Corporates Natural Resources FY16 Outlook: Gems & Jewellery Moderate Demand and Easing Regulatory Restrictions to Keep the Sector Afloat Outlook Report Sector Outlook S TABLE Rating Outlook EXPORTERS S TABLE Retailers to Outperform Exporters: India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has maintained a Stable Outlook for gems and jewellery exporters as well as retailers for FY16. However, it expects retailers to outshine exporters. Exporters are subject to the vagaries of global demand, which is exhibiting mixed signals with the US and China showing improving and declining trends, respectively. Retailers are likely to fare better than exporters if domestic jewellery demand remains buoyant on moderation in gold prices. (2014: S T A BL E ) The agency expects exporters and retailers to report revenue growth between 3%-5% and 10%-12%, respectively, in FY16. RETAILERS Credit Profile of the Sector: Ind-Ra expects an improvement in average EBITDA margins for exporters in the range of 100-200bp and for retailers in the range of 100-300bp in FY16 on softening of rough diamond prices and easing of regulatory restrictions. Average interest coverage ratio is also expected to improve and stabilise at 2.5-3.0x in FY16. A lower interest cost due to the reinstatement of gold on lease scheme is likely to reduce both interest rate and average debt levels for industry players. S TABLE (2014: S T A BL E ) Easing Regulatory Restrictions Economic recovery in Key Markets Shrinking credit availability In FY15, exporters faced the heat due to falling global demand and eroding margins. Revenue grew 4%-6% and EBITDA margins contracted around 50bp to 3%. In FY15, retailers showed resilience as consumption demand held its ground and consumers shifted preference towards organised jewellery players. Revenue grew 8%-10% and EBITDA margins remained stable between 7%-10%. Ratings Reflect Inherent Risk: Ind-Ra has already captured inherent risk in the sector in its outstanding ratings on gems and jewellery companies. The agency rates 17 issuers in the segment (nine exporters and eight retailers), of which only two companies have investment grade ratings, both being retailers. To the extent ratings reflect the risks, they are on a Stable Outlook. Related Research Other Outlooks www.indiaratings.co.in Special Commentary Outlook 2014: Indian Gems & Jewellery Outlook FY16: Gold Price Shrinking Credit to the Sector: Indian banks have become cautious towards the gems and jewellery sector in the light of some big ticket defaults and restructuring recently. Such defaults to an extent may have been driven by idiosyncratic factors specific to the concerned corporates and may not be squarely attributed to specific sector issues. Closure of a major diamond trade financing bank based in Europe in October 2014 has added to the financing pressure on diamond exporters. Credit availability remains a constraining factor and it could further hurt export volumes as this is a working capital intensive sector. Go to appendix for list of rated entities Outlook Sensitivities Analysts Harsha Sodhani +91 22 4000 1792 harsha.sodhani@indiaratings.co.in Mahaveer S Jain +91 22 4000 1768 mahaveer.shankarlal@indiaratings.co.in Deep N Mukherjee +91 22 4000 1721 deep.mukherjee@indiaratings.co.in Discretionary Spending: The key demand driver for the industry is the discretionary spending of end-consumers. Any deterioration in spending ability driven by decline of real wages in key overseas markets could affect the revenue of exporters. Volatility in Prices: Any supply disruptions leading to higher-than-expected rough diamond prices could affect the profitability of diamond exporters. Similarly, volatile gold prices will have a negative impact on the profitability of retailers to the extent their inventory is not tied up through gold on lease scheme. www.indiaratings.co.in 18 June 2015 Corporates Under the 80:20 rule, the Reserve Bank of India mandated banks and nominated agencies to ensure that at least 20% of every lot of gold import be exclusively made available for the export. This restricted gold imports for domestic consumption and increased local premium on gold procurement. Government Regulations: The government implemented several positive policy changes for the sector in FY15 such as the abolition of 80:20 scheme. Any further positive action by the government such as the reduction of custom duty on imports from present 10% will aid the sector. Uneven Global Recovery Weighs on Exporters Overall exports of the sector improved by 1.7% in the US dollar (USD) terms in FY15 (FY14: negative 15.1%). This was despite a 3.2% yoy decline in the exports of cut and polished diamonds, supported by a 12.5% rise in gold jewellery exports. Low base effect gave a fillip to the growth in gold exports in FY15. Figure 1 Gold exports