BENGALURU, May 22 Reuters Jubilant FoodWorks reported a rise in fourthquarter profit on Wednesday as the Domino39;s Pizza franchisee benefited from a onetime gain and more stores openings.

It reported profit before tax of 2.25 billion rupees 27 million for the quarter ended March 31, which included a onetime gain of 1.70 billion rupees from revaluing its investment in DP Eurasia N.V. when it acquired more shares.

Last year, it had reported a profit of 534 million rupees.

Jubilant also said it opened 67 new Domino39;s stores during the quarter, bringing the total store count to 1,995, helping its overall revenue rise nearly 24 to 15.73 billion rupees.

Likeforlike sales sales at stores which were open for at least a year edged up 0.1, snapping four consecutive quarters of declines.

However, despite cooling inflation concerns, its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization EBITDA margin decreased yearonyear to 19.7, which Karan Taurani, a consumer analyst at Elara Capital, called a negative sign.

The pizza category in India continued to remain under pressure due to investments in promotions, value meals, and the dominance of online delivery in an increasingly competitive pizza market, Taurani said.

Jubilant39;s total expenses rose 28.2 to 15.45 billion rupees.

Global fastfood restaurants have struggled to entice customers over the last few quarters in India amid stubbornly high inflation and increased competition from local rivals.

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