Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc. (RRHI), one of the Philippines’ largest retail companies, announced that its core earnings increased by 6.2% to Php1.3 billion during the first quarter of 2026, according to a press release filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 30, 2026.

What Are Core Earnings?

Think of core earnings as the money a company makes from its main business activities. In this case, it’s the profit RRHI earns from running its stores like supermarkets, drugstores, and department stores. This number doesn’t include special one-time gains or losses that aren’t part of the regular business.

Strong Sales Growth

RRHI’s net sales (the total amount of money from selling products) grew by 10.3% to reach Php52.8 billion in the first quarter. This means the company sold significantly more products compared to the same period last year.

The sales increase came from three main sources:

• Same-store sales growth of 4.1% – This means stores that were already open last year sold more products this year, mainly because customers bought more items per visit
• New stores that opened and added to total sales
• Full three-month sales from Premiumbikes, which the company recently acquired

Understanding the Different Profit Numbers

While core earnings went up by 6.2%, the company’s reported net income (the official profit number) actually went down to Php489 million from Php760 million last year – a decrease of 35.6%. This might sound confusing, but here’s why:

The reported net income includes extra costs that aren’t related to running the stores, such as:

• Higher interest payments on money borrowed to buy back shares from DFI Group
• Interest costs from financing to buy Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) shares
• Losses from equity investments

According to the company, these are temporary financial costs, not problems with the actual retail business.

How Big is Robinsons Retail?

As of March 31, 2026, RRHI operates a massive retail network with 2,782 company-owned stores across different formats:

• 805 Food Stores (supermarkets and grocery stores)
• 1,187 Drugstores
• 51 Department Stores
• 234 DIY Stores (Do-It-Yourself or hardware stores)
• 505 Specialty Stores

The company also has partnerships with over 2,100 franchised stores under TGP (The Generics Pharmacy).

Challenges Ahead

Stanley C. Co, President and CEO of RRHI, acknowledged in the press release that while the business showed strength in the first quarter, the company is watching external challenges carefully. He mentioned concerns about the Middle East conflict, which is creating uncertainty and leading to higher operating costs and weaker consumer confidence as they enter the second quarter of 2026.

About Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc.

RRHI is registered with the SEC under number A200201756. The company is headquartered at 110 E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, Bagumbayan, Quezon City. As of the filing, the company has 1,065,618,535 common shares outstanding and 510,870,825 treasury shares.

The earnings per share for the first quarter was Php0.46, compared to Php0.53 during the same period last year.

This article is based on the company’s official press release and disclosures filed with the Philippine Stock Exchange’s Electronic Disclosure Generation Technology (PSE EDGE) system. For the complete and official version of the announcement, readers may visit the PSE EDGE website and search for the company’s filing directly.