Restaurant Brands New Zealand Limited logo

Chairman’s Address

AGM10 July 2019RBDConsumer Discretionary

Annual Shareholders Meeting 2019

Chairman’s Address


I think you will all agree that the 2019 financial year has been a defining one in the 23 year history of

Restaurant Brands.


This has been a busy 12 month period in which we have consolidated and strengthened the Company’s

position across each of our markets and continued to invest for future growth, while successfully

maintaining our track record of delivering a strong result.


It is particularly pleasing that this was achieved over a period where your board and management team

were also working through the process which culminated in the successful acquisition of 75% of the

company’s shares by Finaccess Capital.


All three operational divisions have performed well, driven by strong contributions from each of our key

brands, Taco Bell in Hawaii and KFC in Australia and New Zealand.


Once again, new records have been achieved, with total sales reaching a new high of $794 million, an

increase of 7.2% against the FY18 result.


Our Annual Net Profit after Tax (excluding non-trading) also set a new record at $42.2 million, up by 3.3%

against the previous year.


The continued strong performance is evidence of our ability to successfully acquire, integrate and grow

the business, providing proof that our growth strategy is well founded. We have successfully transitioned

into a global company and we see plenty of opportunities on the horizon to continue to pursue our growth

ambitions from this strong base.


Restaurant Brands is now also firmly positioned as a growth company and you can see this has clearly

been translated into the share price.


As the growth strategy begins to accelerate, this next phase will require a significant level of investment to

realise the potential we are seeing.


This includes an intention to open 60 Taco Bell stores in New Zealand and Australia over the next five

years while also increasing the number of new KFC store builds on both sides of the Tasman.


This intensive programme will greatly increase the capital expenditure requirements of the Company as

we look to quickly achieve scale in the Taco Bell brand and continue to build out the KFC store network.


Adding to this, we have made no secret of the fact that we see further opportunities to expand through

potential acquisitions in both the Australian and the US markets.


For some time, it has been the company’s policy to consider future capital requirements when deciding on

the appropriate level of dividend payment. With this in mind, at the full year we determined it would be in

the best long- term interest of shareholders to retain funds within the business at this point, to provide

additional funding flexibility.


Our experience with the acquisition of the Hawaii business and multiple KFC acquisitions in Australia has

demonstrated that while careful discipline must continue to be applied, the company needs to be ready to

act swiftly as opportunities arise.


As I look back over my time with Restaurant Brands it is with a sense of pride. It has been my pleasure to

serve as a director on your board since 2004 and your Chair since July 2006 and to have played a part in

contributing to the success of the company.


You may have noted from my comments in the annual report that in my first year as Chair the company

recorded a net profit after tax (excluding non-trading) of $6.5 million and reported a net loss of $3.6

million.


In the years since, Restaurant Brands has established a track record of consistently delivering

sustainable results and excellent returns.


Many milestones have been achieved along the way. A particular highlight has been the significant store

transformation project that revitalised the KFC business in New Zealand and firmly established

Restaurant Brands as a world class franchisee.


More recently, there has been the successful acquisition of an initial group of KFC stores in Australia in

2016 which we have continued to expand upon. And this was swiftly followed by the successful Pacific

Island Restaurants acquisition in Hawaii that not only increased our geographic footprint but also added

the Taco Bell brand to our stable.


Clearly our goal of reaching $1 billion in market capitalisation has well and truly been achieved and while

there is still some way to go to achieve our $1 billion in revenue target, I have no doubt this too will be

ticked off in due course.


As I alluded to earlier, a significant development in the company’s journey has been the partial takeover

that was successfully completed on 1 April, with Finaccess Capital achieving a 75% shareholding in the

Group.


Through our initial discussions it quickly became clear that Finaccess had been following us for some

time and recognised the existing and future potential the business had to offer.


By the time we were in a position to advise shareholders of a potential partial takeover in October 2018

we were confident that the indicative offer of $9.45 cents per share represented a fair value.


This view was, as you know, endorsed in the Independent Adviser’s report and through the resoundingly

positive response of shareholders with 91% of our shares offered up for sale to Finaccess.


Throughout the process, our dealings with Finaccess Capital have left me with a lasting appreciation for

the calibre and integrity of Jose and his team. It is pleasing to be passing the baton to a new Chair who

shares our vision for Restaurant Brands and has the skills and drive required to meet the next set of

challenges.


Jose and the new board are strongly supportive of current management and the continuation of the

company’s growth strategies.


I have been impressed with the depth of industry and market knowledge that the Finaccess team bring to

the table and which I believe will be of enormous benefit to Restaurant Brands in this next phase of the

company’s growth.


It is appropriate at this point to acknowledge the exceptional contribution made by your directors over the

past 12 months.


I have greatly valued the support and guidance of an extremely diligent and hard-working board that

includes current director Hamish Stevens along with recently retired board members: Vicky Taylor,

Stephen Copulos and David Beguely. I thank you all for your significant contribution to the strong

performance of the Company and wish you well for the future.


I would also like to thank Russel Creedy and his management team for their outstanding efforts in once

again delivering a record result. Russel has been at the helm as the Company’s Chief Executive since

2007. Over the years we have worked closely together, sharing a strong ambition to continually lift the
company’s performance. And under his leadership the business has indeed prospered.


And finally, I would like to thank our loyal shareholders for your continued support and interest in the

company – it has been a pleasure to represent you.


It is heartening to be completing my term as Chair, knowing that I leave the company in a strong position

and in good hands. I will continue to follow the company’s progress with interest and look forward to

hearing of

its continuing success.

Data sourced from publicly available filings. Our datasets may not be complete. Automated analysis can produce errors. If you believe any data on this page is incorrect, please contact us at hello@nzxplorer.co.nz. For informational purposes only. Not investment advice.

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