EDMONTON, AB, Nov. 12, 2026 /CNW/ -- K-Bro Linen Inc. ("K-Bro" or the "Corporation") today announces its Q3 2026 financial and operating results.

Q3 2026 Financial and Operating Highlights

• Revenue
  • Revenue increased by 2.7% in Q3 2026 to $160.1 million compared to $155.9 million in  Q3 2025.
  • Healthcare revenue increased to $88.5 million for Q3 2026 compared to $82.4 million in Q3 2025, or by 7.4%.
  • Hospitality revenue decreased to $71.5 million for Q3 2026 compared to $73.5 million in 2025, or by 2.7%.

• Adjusted EBITDA¹, Adjusted EBITDA Margin¹ & Adjusted Net Earnings¹
  • Adjusted EBITDA in the third quarter of 2026 was $33.5 million which remained relatively unchanged from $33.5 million in 2025.
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin decreased by 0.6% to 20.9% in Q3 2026 compared to 21.5% in Q3 2025 which is largely due to higher fuel costs.
  • Adjusted net earnings increased by 8.0% to $13.0 million in Q3 2026 from $12.0 million in Q3 2025.

• EBITDA, EBITDA Margin & Net Earnings
  • EBITDA increased by $2.2 million to $34.2 million for Q3 2026 compared to $32.0 million in Q3 2025.
  • EBITDA margin for the quarter increased to 21.4% in 2026 from 20.5% in 2025.
  • Net earnings for the quarter increased by $3.1 million to $12.0 million in 2026 from $8.9 million in 2025.

• For the third quarter of 2026, K-Bro declared dividends of $0.300 per common share.
• For the nine months ended September 30, 2026, K-Bro repurchased and cancelled 67,457 common shares.
• Debt net of cash at the end of Q3 2026 was $211.7 million compared to $214.2 million at the end of fiscal 2025.

Linda McCurdy, President & CEO of K-Bro, commented that "We're pleased with our third quarter results, which were consistent with management's expectations.  We continue to see a positive outlook in both Canada and the UK.  Healthcare volumes continue to experience a steady volume trend.  In Q3, we were successful in renewing several healthcare contracts for 3-to-5-year terms, including our largest customer in the UK which represents approximately 3% of consolidated revenue.  For the hospitality segment, while we expect solid activity levels will continue long-term, and we are confident in our pipeline, we have experienced recent competitive market dynamics and softness in volumes amid the evolving macro landscape, particularly in the UK.  Throughout 2026, particularly in the UK, the Corporation has faced volatility in energy costs due to current geopolitical issues.  We continue to monitor the evolving global and Canadian foreign policies, geopolitical events, volatile energy prices, state of tariffs and other trade policies, and our experienced team remains focused on disciplined operations."

"Our Stellar Mayan integration is progressing as expected, and we continue to anticipate run-rate cost synergies will be realized over the twelve to twenty-four months guided.  Over the past year, we've implemented various improvements at Stellar Mayan, including planning towards the adoption of seven-day operations at certain facilities, insourcing maintenance, workflow optimizations, realigning compensation structures, and changing certain roles. Our near-term focus is on the business integration of Stellar Mayan.  However, K-Bro evaluates potential strategic acquisitions that may complement its platform.  K-Bro has a strong cash flow profile and our post acquisition debt and leverage levels have been consistent with our expectations."

Highlights and Significant Events for Q3 2026

Business Acquisition – Stellar Mayan

As previously disclosed in the December 31, 2025 Annual Financial Statements, during 2025 the Corporation finalized the provisional purchase price allocation for the UK based Stellar Mayan Acquisition, a leading commercial laundry business in England serving the healthcare and hospitality markets. Stellar Mayan includes three operating businesses: (i) Synergy Health Managed Services Limited ("Synergy"); (ii) Grosvenor Contracts (London) Limited ("Grosvenor Contracts", "GC"); and (iii) Aeroserve (MSP) Limited and Aeroserve Euro Limited, jointly referred to as Aeroserve Linen Services ("AeroServe"). No new information which resulted in adjustments to the fair value of net identifiable assets acquired was obtained during the quarter ended September 30, 2026.

Common Share Offering

On June 11, 2025, the Corporation closed the Stellar Mayan Acquisition. Through a bought deal, the Corporation issued 2,334,500 common shares at $34.55 per share, which included full exercise of the over-allotment option. The proceeds of the common share offering were used to finance a portion of the Stellar Mayan Acquisition and pay certain fees and expenses related to acquisition and offering. The net proceeds of the offering after deducting expenses of the offering and the underwriter's fee were $75.6 million.