fell about 40% in FY14 due to the restrictive policies imposed by the government in August 2013. Exports In value terms, gold exports are still 33% lower than FY13 values. (USDm) Gold jewellery (LHS) CPD (LHS) Total exports (RHS) Linear (Total exports (RHS)) (USDm) 6,000 7,000 5,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 4,000 3,000 3,000 2,000 2,000 1,000 1,000 0 Jan 11 Jun 11 Nov 11 Apr 12 Sep 12 Feb 13 Jul 13 Dec 13 May 14 0 Mar 15 Oct 14 Source: Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, Ind-Ra Rough diamond imports registered a fall of 9% yoy in FY15. Importers have cut production on concerns over falling processing margins. The rebound in jewellery exports may be attributed to an improvement in metal availability after a slew of policy measures by the government including scrapping of 80:20 scheme and reintroduction of gold on lease for jewellers in November 2014. CPD exports fell amid weak global demand accentuated by a downturn in China and political unrest in the Middle East. Demand from Key Markets to Shape Exporters Performance for FY16 Exports to the UAE and Hong Kong grew at a higher CAGR than the overall CAGR for exports of 13% over FY08FY14. The US remained the top three export destinations for gems and jewellery over the same period. Demand for gems and jewellery has broadly followed the GDP trends of the country, a reflection of the disposable income of consumers. According to Bloomberg estimates, GDP growth rate for the US and UAE in 2015 are likely to be sustained at 2014 levels (2.4% and 3.6%, respectively) and China to register a decline to 7% from 7.4% in 2014. Figure 2 Exports of Gems & Jewellery (USDm) FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14 25,000 20,000 CAGR 20% 15,000 CAGR 14% CAGR 8% 10,000 CAGR 13% CAGR 6% 5,000 0 UAE Source: RBI, Ind-Ra Hong Kong/China US Europe Others There are mixed signals from the demand drivers of key export regions, and hence Ind-Ra expects overall export demand for gems and jewellery in USD terms for FY16 to remain muted and register single digit growth rates. FY16 Outlook: Gems & Jewellery June 2015 2 Corporates Figure 3 Real GDP Growth Rates (%) UAE Hong Kong China US Euro Zone India 12 8 4 0 -4 -8 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015F 2016F 2017F Source: Bloomberg, Ind-Ra Growth in Value of Export to be Restricted Ind-Ra expects the price of gold to further decline by 10% to INR24,000/10gmINR20,500/10gm in the event of a US interest rate hike. CPD prices are also likely to remain under pressure on account of muted demand for luxury products in key markets and higher inventory levels with traders. Credit Availability to Remain a Constraint, More So for Exporters Overall gross bank credit grew at 2.1% between March-December 2014 (March-December 2013: 8.1%) while credit to the gems and jewellery sector grew at 0.8% (4.1%), reflecting a decrease in the credit appetite for this sector. Closure of a major diamond trade financing bank in Europe has also led to a credit crunch for the sector. Such constraints are likely to put pressure on export volumes. Operating Performance of Exporters Moderate Revenue Growth Revenue growth for exporters in FY15 was broadly in line with the agency‟s expectation as stated in 2014 Outlook: Gems and Jewellery. We have considered a sample set of key listed exporters (five) and retailers (six). The analysis is based on the average for these players adjusted for any outliers. We have assumed that these players are broadly representative of the industry performance and trends Revenue growth for exporters is likely to remain between 3%-5% in FY16 due to constraints in demand and lower prices of gold and CPD. In FY15, overall revenue growth was moderate in the range of 4%-6%, in line with the revenue growth expectation in the last year‟s outlook. Like in FY15, the companies present in the gold jewellery exports business are expected to show higher revenue growth rates (FY15: 9%-12%) than those in diamond exports. Figure 4 Revenue of Representative Exporters (INRm) Asian Star (LHS) Tara Jewels (LHS) Shrenuj & Co. (RHS) Renaissance Jewellery (LHS) Rajesh Exports (RHS) 40,000 600,000 30,000 450,000 20,000 300,000 10,000 150,000 0 0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Note: Consolidated financial statements have been considered. The above is based on financial year ending March 31. Tara Jewels is available FY09 onwards. Source: Company reports, Ind-Ra FY16 Outlook: Gems & Jewellery June 2015 3 Corporates Margin to Stabilise in FY16 EBITDA margins are likely to improve in the range of 3.5%-4% for FY16 as margins for both the CPD and gold segments improve. Rough diamond prices, after increasing in 1HFY15, are likely to moderate in FY16 with a temporary reduction of financing options given the closure of a major diamond