
(0.4) |
|
0.4 |
|||
Western Canada Fuel Sale(3) |
|
- |
|
(71.5) |
|
71.5 |
|||
|
|
10.9 |
|
(64.8) |
|
75.7 |
|||
Adjusted net earnings(1)(4)(5) |
$ |
218.7 |
$ |
196.2 |
$ |
22.5 |
|||
Adjusted EPS(1)(3) (fully diluted) |
$ |
0.90 |
$ |
0.78 |
$ |
0.12 |
|||
Diluted weighted average number of shares outstanding (in millions) |
|
242.3 |
|
252.2 |
|
(9.9) |
|||
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(1) |
Attributable to owners of the Company. |
(2) |
Total adjustments are net of income taxes of |
(3) |
See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures & Financial Metrics" section of this News Release for a description of the types of costs and recoveries included. |
(4) |
See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures & Financial Metrics" section of this News Release. |
(5) |
See "Adjusted Impacts on Net Earnings" section of this News Release. |
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, slightly before it was originally estimated to end. In the quarter ended
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"). The impact to net earnings for the quarter ended
On
On
Capital Expenditures
The Company invested
In fiscal 2025, capital expenditures are expected to be approximately
(1) |
Capital expenditures are calculated on an accrual basis and includes acquisitions of property, equipment and investment properties, and additions to intangibles. |
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Free Cash Flow
|
|
13 Weeks Ended |
|
|
$ |
||||
($ in millions) |
|
|
|
|
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Change |
|||
Cash flows from operating activities |
$ |
516.5 |
$ |
588.2 |
$ |
(71.7) |
|||
Add: |
proceeds on disposal of assets(1) |
|
81.9 |
|
105.6 |
|
(23.7) |
||
Less: |
interest paid |
|
(11.5) |
|
(11.0) |
|
(0.5) |
||
|
payments of lease liabilities, net of payments received for |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
finance subleases |
|
(177.7) |
|
(168.3) |
|
(9.4) |
||
|
acquisitions of property, equipment, investment property |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
and intangibles |
|
(222.8) |
|
(174.7) |
|
(48.1) |
||
Free cash flow(2) |
$ |
186.4 |
$ |
339.8 |
$ |
(153.4) |
|
|
(1) |
Proceeds on disposal of assets include property, equipment and investment property. |
(2) |
See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures & Financial Metrics" section of this News Release. |
|
|
Free cash flow for the quarter ended
FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE BY SEGMENT
Food Retailing
|
|
13 Weeks Ended |
|
$ |
|
||||
($ in millions) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Change |
|
Sales |
$ |
8,136.9 |
$ |
8,075.5 |
$ |
61.4 |
|||
Gross profit |
|
2,126.3 |
|
2,074.5 |
|
51.8 |
|||
Operating income |
|
357.9 |
|
449.1 |
|
(91.2) |
|||
Adjusted operating income (1) |
|
372.0 |
|
367.5 |
|
4.5 |
|||
EBITDA(1) |
|
633.8 |
|
715.4 |
|
(81.6) |
|||
Adjusted EBITDA(1) |
|
647.9 |
|
633.8 |
|
14.1 |
|||
Net earnings(2) |
|
197.1 |
|
271.1 |
|
(74.0) |
|||
Adjusted net earnings(1)(2) |
|
208.0 |
|
206.3 |
|
1.7 |
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures & Financial Metrics" section of this News Release for a reconciliation of the adjusted metrics presented in this table. |
(2) |
Attributable to owners of the Company. |
|
|
Investments and Other Operations
|
13 Weeks Ended |
|
|
$ |
|
||||
($ in millions) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Change |
|
Crombie REIT |
$ |
12.8 |
$ |
8.9 |
$ |
3.9 |
|||
Real estate partnerships |
|
3.5 |
|
1.1 |
|
2.4 |
|||
Other operations, net of corporate expenses |
|
(5.1) |
|
(2.6) |
|
(2.5) |
|||
Operating income |
$ |
11.2 |
$ |
7.4 |
$ |
3.8 |
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For the quarter ended
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL CONDITION
($ in millions, except per share and ratio calculations) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shareholders' equity, net of non-controlling interest |
$ |
5,398.4 |
|
$ |
5,341.1 |
|
$ |
5,306.4 |
|
Book value per common share(1) |
$ |
22.32 |
|
$ |
21.54 |
|
$ |
21.08 |
|
Long-term debt, including current portion |
$ |
1,127.7 |
|
$ |
1,095.4 |
|
$ |
958.0 |
|