Revolving Credit Facility

On June 11, 2025, the Corporation amended its existing three-year committed Syndicated Credit Facility Agreement to include a $134.3 million four-year amortizing term loan and to extend the term of the facility from March 25, 2027 to June 10, 2029. The amendment included a reduction in the accordion to $50 million from $75 million.

The term loan and revolving credit facility are collateralized by a general security agreement, bear interest at prime or the applicable banker's acceptance rate, plus an interest margin dependent on certain financial ratios. Interest payments only are due during the term for the revolving portion of the syndicated credit facility. For the term loan portion of the syndicated credit facility, repayments of the principal amount shall be repaid in quarterly installments commencing September 30, 2025, in addition to required interest payments. The additional interest margin can range between 0.00% to 2.00% dependent upon the calculated Total Funded Debt / Credit Facility EBITDA financial ratio, with a range between 0 to 3.50x. The Funded Debt to EBITDA Ratio requirement has an increase to 4.00x for the first four quarters following any material acquisition. The required calculated Funded Debt / Credit Facility EBITDA financial ratio is subject to change based off certain terms and conditions. As at September 30, 2026 the combined interest rate was 5.45%.

The Corporation's incremental borrowing rate under its existing credit facility is determined by the Canadian prime rate plus an applicable margin based on the ratio of Funded Debt to EBITDA as defined in the credit agreement.

Interest Rate Risk

The Corporation is exposed to interest rate risk as changes in interest rates may impact future cash flows and fair value of its financial instruments. Interest rate risk also arises as the fair value of future cash flows from a financial instrument fluctuates due to changes in market interest rates.

To manage its exposure to fluctuations in interest rates, on June 4, 2026 the Corporation entered into an interest rate swap in connection with the term loan portion of its syndicated credit facility. Under the terms of the swap, the Corporation economically converts the floating interest rate exposure on the term loan to a fixed rate.

The notional amount of the interest rate swap corresponds to the full outstanding principal of the term loan, with the contractual term structured to align with the maturity profile and amortization schedule of the underlying term loan. The interest rate swap is measured at fair value and recorded as "Derivative financial instruments" on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position, with changes in fair value recognized in "Fair value adjustments on derivative financial instruments" within operating costs in the Consolidated Statements of Income. Realized gains and losses on the interest rate swap are recognized in finance expense, consistent with the presentation of interest on the underlying term loan.

Business Acquisition - Shortridge

At September 30, 2026, the amount held in escrow at closing as part of the Shortridge Share Purchase Agreement remains unresolved. The escrow was established to secure the counter-party's obligations under the agreement in relation to certain post-closing conditions. The Corporation and through advisory from their legal counsel have determined those conditions were not met by the counterparty, and the Corporation has asserted their rights to retain the escrowed funds. The counterparty disputes this position and has contested the Corporation's claim to the escrow funds. Management continues to monitor the progress of negotiations with the counterparty, however a contingent asset has not been recognized as a receivable at  September 30, 2026.

Normal Course Issuer Bid

On May 8, 2026, the Corporation announced its intention to proceed with a normal course issuer bid (NCIB) to purchase up to 1,229,584 of its common shares ("Shares") through the TSX and / or alternative Canadian trading systems, representing approximately 10% of the public float of 12,295,846 shares as at April 30, 2026, during the twelve-month period commencing May 12, 2026 and ending May 11, 2027.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2026, the Corporation repurchased and cancelled 67,457 common shares for $2,831 under the NCIB, net of transaction costs of $1 which were recorded in share capital. The average share price was $42.24.

Capital Investment Plan

For fiscal 2026, the Corporation's planned capital spending is expected to be in the range of up to $22.0 million on a consolidated basis excluding right-of-use-asset additions. This guidance includes both strategic and maintenance capital requirements to support existing base business in both Canada and the UK. These amounts are reflective of incremental capital required for Stellar Mayan, for which the capital investment was initially announced at acquisition to be $9.3 million (£5.0 million). The 2026 guidance includes the remaining amount to be spent for this capital project. We will continue to assess capital needs within our facilities and prioritize projects that have shorter term paybacks as well as those that are required to maintain efficient and reliable operations. Following a capital asset investment between 2013 and 2019, the Corporations' facilities are well capitalized and management expects a consistent level of capital spending in the range of $15.0 million to $18.0 million annually will be sufficient to support the base business in both Canada and the UK in the short to medium term.

