Hospitality/Minor International

Editorial staff

SET-listed Minor International Plc (MINT) announced net profit of 3.96 billion baht for the first half of 2024, a 74% increase from the same period in 2023.

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This robust profit growth builds on last year’s high net profit base and reflects the strength of MINT’s business model as well as the continued resilience of the global travel industry.

MINT’s core profit for the first half (profit after excluding extraordinary items) saw a solid 22% year-on-year growth for the first half.

MINT’s 2Q24 results set a new record, with core profit soaring to 3.23 billion baht, an 8% year-on-year increase driven largely by the success of hotels in Europe and the Americas during the start of their high season.

In addition to its success in Europe and the Americas, MINT's owned hotels in Thailand also saw significant growth. This growth reflects the increased flow of international tourist arrivals to Thailand, with notable increases from key markets such as the US, China, Europe, India and Australia.

Minor Hotels' mixed-use business, which recently integrated the lifestyle retailing division, saw a success of Pop Mart Thailand, which now has six stores in Bangkok and is a significant contributor to Minor Hotel’s mixed-use segment's profitability.

Minor Food also delivered strong result in 2Q24, principally from its operations in Thailand and Singapore. Total system sales in Thailand, Minor Food’s largest hub, grew by 7.4%, while Singapore saw a 12.8% total system sales increase, underscoring Minor Food’s leading market position in both markets.

This growth was driven by successful loyalty programs and innovative product offerings as dine-in demand recovered.

By leveraging scale to improve profitability margins and strong performance from its joint venture investments, Minor Food achieved significant top- and bottom-line growth, with core profit surging by 36% year-on-year for the second quarter.

As a result of MINT’s strong business performance and strong equity base, the company continues to reduce its net interest-bearing ratio, which stood at 0.96 on 30 June 2024 compared to 1.01 as of 31 December 2023.

This reduction was achieved despite continued investments in expansion, property upgrades, rebranding efforts and dividend payments of 0.32 baht per share during 2Q24.

MINT also opened a number of new hotels in the first half this year, including a leased hotel in Finland and managed hotels in South Africa, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The company also continues to expand its Dairy Queen business into new cities in Indonesia, such as Bali and Banten, following Minor Food's strategic investment into the business earlier this year. Indonesia presents secular growth opportunities, and these strategic expansions across both its hotel and food businesses underscore MINT's commitment to achieving its growth targets while rotating toward an asset-light business model and continued business diversification.

MINT’s Group CEO, Dillip Rajakarier, expressed confidence in the continued strength of MINT’s business for the remainder of 2024.

"With Europe gearing up for another high season in September and October, full of events for entertainment, sports, and business conferences and Asia's peak leisure season in the fourth quarter, we are well-positioned to continue our growth momentum. Our strategic initiatives, as well as our premium asset and brand portfolio, ensure that we can capitalize on these opportunities, increase our market share in our target markets and continue delivering exceptional results to our shareholders and stakeholders. With cash flows expected to remain strong in the second half of the year, our liquidity position should continue to strengthen and our leverage ratio should continue to decrease in the second quarter."