One of South Africa’s oldest companies set to shoot the lights out

Food producer Premier is set to release a strong set of results for the first half of its 2026 financial year, driven by cost-saving measures and disciplined capital allocation.

Founded in 1824, Premier is one of South Africa’s oldest companies. It owns many well-known food brands, including Blue Ribbon, Iwisa, Manhattan, Mister Sweets, Snowflake, and Super C.

The company’s operations span 13 bakeries, 7 wheat mills, 3 maize mills, and manufacturing plants across the region.

On Tuesday, 16 September, Premier released a trading statement outlining its earnings expectations for the six months ending 30 September 2025.

The company expects its earnings per share and headline earnings per share to grow by 20% to 30% to between 56 and 569 cents per share.

Premier further explained that it expects to deliver mid-single-digit revenue growth for the six-month period, reflecting the impact of deflation in soft-commodity prices. 

The company attributed this strong performance to its disciplined focus on appropriate capital investment, margin management, operational efficiencies, and cost-saving initiatives.

The food producer said these measures have sustained its compound growth in earnings achieved since listing.

Premier will release its full results for the six months through September 2025 on or about 11 November 2025.

This set of results will follow a strong performance in the company’s 2025 financial year, which saw Premier report a 7% increase in revenue and 31% earnings per share growth.

The company’s operating profit increased by 16.9% to R1.9 billion, while its operating profit margin improved by 80 basis points to 9.6% compared to the prior year.

This was despite Premier taking some hits over that period, with changes in global grain prices severely affecting its revenue.

The food producer explained that lower global wheat prices compared to 2024 and soft trading in the maize category, driven by record-high, weather-induced raw maize prices, detracted from revenue growth for the year.

However, the company said meticulous margin management and a clear focus on its long-term investment strategy enabled it to deliver strong results regardless.