Friday, March 7, 2008

Restaurant Brand's want their sales back

In the absence of any decent analysis of Restaurant Brands Ltd [RBD.NZX] sales figures by our lazy mainstream financial journos, which were released yesterday, I will have another go for this last quarter.


Related image
Changing the image at KFC has only added cost to the
business and seriously eroded margins.



RBD management seem to trumpet their KFC brand so much that is deserves yet another serving of criticism by my good self:

For the full year, total KFC sales reached a new high of $199.1million, an increase of 9.0% over the prior year and 7.7% up on a same store basis. This same store sales performance is up on the 7.1% same store growth achieved in the previous year and is the fourth consecutive year of solid same store sales growth for the brand" 2008 sales release

Lets compare current yearly KFC sales figures with the "new high" of $177 million, as stated in the 2002 annual report. In reality if you included inflation(which prudent businesses must) in the $199.1 million "new high", then current sales are still approximately $4.5 million short of the 2002 figure. I calculated inflation over the last 5 years at conservatively 3% annually.

So the trumpeting by management yesterday of KFC's performance hides the truth that less chicken is being sold at a higher revenues for the business and now lower margins because of higher business costs.

In fact, things are so bad for KFC they would actually have to increase sales to approximately $235 million dollars annually, just to show 3% annual sales growth since that last "record" was reached in 2002.

Deception seems to have reached an art form amongst RBD management.


Image result for pizza hut nz

Pizza Hut seems a lost cause in New Zealand, sales are flagging with competitors taking their market share and business costs spiraling.

Once again Pizza Hut delivered a cold and soggy mess(just like their pizzas)in the form of annual sales. $71.4 million in sales in the last year was "disappointing" to management. That has to be the understatement of the year. That sales figure was down more than 10% from last year on a 97 store count.

Meanwhile Pizza Huts competition in this market, both Hell Pizza, a division of Burger King NZ/OZ and dominant Dominoes are growing sales strongly. With even more competition due from them over the coming year.

If we do the 2002 sales comparison, Pizza hut had just over $69 million(in 2002 dollars) on a 86 store count and now sales are just 2 million more with 11 more stores in the chain. Can you see a pattern forming here?

Image result for starbucks nz

Starbucks isn't the star RBD management
say it is. With real growth of only 3% for
the last 5 years, the brand is clearly suffering.


Surely Starbucks must be the star that management say it is?

Well, unsurprisingly, no.


With $33 million in sales this last year and a 5.6% increase on the previous year surely shareholders should be fit to leap over a KFC store in single bound on the news?

Lets time warp back to 2002 again. With annual sales of $18 million, on a store count of 29, one might assume that the $33 million latest annual sales looks excellent but you would be slightly wrong again colonel.

With same store sales of $620,689.00 per store back in 2002 vs $733,333.00 for the latest annual period and factoring in the same conservative 3% annual inflation that I applied to the KFC scenario, that gives a figure in 2008 dollars of $713,792.00 per same store sales. The difference, being a $19,541.00 per store increase after factoring in 5 years of inflation.

This is a growth rate in same store sales for Starbucks of less than 3%, over the whole 5 years.
Again, with increased business costs factored in, margins are as thin as Pizza Hut toppings and with more stores since 2002, costs are manifold times bigger. So Starbuck's margins, like RBD's other brands, are now less than they were 5 years ago.

I have previously canvased the poor service and bad management at RBD and that clearly still applies, and I'm not about to repeat myself again but things really need to change if the company is going to survive.

The sales might be increasing at RBD's brands but that doesn't equate into more food being sold, better margins and therefore increased profit.

Shareholders must look to the long term and decide whether a company that is earning considerably less than it did 10 years ago, and trumpets current sales figures that lack intellectual and financial rigour, is capable of achieving different results over the next ten years, in whatever guise it takes.


Restaurant Brands @ Share Investor



Most Outstanding Stock of 2010: Restaurant Brands Ltd
Restaurant Brands Ltd: KFC has finally cracked it
Restaurant Brands: KFC Sales Figures Explained - Part 2
Finger Lick'n Good Management
Chart of the Week: Restaurant Brands Ltd
Long Term View: Restaurant Brands Ltd
Stock of Week: Restaurant Brands Ltd
Restaurant Brands: Buy or Sell ?
Pizza Hut sell-off provide opportunities all-round
Danny Diab & Restaurant Brands
2008-2009 KFC sales figures mislead investors
KFC Finally Flying
Starbuck's New Zealand Cup doesn't runneth over
RBD gives KFC a push
McDonald's playing chicken with KFC
Restaurant Brand's Pizza Hut faces increasing competition
RBD sales analysis
RBD saga continues: CEO leaves
The secret recipe is out
2007 FY profit analysis
Delivering increased profit in October 2007
No reason for optimism in latest sales figures

Discuss RBD @ Share Investor Forum



c Share Investor 2008




Thursday, March 6, 2008

Warren Buffett is number one with a bullet

I have been obsessed with Warren Buffett and Auckland Airport this last week and it appears readers of this blog have been as well. Record numbers have visited.

Welcome to my many new readers and I hope you stay awhile.

In the wake of Buffett's letter being released last Friday, the biggest financial subject googled has been "Warren Buffett's letter to stockholders".

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/12/1207_bestleaders/image/ba51013.jpg
Warren Buffett makes it to the number one spot as the world's
wealthiest man and the most googled financial subject, all in the
same week.



The momentum continues as the Forbes Rich List came out today and news that Buffett hit the top of the list for the first time.

The indication for me about the frenzy over what the Sage of Omaha has to say during the last week is that people are looking to him for reassurance over where the economy and markets may be heading over the short to medium term.

Answer?