trade financing bank in Europe. Such lower prices might translate into higher margins for diamond exporters to the extent CPD prices remain stable, backed by consumer demand. The removal of import curbs and the associated reduction in local gold premiums as well as in raw material cost are likely to improve margins in the gold jewellery export segment. In FY15, overall EBITDA margin contracted to around 3%. Diamond exporters witnessed a contraction of processing margins as rough diamond prices remained high in 1HFY15. Gold jewellery exporters were hurt on both sides as limited availability of gold due to import restrictions increased the premium for procurement of gold while falling international gold prices led to a fall in absolute making charges/gross margin for gold jewellery. Figure 5 EBITDA Margins of Representative Exporters (%) Rajesh Exports Renaissance Jewellery Shrenuj & Co. Tara Jewels Asian Star 12 8 4 0 -4 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Note: Consolidated financial statements have been considered. Source: Company reports, Ind-Ra Credit Metrics of Exporters to Remain Stable In FY16, interest coverage ratio is likely to stabilise at 3.0x levels for exporters. The reinstatement of gold on lease scheme will help lower interest cost (cost for gold on lease is 5%-7% and on working capital loan is 12%-14%). Interest cover improved slightly in FY15 to 2.5x (FY14: 2.2x) as interest cost declined in 2HFY15 due to the reinstatement of gold on lease scheme in November 2014. Full benefits are likely in FY16. Figure 6 EBITDA to Interest Cover of Representative Exporters (x times) Rajesh Exports Renaissance Jewellery Shrenuj & Co. Tara Jewels Asian Star 6 4 2 0 -2 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Note: Consolidated financial statements have been considered. Source: Company reports, Ind-Ra FY16 Outlook: Gems & Jewellery June 2015 4 Corporates Domestic Players to Perform better than Exporters According to Indian Brand Equity Foundation‟s estimates, India‟s domestic gems and jewellery industry was valued at USD40.5bn in 2013. Gold jewellery and medallions accounted for 75% of the market while diamond and other jewellery accounts for the balance. Overall consumer demand for gold fell 16% yoy in 2014 to 874 tonnes led by a sharp fall in demand for gold coins and medallions (46%). This was because of lower investment demand due to a fall in prices of gold and better returns from other asset classes (equity). Gold exchange traded funds continued to record outflows and have been at their lowest level (assets under management of USD10.5bn) since 2011. Figure 7 India: Consumer Demand of Gold (tons) Jewellery (LHS) Total bar & coin (LHS) Average gold price (RHS) (INR/10gm) 250 40,000 200 30,000 150 100 20,000 50 10,000 0 0 1Q07 2Q07 3Q07 4Q07 1Q08 2Q08 3Q08 4Q08 1Q09 2Q09 3Q09 4Q09 1Q10 2Q10 3Q10 4Q10 1Q11 2Q11 3Q11 4Q11 1Q12 2Q12 3Q12 4Q12 1Q13 2Q13 3Q13 4Q13 1Q14 2Q14 3Q14 4Q14 1Q15 -50 Source: WCG, Bloomberg, Ind-Ra Demand for jewellery fell by 2% (by volume) despite a severe fall in gold imports as gold was made available through unofficial channels, pointing at healthy underlying demand. The World Gold Council expects gold available through unofficial channels to have been around 175 tonnes in 2014. Restrictive government policies such as 80:20 scheme, a hike in custom duty to 10% and discontinuation of gold lease scheme led to a fall in imports by 50% in FY14. Figure 8 Trends in Gold Imports Gold imports (LHS) (USDm) 15,000 Growth rate (RHS) (%) 150 126 120 12,000 90 75 9,000 58 6,000 61 36 0 3,000 60 27 30 3 0 15 -50 -6 0 -30 -60 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 Source: GJPEC, Ind-Ra Consumption Demand Key Amid Lacklustre Investment Demand Ind-Ra expects domestic jewellery demand to improve in FY16, led primarily by cultural underpinnings in India, a recovery in economic conditions (estimated GDP growth at 7.5% in 2015) and an improvement in demand from tier 2 / tier 3 cities aided by the growing penetration of the organised sector. Furthermore, an expected moderation in gold prices between INR27,500/10gm-INR25,500/10gm will further boost the consumption. Gold Monetisation Scheme will allow household/institutions to deposit gold and earn interest on the same. Also, it will serve as another channel for jewellers to obtain loan in their metal accounts. FY16 Outlook: Gems & Jewellery June 2015 Success in Gold Monetisation Scheme May Further Ease Regulatory Restrictions The government announced the gold monetisation scheme in 2015 to reduce imports and utilise the gold lying idle with households. Successful implementation of this scheme is likely to have a favourable impact on the industry. However, the magnitude of impact will vary with the quantity of gold monetised and its significance in meeting the overall demand in the industry. 