Economic Conditions

Evolving global and Canadian foreign policies, geopolitical events and economic conditions may impact inflation, energy pricing, labour availability, supply chain efficiency, trade policies, tariffs and/or other items, which may have a direct or indirect impact on the Corporation's business.

The Corporation's Credit Facility is subject to floating interest rates and, therefore, is subject to fluctuations in interest rates which are beyond the Corporation's control. Changes in interest rates, both domestically and internationally, could negatively affect the Corporation's cost of financing its operations and investments.

To manage its exposure to fluctuations in interest rates, on June 4, 2026 the Corporation entered into an interest rate swap in connection with the term loan portion of its syndicated credit facility. Under the terms of the swap, the Corporation economically converts the floating interest rate exposure on the term loan to a fixed rate.

Uncertainty about judgments, estimates and assumptions made by management during the preparation of the Corporation's consolidated financial statements related to potential impacts of geopolitical events and changing interest rates on revenue, expenses, assets, liabilities, and note disclosures could result in a material adjustment to the carrying value of the asset or liability affected.

Financial Results

OUTLOOK

On June 11, 2025, the Corporation completed its acquisition of Stellar Mayan. Following the acquisition, K-Bro is the largest healthcare and hospitality laundry and linen processor in Canada and one of the largest in the UK, with coast-to-coast national geographic footprints in each country. Management sees a positive outlook for its business in both Canada and the UK.

K-Bro's UK Managing Director oversees its UK operations, including the Stellar Mayan business integration plan. Over the past year, management has implemented various improvements at Stellar Mayan, including planning towards the adoption of seven-day operations at certain facilities, insourcing maintenance, workflow optimizations, realigning compensation structures, and changing certain roles. Management anticipates business integration will be complete within expected timelines and run-rate cost synergies will be realized towards the end of anticipated timelines to achieve. Post acquisition debt and leverage levels have been consistent with management expectations.

The Corporation's healthcare segment continues to experience a steady volume trend. In the quarter, the Corporation was successful in renewing several contracts for 3-to-5-year terms, including its largest customer in the UK which represents approximately 3% of consolidated revenue. Management expects steady increases to healthcare activity levels supported by a continued focus on reducing wait times and enhancing patient care. For the hospitality segment, management expects solid activity levels to continue long-term, reflecting historical seasonal trends. However, while solid activity levels are expected to continue, there has been recent competitive market dynamics and softness in volumes amid the evolving macro landscape, particularly in the UK.

Going forward, management expects the Adjusted EBITDA margin for the Canadian segment to remain at similar levels to seasonally adjusted historical margins. In-line with management's expectations, due to the lower EBITDA margin profile of Stellar Mayan, the consolidated UK segmental adjusted EBITDA margins will be lower than seasonally adjusted historical margins. The Corporation continues to monitor evolving global and Canadian foreign policies, geopolitical events, volatile energy prices, and economic conditions, which could have a direct or indirect impact on the business. Throughout 2026, particularly in the UK, the Corporation has faced significant volatility in energy costs due to current geopolitical issues. This risk has been mitigated by hedges the Corporation has in place for both diesel and natural gas, of which the UK hedges expire at the end of 2026. If current market diesel prices were to continue, management anticipates the Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA margins would be negatively impacted by 1.0% for the fourth quarter of 2026. For the third quarter of 2026, the impact to the Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA margin was 0.7% however during the month of September, the Corporation saw large rates increases in diesel which will result in a larger impact in the fourth quarter should current market rates continue.

Management's near-term focus is on the business integration of Stellar Mayan. However, K-Bro evaluates potential strategic acquisitions that may complement its platform. Over the medium and longer-term, management sees opportunities to accelerate growth in North America, Europe, and similar geographies which remain highly fragmented. K-Bro will look to leverage its strong liquidity position, balance sheet and access to the capital markets to execute on these opportunities, should they arise. For further information about the impact of other economic factors on our business, see the "Summary of Interim Results and Key Events".

CORPORATE PROFILE

K-Bro is the largest owner and operator of laundry and linen processing facilities in Canada and a national market leader for laundry and textile rental services in the UK. K­­­‑Bro and its wholly-owned subsidiaries operate across Canada and the UK, providing a range of linen services to healthcare organizations, hotels and other commercial accounts that include the processing, management and distribution of general linen and operating room linen.

The Corporation's operations in Canada include eleven processing facilities and one distribution centre in nine Canadian cities: Québec City, Montréal, Toronto, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria.

