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Indian organised B&M retail may see 23-25% FY22 revenue growth: CRISIL

22
Feb '21

Pic: Pixabay /StockSnap

A broad-based demand revival, with increased footfalls and recovery in discretionary consumer spending, will help the organised brick and mortar (B&M) retail sector revenue in India reach the pre-pandemic mark of ₹5.7 lakh crore with a 23-25 per cent spurt next fiscal, a recent study on 145 B&M retailers rated by CRISIL Ratings indicates.

The growth will ride on a low base as the sector is set to log an estimated 19-22 per cent revenue de-growth this fiscal due to the pandemic, which led to temporary store closures and restricted footfalls in the first half.

Sales had recovered to over 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in the third quarter and are expected to recover almost fully by the close of the current quarter, CRISIl said in a press release.

The rate of recovery has varied across segments, with the food and grocery (F&G) retail segment rebounding faster than discretionary segments such as fashion and apparel retail. The consumer durables and electronics retail segment has also recovered relatively swiftly owing to lifestyle changes spurred by the lockdown restrictions.

Operating profitability is also expected to recover sharply next fiscal. Along with higher revenue, this will enable a recovery in cash accruals, benefitting debt metrics and consequently stabilising credit profiles in the sector. This fiscal, debt metrics have moderated due to a significant dent in cash accruals.

“The recovery in revenue and continuation of a part of the cost rationalisation measures adopted will help resurrect operating profitability1 for B&M retailers to the pre-pandemic level of 5-6 per cent next fiscal, from just close to 2 per cent (moderation of 300-400 bps) this fiscal,” according to Anuj Sethi, senior director, CRISIL Ratings.

The impact on operating performance this fiscal is visible in revenue per square feet (for select set of companies) moderating by estimated 40 per cent and 8 per cent for apparel and F&G respectively.

Ergo, cash accruals will be materially lower this fiscal, especially in discretionary segments such as apparel and consumer durables retail. That could affect debt metrics and credit profiles. A fifth of CRISIL-rated apparel and consumer durable B&M retailers had seen negative rating action (downgrades or outlook change) in March-December 2020.

Some cushioned the impact on their credit profiles by preserving liquidity, deferring capital spend, limiting external debt and raising equity.

Further, the retail sector’s long-term growth prospects remain healthy, given low penetration of organised retail. Retailers with omni-channel presence, large scale, healthy balance sheets, and strong parent support will be better placed to capture growth opportunities.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)

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