Long-term lease liabilities, including current portion |
$ |
6,368.4 |
|
$ |
6,264.5 |
|
$ |
6,100.4 |
|
Funded debt to total capital(1) |
|
58.1 % |
|
|
57.9 % |
|
|
57.1 % |
|
Funded debt to adjusted EBITDA(1)(2) |
|
3.2x |
|
|
3.2x |
|
|
3.0x |
|
Adjusted EBITDA to interest expense(1)(3) |
|
8.2x |
|
|
8.3x |
|
|
8.8x |
|
Trailing four-quarter adjusted EBITDA |
$ |
2,345.5 |
|
$ |
2,263.0 |
|
$ |
2,369.5 |
|
Trailing four-quarter interest expense |
$ |
284.8 |
|
$ |
263.1 |
|
$ |
268.0 |
|
Current assets to current liabilities |
|
0.8x |
|
|
0.8x |
|
|
0.8x |
|
Total assets |
$ |
16,921.4 |
|
$ |
16,790.3 |
|
$ |
16,511.9 |
|
Total non-current financial liabilities |
$ |
7,445.6 |
|
$ |
7,430.4 |
|
$ |
7,169.9 |
|
|
|
(1) |
See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures & Financial Metrics" section of this News Release |
(2) |
Calculation uses trailing four-quarter adjusted EBITDA. |
(3) |
Calculation uses trailing four-quarter adjusted EBITDA and interest expense. |
|
|
Rating Agency |
Credit Rating (Issuer rating) |
Trend/Outlook |
|
Morningstar DBRS |
BBB |
Stable |
|
S&P Global |
BBB- |
Stable |
|
The amended and restated credit agreements for both Empire and
On
Empire has a
Normal Course Issuer Bid ("NCIB")
Under the NCIB with the
On
Shares purchased are shown in the table below:
|
13 Weeks Ended |
|||
($ in millions, except per share amounts) |
|
|
|
|
Number of shares |
|
2,275,975 |
|
2,838,828 |
Weighted average price per share |
$ |
34.90 |
$ |
35.23 |
Cash consideration paid |
$ |
79.4 |
$ |
100.0 |
The Company engages in an automatic share purchase plan with its designated broker allowing the purchases of Class A shares for cancellation under its NCIB program during the black-out periods.
On
Including purchases made subsequent to the end of the quarter, as at
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 117 years ago.
The Company published its 2024 Sustainable Business Report in
In fiscal 2024, the Company also initiated work to establish Scope 3 specific targets for GHG emissions related to the forestry, land and agriculture (FLAG) sector in accordance with science-based target initiatives guidance. Additionally, the newly established
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.
Business Updates
Voilà
The Company has three active CFCs located in
The Company has also taken actions to decrease costs and increase its flexibility to serve customers, including ending its mutual exclusivity agreement with Ocado slightly before it was originally estimated to end. This resulted in a non-cash pre-tax charge related to ending the exclusivity of
In the quarter ended
In the first quarter of fiscal 2024, the Company completed its merger of Longo's e-commerce business, Grocery Gateway, into Voilà, thereby capturing logistics and delivery synergies. Operating as a 'shop in a shop' has increased the reach of Longo's within
The actions that the Company is taking as outlined above are expected to have a significant, positive impact on Voilà's profitability in fiscal 2025 and 2026. Voilà's future earnings will primarily be impacted by sales volume, with strong margins, operational efficiencies and cost discipline 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 than originally estimated.
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 stores 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.
Since fiscal 2018, the Company has been expanding its
Other Items
Western Canada Fuel Sale
On
OUTLOOK
Management aims 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, discount expansion, and Own Brands program enhancement), an expanded focus on digital and data (through key strategic initiatives including Voilà, 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 2025, capital spend is expected to be approximately
During fiscal 2025, 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
The Company continues to comply with the federal government's request to identify ways to help further stabilize prices for consumers. Consistent with the overall trend of Consumer Price Index for food purchased from stores over the last several quarters, the Company's internal food inflation has continued to decrease. 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.
