Supermarket chain Ingles has reported lower sales and profit for the fiscal year ended September 27.

The company’s net sales fell 5.4 per cent to $5.33 billion for the year. Fourth-quarter net sales edged down 2 per cent to $1.37 billion.

Gross profit for the year decreased from $1.3 billion to $1.27 billion.

In the fourth quarter, the chain swung to a net income of $25.7 million from a loss of $1.5 million. However, annual net income was down 20.7 per cent to $83.6 million.

Robert P Ingle II, chairman of the board, said the company continued to make improvements and strengthened the customer experience during the challenging year.

Headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina, Ingles operates 197 supermarkets in six southeastern states.

In conjunction with its supermarket operations, the company also operates neighborhood shopping centers, most of which contain an Ingles supermarket.