Rating Rationale
August 31, 2017 | Mumbai
Quest Retail Private Limited
Ratings Reaffirmed
 
Rating Action
Total Bank Loan Facilities Rated Rs.35 Crore
Long Term Rating CRISIL A-/Stable (Reaffirmed)
Short Term Rating CRISIL A2+ (Reaffirmed)
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities
Detailed Rationale

CRISIL has reaffirmed its rating on the long-term bank facilities of Quest Retail Pvt Ltd (QRPL) at '­­CRISIL A-/Stable/CRISIL A2+'.
  
The business risk profile of the company is supported by established brand of Body Shop and increasing retail presence of the company which is marked by opening of 10-15 stores every year and increasing penetration towards tier II and III cities. By virtue of The Body Shop having a very strong brand recall and company's professional management; the sales growth was not affected by demonetization and the company reported a sales growth of 15.5% in fiscal 2017. The operating margins are healthy and stood around 17.23% in fiscal 2017. Going forward, with the increasing competition from Forest Essentials, Kama Ayurveda, limited ability to increase the prices given high price elasticity of demand for the products, the revenues are expected to witness a muted to low growth of up-to 10 % in the current fiscal while the operating margins are expected to remain in the range of 15-17% over the medium term.
 
The operating profitability is also susceptible to forex fluctuations.
 
The liquidity is marked by an increase in the dividend pay-out from Rs 4.81 Cr in fiscal 2016 to Rs 12.03 Cr in fiscal 2017 and are expected to remain at similar levels over the medium term; however the net cash accruals generated would remain sufficient to fund the repayment obligations and majority of the routine capital expenditure requirements and incremental working capital requirements thereby leading to low dependency on the bank borrowings as reflected in the low bank limit utilization.

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description
Strengths
* Established market position as an exclusive franchisee for Body Shop and other global cosmetic brands in the domestic market: QRPL started off as an exclusive franchisee for Body Shop in India in 2006. This brand is owned by L'Oeral, one of the largest global cosmetics manufacturers, with a turnover of nearly 25 billion euros in 2016. QRPL has long-term franchisee contracts for these brands, with exclusivity clauses at a pan-India scale. These premium brands are extremely popular with the affluent classes across the world, including India. QRPL derives majority of revenue from Body Shop and renewed the franchisee contract in 2016, for the next decade. Body Shop is one of the 30 most respected brands and the second-largest cosmetic franchise globally. It is known for high product quality and 100 percent vegetarian products, with no testing on animals.
 
* Growing retail presence while maintaining operational efficiencies
QRPL has successfully leveraged the strong brand value of Body Shop and rapidly expanded operations in India. It has 164 stores (155 of Body Shop and 9 of Kiehl) over 51 cities, with plans to expand further. Over the four years ending fiscal 2017, revenue grew at compounded annual growth rate of 19 percent, while the operating margin was healthy around 16.5-20 percent.
 
* Operational and financial support from Body Shop: Body Shop, which is present across 66 countries, ensures uniform brand identity by designing all new stores, using furniture and fixtures imported from the UK.  However, QRPL has received the approval to procure furniture and fixtures locally, to reduce capex. QRPL enjoys sufficient flexibility in terms of daily operations and pricing of products, based on rates prevalent at Body Shop stores in other South Asian countries.
 
QRPL also receives credit of upto three months from Body Shop, given the high supply chain timelines and stringent compliance norms for cosmetics in India. This is not available for franchisees operating elsewhere. Body Shop would offer support, in terms of products, branding, and marketing, thereby enabling QRPL achieve higher growth over the medium term.
 
* Healthy financial risk profile: The financial risk profile of the company continues to remain robust marked by healthy capital structure and debt protection metrics. With the healthy profitability, sustenance of the working capital cycle and absence of debt funded capex plans, the financial risk profile is expected to remain healthy over the medium term.
 
Weakness
* High dependence on single brand in highly competitive industry
QRPL derives majority of sales from Body Shop products. The domestic body care and cosmetic industry is highly fragmented. Though Body Shop is a brand used by affluent people and does not have any direct contenders it faces competition from established brands such as Forest Essential, Neutrogena,  Estee Lauder, Yves Saint Laurent (YSL), and L'Oreal. Though Body Shop has adopted competitive pricing in India and QRPL has ramped up operations, the revenue profile remains highly concentrated on products of a single brand. QRPL also faces risk from fluctuation in foreign exchange rates as it imports the entire goods.
 
