Mr. Yann Phokthap, Chief Executive Officer of Central Retail Corporation Public Company Limited (CRC) stated that in the first quarter, Central Retail made a remarkable impact on the retail industry once again, with sales growth exceeding expectations at 16%, achieving record-breaking profits continuously, and generating total revenue of 56.274 billion baht (+15% YoY), EBITDA of 6.622 billion baht (+23% YoY), and net profit of 1.324 billion baht (+189% YoY). The same-store sales growth (SSSG) in the first quarter was 11%, showing positive growth in Thailand, Vietnam, and Italy.

Meanwhile, overall omnichannel sales also grew by 44%, demonstrating that Central Retail's omnichannel platform, which focuses on customer-centricity, allows us to meet customer needs across all channels simultaneously. As a result, Central Retail has gained millions more omni customers.

Additionally, we have leveraged digital technology to increase speed and reduce complexity in operations, alongside managing expenses and supply chains, ensuring that the company remains robust amid various uncertainties, including the COVID situation entering its end stage, which is a positive sign for the economy, but we still face ongoing global inflation and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which could have negative impacts that we must monitor closely.

For the 2022 plan, Central Retail is preparing to aggressively enter the market with an investment budget of over 20 billion baht to develop and improve core businesses, accelerate the expansion of new business models, and invest further in digital technology to enhance the CRC Ecosystem, as well as to expand the omnichannel platform to better meet customer needs and provide an even better experience for everyone. Throughout this year, Central Retail plans to launch new businesses, products, and services in the retail sector in Thailand, Vietnam, and Italy as follows:

Thailand - Reinforcing its position as the number one leader in the omnichannel platform across hardline, food, fashion, and property sectors through branch improvements, expansions, and the launch of new business models, including the expansion of over 300 new branches throughout the year, comprising main stores in each business such as Robinson Lifestyle malls, Robinson department stores, Thai Watsadu, and Tops, as well as other specialty stores. We will continue to expand new formats such as standalone Tops stores after receiving excellent feedback from the first branch, along with other new formats targeting new markets and accelerating growth in the new Health & Wellness business segment.

Launching new platforms and services in both food and non-food segments, such as the Thai Watsadu mobile application set to launch in May this year, reinforcing our position as the number one omnichannel retailer in the construction materials and home decor market in Asia, along with the launch of the Tops Prime subscription service offering unlimited free delivery, perfectly catering to the lifestyle of modern consumers, and many more new services throughout this year.

Enhancing Robinson Lifestyle malls, including adding new stores and brands, redesigning to be more localized, and expanding malls in high-potential locations into mixed-use formats by collaborating with leading partners to create condominiums alongside shopping centers to attract traffic and provide greater convenience for customers.

Vietnam - Reinforcing its leadership in the food, shopping center, and omnichannel platform sectors, with sales through the platform in the first quarter growing double at 88% compared to last year. The GO! application has become one of the most popular shopping apps in Vietnam, and we are accelerating the expansion of new offline branches throughout the year, including one GO! shopping center and hypermarket, 12 mini go! supermarkets, and 70 other non-food stores, aiming to build a strong business base covering both the middle and lower markets in response to the expected 6% GDP growth in Vietnam in 2022.

Italy - Reinforcing its leadership in luxury omnichannel through continuous improvements to branches and online channels. In the first quarter, over 3 million customers visited the Rinascente website, a 64% increase from the previous year. We are also continuously renovating Rinascente department stores to modernize them and accommodate the increased traffic from both local customers and tourists, with traffic increasing by 58% in the first quarter of 2022. We are confident that sales in Italy will grow by double digits for the year, benefiting from the easing of COVID-19 lockdowns and the return of tourists worldwide.

2022 is another year full of challenges, but with Central Retail's clear and actionable business plan, along with ongoing investment and acquisition strategies, we are highly confident that Central Retail will close 2022 with sales growth of 15-20% as targeted, reinforcing our position as a leader in the future retail world and becoming the number one Omni-Centric Retailer in Asia.