Sphera Franchise Group (SFG), the operator of the KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell brands, reported consolidated sales of EUR 72.05 million for the first quarter of 2026, up 4.2% compared to the same period of the previous year. The performance was supported by the return to growth of KFC’s operations in Romania, a market that reconfirms its position as the group’s main growth engine. On the other hand, profitability was affected by rising operational costs and the accelerated network expansion process.<\/p>\n
The evolution of net profit shows slight differences depending on the analyzed source, with a reported net profit of EUR 1.03 million (down 30%) or a normalized net profit of EUR 1.05 million. Additionally, normalized EBITDA at the group level stood at EUR 4.57 million, down by a percentage between 3% and 3.5% compared to Q1 2025. Inflationary pressures, wage increases, high rents, and marketing investments pushed restaurant-level expenses up by 5.2% to EUR 67.38 million, slightly outpacing sales dynamics. Raw material costs increased by 3%.<\/p>\n
Romania contributed 86.3% to the group’s total sales, generating approximately EUR 62.15 million (up 4.8%). Italy reported sales of EUR 8.69 million (+2%), representing 12.1% of the total, while the Republic of Moldova generated EUR 1.18 million (-8%), a result temporarily affected by the relocation of the KFC restaurant in Chi\u0219in\u0103u MallDova.<\/p>\n
At the brand level, KFC remains the main pillar, with sales of EUR 61.81 million (+4.2%) and a restaurant operating profit of EUR 4.99 million. Taco Bell recorded the highest growth rate (+12.2%), reaching sales of EUR 5.17 million and an operating profit of approximately EUR 95.3 thousand, despite development costs. Pizza Hut generated EUR 5.01 million, down 3.2%, amid network reorganization for efficiency. The Cioccolatitaliani brand, launched in 2025, contributed approximately EUR 57.18 thousand.<\/p>\n
According to General Manager C\u0103lin Ionescu, the group is focusing its attention on brands that deliver traction and on portfolio diversification in a market where consumers are more cautious with spending. In addition to expanding the Taco Bell network abroad, Sphera recently added the wagamama brand to its portfolio, joining Hard Rock Cafe and Cioccolatitaliani.<\/p>\n
Sphera operates a total of 182 restaurants in Romania, the Republic of Moldova, and Italy. The company’s shareholders include Shaletia Ventures Limited (29.6%), Computerland Romania (20.6%), Wellkept Group (17.1%), and the NN Private Pension Fund. On the capital market, SFG shares recorded a 6% decline over the last year, with the company having a market capitalization of EUR 266.83 million.<\/p>\n
What were Sphera Franchise Group’s sales in Q1 2026?<\/strong><\/p>\n Sphera Franchise Group reported consolidated sales of EUR 72.05 million in Q1 2026, representing a 4.2% increase compared to the same period of the previous year.<\/p>\n Which brand performed best for Sphera in Q1 2026?<\/strong><\/p>\n KFC remains the main pillar with sales of EUR 61.81 million, while Taco Bell recorded the highest growth rate of 12.2%, reaching sales of EUR 5.17 million.<\/p>\n Why did Sphera’s net profit decrease in Q1 2026?<\/strong><\/p>\n Profitability was impacted by a 5.2% increase in restaurant-level expenses, driven by inflationary pressures, wage increases, high rents, marketing investments, and network expansion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sphera Franchise Group (SFG), the operator of the KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell brands, reported consolidated sales of EUR 72.05 million for the first quarter of 2026, up 4.2% compared to the same period of the previous year. The performance was supported by the return to growth of KFC’s operations in Romania, a market…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":126218,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2852],"tags":[3347],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-126277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hotels-restaurants","tag-sphera-franchise-group-en"],"article_style_override":"on","post-style":"style2","post_via":[{"title":"zf.ro | 22.05","post_source_url":"https:\/\/www.zf.ro"}],"post-top-image":"https:\/\/rhn.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Hoteluri-si-resturante-category-picture.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rhn.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rhn.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rhn.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rhn.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rhn.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rhn.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rhn.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rhn.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rhn.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126277"},{"taxonomy":"thb-sponsors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rhn.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/thb-sponsors?post=126277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}