DIVIDEND DECLARATION
The Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of
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:
- The Company's aim to increase total EPS through net earnings, growth, and share repurchases, as well as its intention to continue improving sales, gross margin (excluding fuel) and adjusted EBITDA margin, all of which could be impacted by several factors including a prolonged unfavourable macro-economic environment and unforeseen business challenges, as well as the factors identified in the "Risk Management" section of the fiscal 2024 annual MD&A;
- The Company's plan to invest
$700 million capital in its network in fiscal 2025, including store expansions and renovations and renovate approximately 20% to 25% of the network between fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2026 which could be impacted by cost of materials, availability of contractors, operating results, and other macro-economic impacts; - The Company's plans to further grow and enhance the Own Brands portfolio, which may be impacted by future operating costs and customer response;
- The Company's expectation that it will continue to focus on driving efficiency and cost effectiveness initiatives which could be impacted by supplier relationships, labour relations, and other macro-economic impacts;
- The Company's plans to purchase for cancellation Class A shares under the normal course issuer bid, which may be impacted by market and macro-economic conditions, availability of sellers, changes in laws and regulations, and the results of operations.
- The Company's expectation that the Scene+ program will accelerate engagement by focusing on scaling personalization, which may be impacted by customer response, Scene+ app usage and the pace at which personalized offers are rolled out;
- The Company's expectation that it will meet targeted growth of
FreshCo , which may be impacted by customer response, availability of contractors, operating results, and other macro-economic impacts; - The Company's expectation that it will continue its e-commerce expansion with Voilà, that actions are expected to have a significant, positive impact on Voilà's profitability in fiscal 2025 and 2026 and its ability to gain access to a larger segment of the grocery e-commerce market, which may be impacted by future operating and capital costs, customer response and the performance of its technology provider, Ocado;
- The Company's expectations regarding the amount and timing of expenses relating to the completion of the future CFC, which may be impacted by supply of materials and equipment, construction schedules and capacity of construction contractors;
- The Company's expectation that Other income plus Share of earnings from investments, at equity will in aggregate, be in a range of
$135 million to$155 million in fiscal 2025, which assumes completion of pending real estate transactions by the Company and Share of earnings from investments, at equity being consistent with historical values adjusted for significant transactions and may be impacted by the timing and terms of completion of real estate-related transactions and actual results from Crombie REIT and Real estate partnerships; and - The Company's expectation of the impacts of cost inflationary pressures, which may be impacted by supplier relationships and negotiations and the macro-economic environment.
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 2024 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 adjusts 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 E-commerce Exclusivity adjustment includes the impact of the early termination of the mutual exclusivity agreement with Ocado, resulting in a non-cash charge related to the impairment of an intangible asset.
- The Restructuring adjustment includes costs incurred to plan and implement strategies to optimize the organization and improve efficiencies, including severance, professional fees and voluntary labour buyouts.
- The Cybersecurity Event adjustment includes the impact of incremental direct costs such as inventory shrink, hardware and software restoration costs, legal and professional fees, labour costs and insurance recoveries. Management believes that the Cybersecurity Event adjustment results in a useful economic representation of the underlying business on a comparative basis. The adjustment does not include management's estimate of the full financial impact of the Cybersecurity Event, as it excludes the net earnings impacts related to the estimated decline in sales and operational effectiveness from impacts such as the temporary loss of advanced planning, promotion and fresh item management tools, the temporary closure of pharmacies, and customers' temporary inability to redeem gift cards and loyalty points.
- The Western Canada Fuel Sale adjustment includes the impact of the gain on sale which is comprised of the purchase price less the write off of tangible assets and goodwill, legal and professional fees as well as lease termination impacts.
- Same-store sales are sales from stores in the same location in both reporting periods.
- Same-store sales, excluding fuel are sales from stores in the same location in both reporting periods excluding the fuel sales from stores in the same location in both reporting periods.
- Gross profit is calculated as sales less cost of sales.
- Gross margin is gross profit divided by sales.
- Adjusted operating income is operating income excluding certain items to assist in analyzing trends in performance. These items are excluded to allow for useful period over period comparison of ongoing operating results. Adjusted operating income is reconciled to operating income in its respective subsection of the "Summary Results – First Quarter" section.
- EBITDA is calculated as net earnings before finance costs (net of finance income), income tax expense, depreciation and amortization of intangibles.
- EBITDA margin is EBITDA divided by sales.
