Rating Rationale
March 31, 2018 | Mumbai
Bhima Jewels
Rating Reaffirmed
 
Rating Action
Total Bank Loan Facilities Rated Rs.222 Crore
Long Term Rating CRISIL BBB-/Stable (Reaffirmed)
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities
Detailed Rationale

CRISIL has reaffirmed its CRISIL BBB-/Stable' rating on the bank facilities of Bhima Jewels (BJ; part of Bhima group).
 
The rating continue to reflects the benefits the Bhima group derives from its promoter's extensive experience in the gold jewellery segment, its healthy brand recall and its moderate financial risk profile marked by comfortable gearing and networth. These rating strengths are partially offset by the group's exposure to risks relating to intense competition in the fragmented jewellery business, geographic concentration in the revenue profile, and volatility in gold prices.

Analytical Approach

For arriving at its rating, CRISIL has combined the business and financial risk profiles of BJ with those of its group entity Bhima Boutique Pvt Ltd (Bhima Boutique). This is because both these entities have a common management and significant inter-group linkages. These two entities have been together named as Bhima Group.

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description
Strengths
* Healthy brand recall and promoters' extensive experience in gold jewellery segment: The Bhima group, a part of the Bhima family is promoted by Mr. Bindu Madhav faction of the Bhima family. The Bhima group established by Mr. Bhima Bhatter more than 85 years ago, is one of the leading family-run jewellery businesses in South India. Their showroom at Ernakulam which was established in 1978 is one of the largest jewellery showrooms in Kerala. Bhima Jewels has a healthy market position in Ernakulam and Kottayam (Kerala) reflecting their healthy brand recall. CRISIL believes that the promoters' extensive experience and the established 'Bhima' brand will help the group maintain a stable business risk profile over the medium term.
 
* Moderate financial risk profile: Bhima group has a moderate financial risk profile, as indicated by its comfortable gearing and net worth, and average debt protection measures. The group's gearing was at 1.87 times and a net worth of Rs.147 crore as on March 31, 2017. The networth is expected to improve with steady accretions over the medium term; nevertheless would remain susceptible to withdrawals by partners which would be a key rating sensitivity factor. The group's debt protection measures were average in 2016-17, as reflected in its net cash accruals to total debt (NCATD) and interest coverage ratios of 7 per cent and 2.19 times, respectively. CRISIL believes that the Bhima group's financial risk profile will remain moderate over the medium term in the absence of major debt funded capex and steady cash accruals.
 
Weaknesses
* Exposure to risks relating to intense competition in retail gold jewellery market and geographical concentration in revenue: The domestic retail jewellery industry in India is fragmented and is marked by intense competition among players. A large number of small and large players operate in the retail jewellery market, leading to pressure on the profitability of individual players, who have to continuously offer new designs and adopt innovative marketing practices to attract and retain customers. Bhima group's business risk profile is constrained by the geographical concentration in its revenue; of its nine showrooms, seven are situated in Kerala and the other two are in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. CRISIL believes that the group will remain exposed to risks relating to intense competition in retail gold jewellery market and geographical concentration in revenues over the medium term.
 
* Vulnerability of margins to volatility in price of gold: The group is exposed to risks relating to volatility in the price of gold, which is expected to remain volatile over the next few years. The group procures gold on spot rates, which exposes it to risk related to volatility in gold prices. This risk is, however, partially mitigated by the group's efficient inventory management. The quantity of gold sold during a day is replenished the same day, and the group focuses on maintaining a constant inventory level (in terms of quantity).
Outlook: Stable

CRISIL believes Bhima group will continue to benefit from the long standing industry experience of its promoters and its healthy brand recall. The outlook may be revised to Positive if sustainable improvement in revenue and operating profitability leads to stronger cash accruals, while the capital structure remains comfortable. Conversely, the outlook may be revised to 'Negative' in case of lower than expected revenues, aggressive debt-funded capital expenditure, deterioration in operating margins, or greater than expected withdrawals by promoters leading to deterioration in its financial risk profile.

About the Group

The group is promoted by Mr. Bindu Madhav, a faction of the Bhima family, which has been in the retail jewellery business since 1925; the business was established by Mr. Bhima Bhatter.
 
BJ, a partnership firm set up in 1978, is headquartered in Ernakulam, Kerala. BJ operates six jewellery retail showrooms in Ernakulam, Kottayam, Mysore, Thiruvalla, Tripunithura and Coimbatore.
 
Bhima Boutique, established in 2013 and based in Edapally, Kerala, operates two showrooms in Edapally (Kerala) and one showroom in Todupuzha (Kerala).

Key Financial Indicators (BJ Standalone)
Particulars Unit 2017 2016
Revenue Rs. Cr. 1390 1616
Profit After Tax Rs. Cr. 13.7 7.9
PAT margin % 0.9 0.5
Adjusted Debt/Adjusted Net worth Times 1.6 1.7
Interest coverage Times 1.7 1.7

Any other information: Not applicable

Note on complexity levels of the rated instrument:
CRISIL complexity levels are assigned to various types of financial instruments. The CRISIL complexity levels are available on www.crisil.com/complexity-levels. Users are advised to refer to the CRISIL complexity levels for instruments that they consider for investment. Users may also call the Customer Service Helpdesk with queries on specific instruments.
Annexure - Details of Instrument(s)
ISIN Name of Instrument Date of Allotment Coupon
Rate (%)
Maturity Date Issue
Size
(Rs. Cr)
Rating Assigned  with Outlook
NA Cash Credit NA NA NA 6 CRISIL BBB-/Stable
NA Cash Credit & Working Capital demand loan NA NA NA 210 CRISIL BBB-/Stable
NA Long Term Loan NA NA Mar-2022 6 CRISIL BBB-/Stable
Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2018 (History) 2017  2016  2015  Start of 2015
Instrument Type Quantum Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST  222  CRISIL BBB-/Stable    No Rating Change  31-10-17  CRISIL BBB-/Stable    No Rating Change  18-12-15  CRISIL BBB-/Stable  Suspended 
            09-03-17  CRISIL BBB-/Positive           
Non Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST    No Rating Change    No Rating Change  09-03-17  CRISIL BBB-/Positive    --    --  -- 
Table reflects instances where rating is changed or freshly assigned. 'No Rating Change' implies that there was no rating change under the release.
Annexure - Details of various bank facilities
Current facilities Previous facilities
Facility Amount (Rs.Crore) Rating Facility Amount (Rs.Crore) Rating
Cash Credit 6 CRISIL BBB-/Stable Cash Credit 6 CRISIL BBB-/Stable
Cash Credit & Working Capital demand loan 210 CRISIL BBB-/Stable Cash Credit & Working Capital demand loan 190 CRISIL BBB-/Stable
Long Term Loan 6 CRISIL BBB-/Stable Long Term Loan 6 CRISIL BBB-/Stable
-- 0 -- Proposed Working Capital Facility 20 CRISIL BBB-/Stable
Total 222 -- Total 222 --
Links to related criteria
CRISILs Approach to Financial Ratios
CRISILs Bank Loan Ratings - process, scale and default recognition
CRISILs Bank Loan Ratings
Understanding CRISILs Ratings and Rating Scales

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