The Corporation's operations in the UK include five distinctive brands, Fishers Topco Ltd. ("Fishers") which was acquired by K-Bro on November 27, 2017, Shortridge Ltd. ("Shortridge"), which was acquired by K-Bro on April 30, 2024, and three brands acquired through the acquisition of Stellar Mayan Ltd. ("Stellar Mayan") on June 11, 2025, previously known as Star Mayan Limited. The three brands acquired were Synergy Health Managed Services Limited ("Synergy"), Aeroserve (MSP) Limited and Aeroserve Euro Limited, jointly referred to as Aeroserve Linen ("Aeroserve"), and Grosvenor Contracts (London) Limited ("Grosvenor Contracts", "GC").

Fishers was established in 1900 and is an operator of laundry and linen processing facilities in Scotland, providing linen rental, workwear hire and cleanroom garment services to the hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing and pharmaceutical sectors. Fishers' client base includes major hotel chains and prestigious venues across Scotland and the North of England. The company operates in five cities, in Scotland and the North of England with facilities in Cupar, Perth, Newcastle, Livingston and Coatbridge.

Shortridge was established in 1845 and is an operator of laundry and linen processing facilities in North West England, providing high quality laundry services to local independent hospitality businesses, including hotels, B&Bs, self-catering units and restaurants.  The company operates laundry processing sites in Lillyhall and Dumfries and a distribution centre in Darlington.

Stellar Mayan, doing business as Synergy, Grosvenor Contracts and AeroServe, is a leading commercial laundry business in England, serving the healthcare and hospitality markets. Typical services offered include processing, management and distribution of healthcare and hospitality linens, including sheets, blankets, towels, surgical gowns and other linen. Stellar Mayan has seven operating facilities strategically located across England: London, Derby, Dunstable, Sheffield, Slough (2), and St. Helens, in addition to a distribution depot in Manchester.

Additional information regarding the Corporation including required securities filings are available on our website at www.k-brolinen.com and on the Canadian Securities Administrators' website at www.sedarplus.ca; the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval ("SEDAR +").

TERMINOLOGY

Throughout this news release and other documents referred to herein, and in order to provide a better understanding of the financial results, K-Bro uses the terms "EBITDA", "adjusted EBITDA", "adjusted net earnings", "adjusted net earnings per share", "debt to total capital", "distributable cash" and "payout ratio". These terms do not have any standardized meaning under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS Accounting Standards") as set out in the CICA Handbook. Therefore, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net earnings, adjusted net earnings per share, distributable cash and payout ratio may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Specifically, the terms "EBITDA", "adjusted EBITDA", "adjusted net earnings", "adjusted net earnings per share", "distributable cash", and "payout ratio" have been defined as follows:

EBITDA

EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) comprises revenues less operating costs before financing costs, capital asset and intangible asset amortization, and income taxes.

EBITDA is a sub‑total presented within the statement of earnings. EBITDA is not considered an alternative to net earnings in measuring K‑Bro's performance. EBITDA should not be used as an exclusive measure of cash flow since it does not account for the impact of working capital changes, capital expenditures, debt changes and other sources and uses of cash, which are disclosed in the consolidated statements of cash flows. 

Non-GAAP Measures

Adjusted EBITDA

K‑Bro reports Adjusted EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) as a key measure used by management to evaluate performance. We believe Adjusted EBITDA assists investors to assess our performance on a consistent basis as it is an indication of our capacity to generate income from operations before taking into account management's financing decisions as well as costs of acquiring tangible and intangible capital assets.  The Corporation modified its definition for Adjusted EBITDA in 2024 and has updated its comparative quarters to reflect the modified definition. In June 2026, the Corporation entered into an interest rate swap to manage its interest rate exposure. During Q2 2026 the Corporation modified its definition of Adjusted EBITDA to include any gains or losses associated with the interest rate swap. The adjustments related to the interest rate swaps are non-cash in nature.

"Adjusted EBITDA" is EBITDA (defined above) with the addition or deduction of certain amounts incurred which management does not consider indicative of ongoing operating performance. This includes transaction costs, structural finance costs, transition and integration costs, restructuring costs, gains/losses on settlement of contingent consideration, fair value adjustments on derivative financial instruments and any other non-recurring transactions.

The Corporation believes these non-GAAP definitions provide more meaningful reflections of normalized financial performance from operations and will enhance period-over-period comparability. 

