The grocery operator delivered the strongest combination of profitability and balance-sheet strength, while Robinsons Retail grappled with rising costs and Metro Retail staged a recovery from a smaller base. The Philippines’ biggest listed retailers all collected more at the checkout counter in the first half of 2026. The difference was how much they kept. Puregold Price Club Inc. pulled ahead of Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. and Metro Retail Stores Group Inc. by turning faster sales growth into substantially higher profits. The grocery and warehouse-club operator also entered the second half with the strongest balance sheet of the three, giving it room to expand, defend prices and absorb economic shocks without leaning heavily on borrowed money. Robinsons Retail remained a close competitor in sales and produced more gross profit than Puregold. But rising operating costs, higher interest expense and losses outside its core retail operations weighed on earnings. Metro Retail, the...
Philippine broadband provider spent ₱5.7 billion on capital expenditures in the first half, while slower growth and rising costs pressured earnings Converge ICT Solutions Inc. continued pouring money into its fiber network during the first half of 2026, betting that broader coverage will eventually produce new customers and recurring revenue even as the company’s profitability weakened. The Philippine broadband provider spent about ₱5.7 billion on capital expenditures and intangible assets during the six months ended June, more than double the roughly ₱2.6 billion spent in the comparable period a year earlier. Much of the investment supported continued network expansion, including Converge’s effort to deepen its presence in the Visayas and Mindanao and build approximately 900,000 additional fiber ports during the year. That spending underscores Converge's central challenge. The company must continue building infrastructure to secure future growth, but the financial returns...