5 Corporates Operating Performance of Retailers Moderate Revenue Growth Revenue growth for retailers in FY16 is likely to be slightly higher between 10%-12% (FY15: 8%-10%) as supply side constraints have eased with the removal of restrictive government policies. Store additions in tier 2 and tier 3 cities will drive revenue growth of organised players as customers have shifted preference towards large retailers as also seen in FY15. Focus on higher ticket diamond and studded jewellery sales will also aid revenue growth. Besides the underlying consumption demand, the redemption of jewellery finance schemes mostly in the form of jewellery sales to comply with the change in guidelines under Companies Act 2013 provided a short-term boost to the top line of players in FY15. Figure 9 Revenue of Representative Retailers (INRm) TBZ (LHS) Gitanjali Gems (RHS) Shree Ganesh Jewellery House (RHS) Thangmayil Jewellery (LHS) Titan (RHS) PC Jewellers (RHS) 25,000 200,000 20,000 160,000 15,000 120,000 10,000 80,000 5,000 40,000 0 0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Note: Consolidated financial statements have been considered. The above is based on financial year ending March 31. PC Jewellers and TBZ data available FY12 and FY10 onwards respectively. Source: Company reports, Ind-Ra Margin to Improve in FY16 For FY16, EBITDA margins are likely to improve to 9%-12% as players focus on higher-margin products such as diamond-studded jewellery. Furthermore, ease of supply side restrictions and the resulting moderation of local premium on gold will translate into a lower raw material cost and better gross margins on gold jewellery. Reinstatement of gold on lease scheme will also protect the EBITDA margins as the price risk on inventory reduces. However, such improvement in margins will continue to be constrained by increasing promotional discounts, administration cost and marketing spends due to store expansions. In FY15, domestic retailers maintained EBITDA margins at 7%-10%, despite regulatory hurdles creating upward pressure on raw material cost in 1HFY15. FY16 Outlook: Gems & Jewellery June 2015 6 Corporates Figure 10 EBITDA Margins of Retailers (%) TBZ (LHS) Gitanjali Gems (LHS) Shree Ganesh Jewellery House (RHS) Thangmayil Jewellery (LHS) Titan (RHS) PC Jewellers (RHS) (%) 12 15 10 10 8 5 6 0 4 -5 2 0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 -10 2015 Note: Consolidated financial statements have been considered. Source: Company reports, Ind-Ra Credit Metrics to Improve Interest coverage ratio is likely to further improve and stabilise at 3x-3.5x in FY16 (FY15: 2.5x; FY14: 1.3x). FY16 will be the first full year of operations after the gold on lease scheme is made available to these players again. Hence, we will see the full benefit of interest cost reduction in FY16, provided players do not go for an aggressive debt-funded expansion strategy. Interest cover has improved slightly in FY15 as inventory funding through short-term debt decreased with the availability of gold on lease from November 2014. Figure 11 EBITDA to Interest Cover of Retailers (x times) TBZ (LHS) Gitanjali Gems (LHS) PC Jewellers (LHS) Thangmayil Jewellery (LHS) Shree Ganesh Jewellery House (LHS) Titan (RHS) 8 25 6 20 4 15 2 10 0 5 -2 -4 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 0 2015 Note: Consolidated financial statements have been considered. Source: Company reports, Ind-Ra FY16 Outlook: Gems & Jewellery June 2015 7 Corporates Appendix 1 Figure 12 Issuer Ratings Issuer BC Sen & Company Limited Arena Lifestyle Pvt Ltd Karan Kothari Jewellers Pvt. Ltd. SRS Limited Mani Exports Om Anand Exports MK Jodhani Exports Patdiam Jewels Parin Gems Delta Jewellers Pvt Ltd Grace Suppliers Private Limited Golkunda Diamond & Jewellery Fine Jewellery Manufacturing Ltd P.K. Jewellery House Shital Gems Pvt Ltd Suhag Gems and Jewels (India) Pvt Ltd Rating/Outlook (current) 2014 „IND BBB+‟/Stable/ „IND A2+‟ „IND BBB+‟/Stable/„IND A2+‟ „IND BB‟/Stable „IND BB‟/Stable/‟IND A4+‟ „IND BB-‟/Stable/‟IND A4+‟ IND B+/Stable/ „IND A4‟ „IND A- ‟/Stable/‟IND A2+‟ IND BBB/Positive/‟IND A3+‟ „IND BB‟/Stable/‟IND A4+‟ „IND BB-‟/Stable/‟IND A4+‟ „IND A4‟ „IND A4‟ „IND A4‟ „IND A4‟ „IND A4+‟ „IND A4+‟ „IND A4+‟ „IND A4+‟ „IND BB-‟/„IND A4+‟ „IND B+‟/Stable/‟IND A4‟ „IND BB-‟/„IND A4+‟ „IND BB-‟/Stable/„IND A4+‟ „IND B+/Stable/‟IND A4‟ „IND BB+‟/Stable/„IND A4+‟ „IND BB+‟ /Stable and „IND A4+ „IND BB‟/Stable/„IND A4+‟ „IND B‟/Stable/„IND A4‟ „IND B+‟/Stable/ „IND A4‟ „IND BB‟/ Stable/„IND A4+‟ - Source: Ind-Ra FY16 Outlook: Gems & Jewellery June 2015 8 Corporates The ratings above were solicited by, or on behalf of, the issuer, and therefore, India Ratings and Research has been compensated for the provision of the ratings. 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