McDonald's Restaurants (NZ) posted a 19 per cent gain in 2015 profit as the local unit of the world's biggest fast-food chain opened more outlets and lured consumers with custom burgers and drive-through coffee, while also benefiting from lower raw material costs.
Profit rose to $36.7 million in 2015 from $30.8 million a year earlier, according to the Auckland-based company's annual report. Sales rose 10 per cent to $244 million.
Under chief executive Steve Easterbrook, who took over at McDonald's in March last year, the fast-food chain has been attempting to reinvigorate itself worldwide including the rollout of all-day breakfast, which reached all New Zealand stores at the start of May this year.
The New York-listed stock, which plateaued in early 2012, surged to a record US$131.62 last month and has gained 28 per cent in the past year, outpacing a 1.5 per cent gain in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.
In New Zealand, McDonald's sales growth is outpacing that of unprofitable rival Burger King, while Restaurant Brands' Carl's Jr is still too small to be a serious challenger.