Revenue rises 16.3% on the year to S$618 million

 

BEVERAGE maker F& N : F99 +1.57% reported a net profit of S$52 million for the first quarter ended Dec 31, an 18.8 per cent increase from S$43.8 million in the same period a year ago.

 

Revenue went up by 16.3 per cent to S$618 million from S$531.6 million, the company said in a business update on Friday (Feb 7).

 

Revenue for the food and beverage segment &ndash which comprises beverages and dairies &ndash grew 19 per cent on the back of a 39 per cent jump in sales for soft drinks and beer. All core markets for dairies also recorded growth, primarily driven by increased domestic and export demand in the Indochina region.

 

However, revenue for its printing and publishing segment fell by 3 per cent. This was attributed to lower licensing income in Latin America, as well as the absence of one-off title rights sales in Hong Kong last year.

 

The group&rsquo s profit before interest and taxes came in at S$91.9 million, an increase of 14 per cent from S$80.6 million in the year-ago period.

 

This was led by earnings from the beverages segment, where soft drinks contributed to a 38 per cent increase in profit, on the back of higher sales and a favourable cost environment.

 

Earnings from the dairies segment also rose across three markets &ndash Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam &ndash driven by higher sales and an improved cost environment.

 

The group&rsquo s earnings per share stood at 3.6 Singapore cents, a 20 per cent increase from three Singapore cents in the year-ago period.

Revenue rises 3% year on year to S$2.2 billion, from S$2.1 billion previously

 

BEVERAGE and publishing company Fraser and Neave (F& N) on Friday (Nov 8) announced a 12.7 per cent rise in net profit to S$150.2 million for the financial year ended Sep 30, from S$133.2 million a year ago.

 

The group&rsquo s revenue grew 3 per cent to S$2.2 billion, from S$2.1 billion in FY2023. This was largely driven by the strong performance of its food and beverage (F& B) segment, the revenue of which increased 4 per cent to S$1.9 billion, compared with S$1.8 billion in the previous year.

 

In particular, its beverages revenue rose on a favourable sales mix and higher volumes of beer and soft drinks from festive campaigns and new product launches.

 

However, its dairies revenue registered a modest 1 per cent growth to S$1.2 billion, which the group attributed to strong exports and domestic sales of canned milk across core markets. This was despite foreign exchange impacts, it added.

 

Meanwhile, revenue from its printing and publishing segment dropped 9 per cent to S$201.3 million, from S$221.4 million a year ago. F& N said this decline was largely due to reduced print orders and the closure of unprofitable business units.

 

Earnings per share stood at S$0.103 for the full year, up from S$0.092 cents the year before.

 

F& N&rsquo s board is recommending a final dividend of S$0.04 per share. Together with the interim dividend of S$0.015 paid out in June 2024, the total dividend for FY2024 amounts to S$0.055 cents, unchanged from last year.

 

The final dividend will be paid out on Feb 14, 2025, pending approval at the group&rsquo s annual general meeting on Jan 16.

 

Hui Choon Kit, chief executive officer of F& N, said that the group will continue to build on its momentum by expanding its market reach and enhancing its competitiveness through digital innovation.

 

&ldquo Through targeted investments and a deeper understanding of consumer preferences, we aim to strengthen our footprint in key markets and enhance operational efficiencies,&rdquo he said.

 

&ldquo Our ongoing commitment to harnessing data and technology will also play a crucial role in driving product innovation and elevating the customer experience.&rdquo

Revenue is up by 2.1% to S$1.61 billion compared to the same period last year

 

BEVERAGE maker F& N : F99 +2.65% posted a net profit of S$123 million for the nine months ended Jun 30, 2024, a 37.3 per cent increase from S$89.6 million in the same period a year ago.

 

Revenue went up by 2.1 per cent to S$1.61 billion in the same period, from S$1.58 billion a year earlier.

 

Profit before interest and taxes jumped 35.4 per cent to S$238.7 million, driven by an increase in revenue growth in the company&rsquo s food and beverage (F& B) segment, said F& N in a voluntary business update on Tuesday (Aug 6).

 

Under the F& B segment &ndash which comprises beverages and dairies &ndash the revenue for beverages increased 9 per cent from the same period last year.

 

The company said that effective marketing campaigns drove higher volumes for core soft drinks brands such as 100Plus and F& N. Expansion of brewery capacity benefited beer sales.

 

Revenue for the dairies grew marginally by 0.3 per cent. There was an increase in domestic and export demand for canned and liquid milk in Malaysia and Thailand, said the company.

 

Revenue in the printing and publishing segment, however, fell 9 per cent, due to lower international print demand and the closure of retail stores.

 

Earnings per share for the period stood at 8.4 Singapore cents, higher than 6.2 Singapore cents a year ago.

 

ThaiBev will transfer to TCC Assets all of its 28.78% shareholding in Frasers Property  TQ5  7.5%  (FPL). TCC Assets will transfer its 41.30% shareholding in Fraser and Neave (F& N) to ThaiBev. Upon completion, ThaiBev will hold 69.61% of F& N compared to 28.31% previously. TCC Assets will own 86.89% of FPL (up from 58.01%). 

 

Fraser and Neave has reported a 2% y-o-y rise in revenue for its 1HFY2024 to $1.07 billion, with its key food and beverage business the key driver.

 

However, thanks to lower costs, it managed to increase its earnings by 52% to $83.8 million.

 

The overall numbers were weighed down by its publishing and printing segment. For the same six months to March, revenue from this business dropped 14% y-o-y to $96.5 million, no thanks to reduced printing orders and the closure of unprofitable business units.

 

" Despite prevailing challenges, our steadfast commitment to driving growth has yielded satisfactory results to date," says CEO Hui Choon Kit.

 

" We' ve sustained our positive momentum from the last quarter of FY2023, capturing market share and achieving notable growth in volume, sales, and profits," he adds.

 

Despite the better bottom line, the company plans to maintain its interim dividend at 1.5 cents.