ASX 200 consumer retail shares did not have the year one might have expected during a cost-of-living crisis.
In fact, the S&P ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) was the third strongest of the 11 market sectors, with retail shares booking strong capital growth of 20.71%.
Let's take a look at the three best-performing ASX 200 retail shares of the year for share price growth.
3 ASX 200 retail shares that cashed in during the 'cozzie-livs' crisis
Guzman Y Gomez Ltd (ASX: GYG)
Mexican restaurant operator Guzman Y Gomez Ltd only began trading on the ASX in June, but its share price rose faster than all other ASX 200 retail shares last year.
The Guzman Y Gomez share price soared by 84.4% from its initial public offering (IPO) price of $22 per share to its closing value of $40.57 on 31 December.
The stock entered the ASX 200 in September.
For FY24, Guzman Y Gomez reported revenue of $342.2 million, up 32.1% year over year (yoy). Global network sales came in at $959.7 million, up 26.4%.
Statutory earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) was $27.3 million, down 7.9%. There was a statutory loss before tax of $11.6 million, down from a profit before tax of $200,000 in FY23.
The company noted that non-recurring costs associated with its ASX IPO significantly impacted the numbers. The 'pro forma' figures, with those costs stripped out, looked a lot better.
Pro forma net profit after tax (NPAT) was $5.7 million, up 94.1% yoy. Pro forma EBITDA was $44.8 million, up 52.9%. Pro forma profit before tax was $16.3 million, up 113.7%.
Goldman Sachs has a sell rating on Guzman Y Gomez shares with a 12-month price target of $33.20.
JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH)
JB Hi-Fi shares recorded the second-highest level of share price growth within the ASX 200 retail sector last year.
The JB Hi-Fi share price ascended 74.8% to close at $92.68 on 31 December.
For FY24, JB Hi-Fi reported a modest 0.4% yoy decline in total sales to $9.59 billion. Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) was down 11% to $647.2 million, and NPAT was 16.4% lower at $438.8 million.
This was better than market analysts had expected, with the share price soaring on the day of the results.
Goldman Sachs has a sell rating on JB Hi-Fi shares with a 12-month price target of $66.90.
Aristocrat Leisure Ltd (ASX: ALL)
ASX 200 retail gaming share Aristocrat Leisure rounds out the sector's top three stocks for growth in 2024.
The Aristocrat share price lifted 67.5% to close at $68.36 on 31 December.
For FY24, Aristocrat reported a 5% increase in revenue to $6.6 billion. Operating earnings leapt 19% to $2.47 billion on the back of strong growth in North America and the NeoGames acquisition.
Excluding one-off costs, Aristocrat's net profit was 8% lower at $1.4 billion for the financial year.
Citi has a buy rating on Aristocrat shares with a 12-month share price target of $74.
