Empire Sushi growth driven by store expansion: analyst

KUALA LUMPUR - Empire Premium Food Bhd, the owner-operator of Malaysia's leading sushi chain Empire Sushi, anticipates stronger earnings in the second half of its financial year 2027 (2H27), according to CIMB Securities Sdn Bhd. This boost is expected to come from 20 new store openings across FY27, with 12 set for the first half (1H27) and the remaining eight anticipated in the third quarter (Q3) of FY27.

The firm foresees continued launches of higher-margin seasonal items and improved operating leverage as additional growth drivers.

The company's FMCG products are also gaining traction, with plans to refresh offerings in Q3 FY27 via new SKUs, including potato chips and a youth-focused beverage. Regarding the recent minimum wage increase, CIMB Securities estimates that around 400 of Empire Sushi's 1,500 employees, or 27%, will be affected. This will result in increased staff costs of RM150,000 per month, or RM1.8 million annually.

However, the firm predicts that Empire Sushi will offset this through a more profitable sales mix and new products aligned with consumer trends, similar to previous wage hikes over the past decade.

Empire Sushi's net profit for 1H27 grew by 32.1% year-on-year to RM26.7 million, which the firm considers to be in line with expectations. This figure accounts for 45.6% of the research house's full-year forecast and 46.6% of Bloomberg consensus estimates. Following Q2 FY27 results that met expectations, CIMB Securities maintains its Buy rating and a target price of RM1.36 for the stock.