Adjusted Net Earnings and Adjusted Earnings per Share

Adjusted Net Earnings and Adjusted Earnings per Share are non-GAAP measures. These non-GAAP measures are defined to exclude certain amounts which management does not consider indicative of ongoing operating performance. This includes transaction costs, structural finance costs, transition and integration costs, restructuring costs, gains/losses on settlement of contingent consideration, fair value adjustments on derivative financial instruments, any other non-recurring transactions, and the amortization of intangible assets from the Stellar Mayan acquisition on June 11, 2025, given the material nature of the acquisition. The Corporation believes these non-GAAP definitions provide more meaningful reflections of normalized financial performance from operations and will enhance period-over-period comparability. 

Distributable Cash Flow

Distributable cash flow is a measure used by management to evaluate the Corporation's performance. While the closest IFRS Accounting Standards measure is cash provided by operating activities, distributable cash flow is considered relevant because it provides an indication of how much cash generated by operations is available after capital expenditures. It should be noted that although we consider this measure to be distributable cash flow, financial and non‑financial covenants in our credit facilities and dealer agreements may restrict cash from being available for dividends, re‑investment in the Corporation, potential acquisitions, or other purposes. Investors should be cautioned that distributable cash flow may not actually be available for growth or distribution from the Corporation. Management refers to "Distributable cash flow" as to cash provided by (used in) operating activities with the addition of net changes in non‑cash working capital items, less share‑based compensation, maintenance capital expenditures and principal elements of lease payments.

Payout Ratio

"Payout ratio" is defined by management as the actual cash dividend divided by distributable cash. This is a key measure used by investors to value K-Bro, assess its performance and provide an indication of the sustainability of dividends. The payout ratio depends on the distributable cash and the Corporation's dividend policy.

Debt to Total Capital

"Debt to total capital" is defined by management as the total long‑term debt (excludes lease liabilities) divided by the Corporation's total capital. This is a measure used by investors to assess the Corporation's financial structure.

Distributable cash flow, payout ratio, and debt to total capital are not calculations based on IFRS Accounting Standards and are not considered an alternative to IFRS Accounting Standards measures in measuring K‑Bro's performance. Distributable cash flow, and payout ratio do not have standardized meanings in IFRS Accounting Standards and are therefore not likely to be comparable with similar measures used by other issuers.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains forward‑looking information that represents internal expectations, estimates or beliefs concerning, among other things, future activities or future operating results and various components thereof. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "continue", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", and similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events are intended to identify forward‑looking information. Statements regarding such forward‑looking information reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management.

These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are based on management's estimates and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause K-Bro's actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from the forward-looking information contained in this news release. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things: (i) risks associated with acquisitions, including (a) the possibility of undisclosed material liabilities, disputes or contingencies, (b) challenges or delays in achieving synergy and integration targets, (c) the diversion of management's time and focus from other business concerns and (d) the use of resources that may be needed in other parts of our business; (ii) K-Bro's competitive environment; (iii) utility costs, minimum wage legislation and labour costs; (iv) K-Bro's dependence on long-term contracts with the associated renewal risk and the risks associated with maintaining short term contracts; (v) increased capital expenditure requirements; (vi) reliance on key personnel; (vii) changing trends in government outsourcing; (viii) changes or proposed changes to minimum wage laws in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Saskatchewan and the United Kingdom (the "UK"); (ix) the availability and terms of future financing; (x) textile demand; (xi) availability and access to labour; (xii) rising wage rates in all jurisdictions the Corporation operates and (xiii) foreign currency risk. Material factors or assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making an estimate set out in the forward-looking information include: (i) volumes and pricing assumptions; (ii) expected impact of labour cost initiatives; (iii) frequency of one-time costs impacting quarterly and annual financial results; (iv) foreign exchange rates; (v) the level of capital expenditures and (vi) the expected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Corporation. Although the forward-looking information contained in this news release is based upon what management believes are reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Certain statements regarding forward-looking information included in this news release may be considered "financial outlook" for purposes of applicable securities laws, and such financial outlook may not be appropriate for purposes other than this news release. Forward looking information included in this news release includes the expected annual healthcare revenues to be generated from the Corporation's contracts with new customers, calculation of costs, including one-time costs impacting the quarterly financial results, anticipated future capital spending and statements with respect to future expectations on margins and volume growth.

All forward‑looking information in this news release is qualified by these cautionary statements. Forward‑looking information in this news release is presented only as of the date made. Except as required by law, K‑Bro does not undertake any obligation to publicly revise these forward‑looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

This news release also makes reference to certain measures in this document that do not have any standardized meaning as prescribed by IFRS Accounting Standards and, therefore, are considered non‑GAAP measures. These measures may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Please see "Terminology" for further discussion.

SOURCE K-Bro Linen Inc.