I'm not sure even he knows but the uncertainty is certainly taking its toll on investors.

In the wake of all this interest, I have started a new website Everything Warren Buffett, where you can check out his portfolio, look at all his letters, view video and audio and get some great investment tips from the great man.

Auckland International Airport
video

NZ Herald-The Battle for the Airport


There has also been a great deal of interest from overseas about the Auckland Airport Saga. Brokers and those in the financial industry are watching what is happening closely, and I'm sure, given the recent government interventions, they are not liking what they are reading.

It seems that particular story isn't over yet, with murmurs of legal action against the Labour government.

Related Share Investor reading

Buffett dines out on a good result: So can you
Warren Buffett's 2008 letter to Berkshire Hathaway highly anticipated - Includes Buffett letter in PDF
Warren Buffett 2008 Letter in Blog Format
Global market meltdown: What is Warren Buffett doing?
The Intelligent Investor: Book review


Subscribe to Everything Warren Buffett in a reader

c Share Investor 2008

Electoral Finance Act Protest: Auckland, 9 March, 2.00 pm, 2008

Email sent to Political Animal 4.00pm today


Silent Protest March against the Electoral Finance Act - This Sunday 9 March, meet outside the Auckland Town Hall from 2.00pm.

To my friends, family, business colleagues and supporters


In a democracy one of our most precious rights should be our right to speak out, criticize and campaign against the government – any government.


In passing the Electoral Finance Act parliament severely restricted our freedom to do so. This sets a dangerous precedent. The Human Rights Commissioner spoke out on behalf of all New Zealanders and called on the Government to withdraw the bill and start again. She was ignored.


We now have a law restricting what we can spend campaigning against the government that is less than half of what the Human Rights Commission and the Electoral Commission thought was fair.


What is worse, this new law will apply for over three times longer than the Human Rights Commissioner thought was reasonable.

For many decades New Zealanders have gone to war to protect our precious freedoms. We should not give them up lightly.

You now have a choice, you can simply accept that your freedoms have been restricted or you can stand up and protest and let the parliamentarians know that this is not on.

I am not prepared to sit back and do nothing. I am organising a SILENT protest march against the Electoral Finance Act this Sunday 9 March and I invite you to join me.

I would be very grateful if you could help me promote this march by bringing it to the attention of your family, friends and colleagues. I have attached a copy of the ad that appeared in The New Zealand Herald yesterday.

If we don’t stand up for our rights now we do not know what freedoms we may lose next.

Regards


John Boscawen, Trustee, Freedom of Speech Trust.

Box 42-267, Orakei, Auckland.

john@boscawen.co.nz


Related Political Animal Reading

Historical day as New Zealand loses democratic freedom

Auckland EFB protest lures 5000
Day of protest: Auckland NZ, Nov 2007
Electoral Finance Bill: The Purpose is clear
Cartoon & Comment, Emmerson: Winston Churchill Clark
List of MP's who voted for EFB
Extending middle finger in 2008


Links c Political Animal 2008

Bruce Sheppard: Another Asset Theft



Bruce Sheppard is a non-politically correct agent
provocateur and founder of the New Zealand
Shareholders' Association. An accountant by
profession, he is passionate about New Zealand
but has no hesitation in exposing its shortcomings.
He is regularly sighted tackling Auckland's traffic
armed only with a bicycle.




Bruce Sheppard in Stirring the Pot from Stuff.co.nz| 1:26 pm 4 March 2008

This government thinks it is OK to interfere in the private property rights of its citizens, and dresses this up as the protection of the national interest. Last year Telecom got dealt to, this year it is Auckland Airport, next year who will it be?

While I had little empathy with the Canadian bid and was not going to vote in favour of it with my shares, I will now support a yes vote and an acceptance. Then I will let the Government tell 10’s of thousands of New Zealanders that they can’t have their money.

As far as the NZ control/ ownership issue is concerned the horse bolted years ago. Auckland International Airport is already over 40 per cent foreign owned. Who cares if it is a selection of hedge funds or a Canadian pension fund if it is just about ownership? Frankly a pension fund is better as at least they will take a long-term view , hedge funds just look for the next quick profit fix.

If it is control, then not much changes. The Canadians have guaranteed that the board will have enough independent directors to remain an independently governed company still listed in NZ.

What is more important here is the crown interference. What this does is undermine the effectiveness of our capital markets and it also increases the risk of investing in NZ if you are a foreigner. Obviously the repricing of risk internationally is having an effect on our sharemarket and this sort of short sighted nonsense from our politicians will simply make matters worse.

If you want to fix foreign ownership of NZ Inc, you have to encourage Kiwis to own NZ instead. To do this our people have to stop spending $1.14 for every dollar they earn. It is not rocket science, the 14c is funded with debt or asset sales. Now why would a New Zealander who is saving, invest in NZ when the Government appropriates economic advantages on one ill-conceived whim or another? Much easier to invest offshore out of Michael Cullen’s sticky, thieving hands.


Related Share Investor reading

Cullen's move on Airport has far reaching effects

Fran O'Sullivan: Cullen's shock move hinders Airport bid
Cullen's move on AIA tax plan Anti-Business
NZ Herald: Airport Deal not so sweet after tax break blocked
NZX Press Release: AIA directors recommend shareholders sell
AIA profit stays grounded
Softening opposition to CPPIB bid for AIA
Directors of AIA bribe brokers not to sell
What is Auckland Airport worth to you?
Second bite at AIA by CPPIB might just fly
AIA new directors must focus on shareholders
Auckland Airport merger deal nosedives
The Canadians have landed
AIA incentive scheme must fly out the window
Government market manipulation over AIA/DAE deal
DAE move on AIA: Will it fly?


Disclosure: I own AIA shares

Links c Share Investor 2008