The following table reconciles net earnings to EBITDA on a consolidated basis and for the Food retailing segment:
|
|
13 Weeks Ended |
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
($ in millions) |
|
Food |
|
|
Investment |
|
Total |
|
|
Food retailing |
|
|
Investment |
|
Total |
|
Net earnings (loss) |
$ |
217.9 |
$ |
10.7 |
$ |
228.6 |
$ |
290.9 |
$ |
(10.1) |
$ |
280.8 |
||||
Income tax expense |
|
68.3 |
|
(0.5) |
|
67.8 |
|
90.7 |
|
16.0 |
|
106.7 |
||||
Finance costs, net |
|
71.7 |
|
1.0 |
|
72.7 |
|
67.5 |
|
1.5 |
|
69.0 |
||||
Operating income |
|
357.9 |
|
11.2 |
|
369.1 |
|
449.1 |
|
7.4 |
|
456.5 |
||||
Depreciation |
|
245.6 |
|
- |
|
245.6 |
|
235.6 |
|
0.2 |
|
235.8 |
||||
Amortization of intangibles |
|
30.3 |
|
- |
|
30.3 |
|
30.7 |
|
- |
|
30.7 |
||||
EBITDA |
$ |
633.8 |
$ |
11.2 |
$ |
645.0 |
$ |
715.4 |
$ |
7.6 |
$ |
723.0 |
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Adjusted EBITDA is EBITDA excluding certain items to assist in analyzing trends in performance. These items are excluded to allow for useful period over period comparison of ongoing operating results. Adjusted EBITDA is reconciled to EBITDA in its respective subsection of the "Summary Results – First Quarter" section.
- Adjusted EBITDA margin is adjusted EBITDA divided by sales.
- Management calculates interest expense as interest expense on financial liabilities measured at amortized cost and interest expense on lease liabilities.
The following table reconciles finance costs, net to interest expense:
|
|
|
13 Weeks Ended |
|||
($ in millions) |
|
August. 3, 2024 |
|
|
|
|
Finance costs, net |
$ |
72.7 |
|
$ |
69.0 |
|
Plus: |
finance income, excluding interest income on lease receivables |
|
1.8 |
|
|
1.2 |
Less: |
pension finance costs, net |
|
(1.9) |
|
|
(1.9) |
Less: |
accretion expense on provisions |
|
(0.9) |
|
|
(0.2) |
Interest expense |
$ |
71.7 |
|
$ |
68.1 |
- Adjusted net earnings is net earnings, net of non-controlling interest, excluding certain items to assist in analyzing trends in performance. These items are excluded to allow for useful period over period comparison of ongoing operating results. Adjusted net earnings is reconciled in its respective subsection of the "Summary Results – First Quarter" section.
- Adjusted EPS (fully diluted) is calculated as adjusted net earnings divided by diluted weighted average number of shares outstanding.
- Free cash flow is calculated as cash flows from operating activities, plus proceeds on disposal of property, equipment and investment property and lease terminations, less acquisitions of property, equipment, investment property and intangibles, interest paid and payments of lease liabilities, net of payments received from finance subleases.
- Book value per common share is shareholders' equity, net of non-controlling interest, divided by total common shares outstanding.
The following table shows the calculation of Empire's book value per common share:
($ in millions, except per share information) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shareholders' equity, net of non-controlling interest |
$ |
5,398.4 |
$ |
5,341.1 |
$ |
5,306.4 |
|||
Shares outstanding (basic) |
|
241.9 |
|
248.0 |
|
251.7 |
|||
Book value per common share |
$ |
22.32 |
$ |
21.54 |
$ |
21.08 |
- Funded debt is all interest-bearing debt, which includes bank loans, bankers' acceptances, long-term debt and long-term lease liabilities.
- Total capital is calculated as funded debt plus shareholders' equity, net of non-controlling interest.
The following table reconciles the Company's funded debt and total capital to GAAP measures as reported on the balance sheets as at
($ in millions) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-term debt due within one year |
$ |
226.3 |
|
$ |
113.5 |
|
$ |
76.2 |
Long-term debt |
|
901.4 |
|
|
981.9 |
|
|
881.8 |
Lease liabilities due within one year |
|
587.3 |
|
|
585.4 |
|
|
576.8 |
Long-term lease liabilities |
|
5,781.1 |
|
|
5,679.1 |
|
|
5,523.6 |
Funded debt |
|
7,496.1 |
|
|
7,359.9 |
|
|
7,058.4 |
Total shareholders' equity, net of non-controlling interest |
|
5,398.4 |
|
|
5,341.1 |
|
|
5,306.4 |
Total capital |
$ |
12,894.5 |
|
$ |
12,701.0 |
|
$ |
12,364.8 |
- Funded debt to total capital ratio is funded debt divided by total capital.
- Funded debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio is funded debt divided by trailing four-quarter adjusted EBITDA.
- Adjusted EBITDA to interest expense ratio is trailing four-quarter adjusted EBITDA divided by trailing four-quarter interest expense.
CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION
The Company will hold an analyst call on
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 52159 until midnight
ABOUT EMPIRE
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