7-Eleven's PH licensor bullish for H2 2026

Philippine Seven Corp. (PSC), the local licensor of 7-Eleven, expects to post better earnings in the second half of the year, banking on the boost from the growth of its payment terminals and the absence of weather-related disturbances that impacted business last year.

According to PSC chairman Jose Victor Paterno, the company is optimistic it will sustain growth so far this year, as seen in its second-quarter figures which have yet to be released publicly.

“I think if the second quarter is any indication, it makes us more optimistic… The payment terminals grew and all that, and that’s given us a strong momentum,” he told reporters in a briefing ahead of the company’s annual stockholders meeting in Pasay City.

PSC ended the first quarter with automated teller machines (ATMs) in 3,970 stores or 87% of its total network, in partnership with Pito AXM Platform Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seven Bank of Japan.

The company reported a 4.7% growth in its net income to P628.8 million during the quarter. Same-store sales growth stood at 4.4% driven mainly by a faster increase in the average ticket size, a turnaround of the 1.2% decline in the first quarter of 2025.

“The second half of last year was more challenging and hopefully this year it’s going to be drier, so we always benefit from that,” Paterno said, noting that sales were hit by the floods recorded in the country in the second half of 2025.

“We expect better performance in the second half, I think,” he said, adding that the latter half of the year usually fairs better than the first, with a boost in spending.

Paterno noted, however, that the slowing economic growth and rising inflation is a concern. The gross domestic product (GDP) stood at a five-year low of 2.8% in the first quarter, while inflation clocked in at 6.4% in June, still above the government’s target range of 2% to 4%.

“Of course it’s a matter of concern. Inflation hurts more for retailers when stuff you don’t sell,” he said, noting that inflation impacts the business

Paterno earlier said the company plans has set aside P6 billion in capital expenditures this year, as it plans to open 500 new outlets—mostly in Visayas and Mindanao (VisMin)—and reach 5,000 stores before the end of 2026.

“We overweight VisMin because sales there have been stronger. Our expansion has been biased since the end of COVID towards VisMin,” he said Thursday.

PSC had 4,575 stores as of end-March 2026: 1,155 in Metro Manila; 2,062 in Luzon (excluding Metro Manila); 759 in Visayas; and 599 in Mindanao.

In terms of market coverage, Paterno said the company current has one store for every 5,000 people in central business districts (CBDs), one for every 10,000 in a city, and one for every 20,000 in a province. — BM, GMA News