* Exposure to risks relating to unfavorable government regulations on testing of cosmetic products
Body Shop is an ethically conscious company that refrains from testing products on animals and hence, refused to enter markets like China where animal testing is necessary prior to human usage. Though the current regulations in India do not mandate animal testing, sale of such products is governed by certain regulations and any change in rules can adversely affect presence of Body Shop in India.
 
* Susceptibility of operating margins to forex fluctuations: As the company imports 100% of the products and dos not have a definite hedging policy, the operating margins remain susceptible to the forex movements.
Outlook: Stable

CRISIL believes QRPL will maintain its strong market position in the cosmetics retail segment, and benefit from the established brand equity of Body Shop, UK, over the medium term. The outlook may be revised to 'Positive' if revenue and profitability improve substantially, while financial risk profile remains healthy. The outlook may be revised to 'Negative' if profitability declines considerably, or capital structure weakens, driven by sizeable working capital requirement, large capital expenditure, or low cash accrual, following delay in improvement in sales from new stores.

About the Company

QRPL, set up by Mr. Virendra Prakash Sharma in 2006, is the franchisee of the premium cosmetic brands - Body Shop,  Kiehl, and Lancome, all owned by L'Oreal S.A, France.

Key Financial Indicators
Particulars Unit 2017 2016
Revenue Rs. Cr. 267.91  235.19 
Profit After Tax Rs. Cr. 25.70  20.61 
PAT Margins % 9.2 8.6
Adjusted Debt/Adjusted Net worth Times 0.18  0.21 
Interest coverage Times 10.92  11.98 

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 crore)
Rating assigned with outlook
NA Cash Credit* NA NA NA 7 CRISIL A-/Stable
NA Letter of Credit NA NA NA 2.5 CRISIL A2+
NA Letter of Credit$ NA NA NA 8 CRISIL A2+
NA Overdraft NA NA NA 5 CRISIL A-/Stable
NA Overdraft# NA NA NA 4 CRISIL A-/Stable
NA Pre Shipment Finance NA NA NA 4.7 CRISIL A2+
NA Term Loan NA NA March, 2021 3.8 CRISIL A-/Stable
* Fully interchangeable with Buyer's credit/Letter of Credit; Fully interchangeable with Working Capital Demand loan and Includes a sub limit of Bank guarantee of Rs 50 lakhs.
# Fully interchangeable with Working capital loan, Letter of Credit and Buyer's Credit
$ Fully interchangeable with Buyer's credit
Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2017 (History) 2016  2015  2014  Start of 2014
Instrument Type Quantum Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST  24.5  CRISIL A-/Stable/ CRISIL A2+    No Rating Change  20-05-16  CRISIL A-/Stable/ CRISIL A2+  09-03-15  CRISIL A-/Stable  15-12-14  CRISIL A-/Stable/ CRISIL A2+  CRISIL BBB+/Stable 
                    25-11-14  CRISIL A-/Stable   
Non Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST  10.5  CRISIL A2+    No Rating Change  20-05-16  CRISIL A2+    --    --  -- 
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* 7 CRISIL A-/Stable Buyer`s Credit 3 CRISIL A-/Stable
Letter of Credit 2.5 CRISIL A2+ Cash Credit 7 CRISIL A-/Stable
Letter of Credit$ 8 CRISIL A2+ Term Loan 5 CRISIL A-/Stable
Overdraft 5 CRISIL A-/Stable Letter of Credit 2.5 CRISIL A2+
Overdraft# 4 CRISIL A-/Stable Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility 8.5 CRISIL A-/Stable
Pre Shipment Finance 4.7 CRISIL A2+ Overdraft 9 CRISIL A2+
Term Loan 3.8 CRISIL A-/Stable -- 0 --
Total 35 -- Total 35 --
* Fully interchangeable with Buyer's credit/Letter of Credit; Fully interchangeable with Working Capital Demand loan and Includes a sub limit of Bank guarantee of Rs 50 lakhs.
# Fully interchangeable with Working capital loan, Letter of Credit and Buyer's Credit
$ Fully interchangeable with Buyer's credit
Links to related criteria
CRISILs Approach to Financial Ratios
CRISILs Bank Loan Ratings - process, scale and default recognition
Rating criteria for manufaturing and service sector companies
Rating Criteria for Retailing Industry
Criteria for rating Short-Term Debt (including Commercial Paper)

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