An Empire theatre complex is seen in Dartmouth, N.S. on Thursday, June 27, 2013. Empire Company Limited is getting out of the movie-theatre business in order to focus on Sobeys, their national grocery chain. Cineplex, Canada’s largest cinema company, will pay 200 million dollars to acquire 26 of the theatres. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
June 27, 2013 - 7:33 AM
STELLARTON, N.S. - Empire Company Ltd. (TSX:EMP.A) is getting out of the movie-theatre business in order to focus on Sobeys, the national grocery chain that accounts for most of the Nova Scotia-based company's revenue.
Canada's largest cinema company, Cineplex Inc. (TSX:CGX), will pay $200 million cash to acquire 26 of the theatres — all 24 of the Empire theatres in Atlantic Canada and two in Ontario.
Cineplex said the deal is strategically important since it gives the Toronto-based company a presence in Canada's four most eastern provinces and gives it a truly coast-to-coast presence.
The sale will also give Cineplex 78 per cent of the movie-theatre business in Canada.
Another 20 Empire theatres in Ontario and Western Canada will be sold to Landmark Cinemas for up to $55 million.
Landmark will pay $31 million cash and plus equity in a new entity worth $19 million as well as an earn-out right estimated to be worth $5 million. Landmark will be able to buy the equity from Empire for $19 million until Dec. 31.
Empire also announced Thursday that it had $98.6 million or $1.45 per share of adjusted earnings in the fourth quarter — up $9 million from a year earlier and eight cents per share above the consensus estimate.
The company's net income for the quarter ended May 4, before adjustments, was $107.4 million or $1.58 per share — up from $92.1 million or $1.35 per share a year earlier.
After the quarter ended, Empire announced that it will pay $5.8 billion to acquire Safeway's Canadian grocery business — adding about 213 grocery stores in Western Canada as well as in-store pharmacies, gas station, lquor stores, distribution centres and 12 manufacturing plants.
Sobeys already owns or franchises more than 1,300 stores across Canada under several banners that include Sobeys, IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, and Thrifty Foods.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013