Empire Sushi chain’s owner targets 3%-5% same-store sales growth annually

Friday 18 Sep 2026

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KUALA LUMPUR (April 17): Empire Premium Food Bhd (KL:EMPIRE) expects annual same-store sales growth (SSSG) to hold steady between 3% and 5%, supported by a stabilising consumer spending at its outlets, after a downtrend over the past three years.

Speaking at a conference after the listing ceremony, Empire Premium chief executive officer Nicole Lim said the stronger brand recognition and consistent food quality remain the key drivers to sustaining and improving sales across outlets.

The operator of the Empire Sushi takeout chain owns 143 outlets, out of which 127 are takeaway stores and 16 quick dine-in eateries.

SSSG — a common retail industry metric that measures performance of outlets that have been open for at least one year — has fallen for three straight financial years at Empire Premium, from 12.2% in FY2023 to 5.5% in FY2025.

Its SSSG growth stood at 5.7% for the latest nine-month period.

On the consumer spending trend, Lim said the group has not observed any scaling back of spending behaviour, supported by its affordable pricing.

She added that sushi sold on a per-piece basis allows customers to adjust their spending according to their budget, despite macroeconomic uncertainties.

Average spending per customer has continued to trend higher, rising to RM21 in the latest nine-month period, from RM18.9 in FY2024 and RM19.3 in FY2025.

Meanwhile, Lim indicated that the group is confident in preserving its margin through menu refreshes and product innovation, rather than relying on price adjustments.

“We have been in the food and beverage business for 12 years, and we have enough experience to handle inflation,” Lim said.

The group’s gross profit margin has expanded from 39.4% in FY2023 to 41.7% in FY2025, while profit after tax margin improved from 10.6% to 16.1% over the same period.

In the third quarter ended Dec 31, 2025 (3QFY2026), the group posted a net profit of RM14.64 million on revenue of RM81 million, the group's filing showed.

No comparative figures were provided as this is the group's first interim financial report.

For the nine months, the group posted a net profit of RM35.14 million on the back of a revenue of RM216.83 million.

Empire Premium made its Main Market debut at a premium, rising 57% from its initial public offering (IPO) price of 70 sen per share. The stock was last up 33 sen or 47.14% at RM1.03 at the time of writing on Friday, with 214.25 million shares traded.

The group’s IPO raised RM254 million, of which RM152.6 million went to the company for expansion and operations. Lim and her husband Jordan Tan together pocketed RM101.5 million from an offer for sale of their existing shares in Empire Premium.

Proceeds from the public issue of new shares will mainly be used to open 56 new outlets over the next three years, refurbish existing outlets and meet working capital requirements.

Edited ByIsabelle Francis

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