Jollibee Foods Corporation reported Wednesday that for the first nine months of the year, its sales rose 11.2 percent to P46.29 billion from P41.61 billion while net income attributable to equity holders of the parent rose 12.8 percent to P1.85 billion from P1.64 billion.

However its net income growth rate for the third quarter of the year slowed down to 5.2 percent due mainly to financing charges related to the acquisition of Hong Zhuang Yuan restaurant chain in China in October 2008.

The firm said in a statement that net income for the third quarter rose to P539 million from P513 million in the same period last year. System-wide sales also grew at a slower pace of 8.9 percent to P11.79 billion from P10.83 billion due to weak local sales.

In the Philippines, sales growth in the third quarter slowed down to 2.3 percent on weak consumer spending aggravated by the strong typhoon in September.