Poland's CCC quarterly profit rises 25% driven by cost discipline, beats forecast

May 12 (Reuters) - Polish footwear and fashion retailer CCC CCCP.WA reported a 25% rise in first-quarter core profit, driven by strong cost discipline that reduced its cost-to-revenue ratio by nearly 2 percentage points to 43.9% from 45.5% a year earlier.

CCC's preliminary earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) came at 376 million zlotys ($99.8 million) in the first quarter, up from 301 million zlotys a year earlier, exceeding a Reuters poll forecast of 366 million zlotys.

"We are consistently implementing our strategic goals. We have ambitious plans to develop retail space by over 300,000 square meters this year, and we are successively realizing them," CCC Group Chief Executive Dariusz Milek said in a statement.

Group revenue stood at 2.35 billion zlotys, compared with 2.26 billion zlotys in the same period last year.

CCC's HalfPrice segment posted strong sales growth of 20% year-on-year, while its multibrand fashion platform Modivo Group saw a decline in sales of 6% year-on-year due to strategic decisions to exit unprofitable markets.

($1 = 3.7675 zlotys)