Edcon Botswana expected to catch SA financial flu
Edcon, Southern Africa’s biggest non-food retailing group which sells textiles and footwear and owns Jet Stores, Jetmart, CNA, Edgars and Ackerman is suffering from something akin to a metaphorical financial influenza-it is literally begging lenders, landlords and creditors to go easy on it as it currently debt trapped.
Information reaching BusinessPost is that the metaphorical flu may infect the Botswana stores as the South African economy has an inextricable link to that this country, therefore if South Africa catches flu Botswana sneezes. Last year data revealed that South African economy entered recession in the second quarter of 2018 for the first time since the global recession of 2009 and this could be one of the major factors of Edcon’s financial woes.
Pundits and observers on the other hand believe Edcon business of selling goods on credit appears not sustainable as people tend not to pay in the midst of economic recession which has rendered many to be unable to afford the cost of living. Edcon has 30 stores in Botswana employing approximately 300 people and these jobs and shops are expected to shrink according to experts. Edcon has been in business for nearly 90 years and operate in stores across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Four principal brands: Edgars, Jet, CNA and thank U. According to Edcon latest financial results, the group has 187 stores outside of South Africa. The financial results states that, sales from stores outside South Africa contributed 12.2 percent (9.1 percent excluding Zimbabwe) of retail sales for fiscal 2018, down from 11.9 percent (9.4 percent excluding Zimbabwe) during the prior period. Following media reports that Edcon is failing to pay rent on many South African malls, this week the group has devised a plan to fight its impending financial woes.
Edcon financial woes is expected to lead into loss of 140 000 jobs at South Africa. Last year the group closed many stores in Botswana avoiding what was termed retail cannibalization-one of the contributors to the company’s financial blow. Retail cannibalisation occurs when a company’s new stores steal customers from existing stores in a development that has got the eventual reduction of overall sales even though sales in the new stores generally do well.
South Africa’s biggest non-food retailer recent financial woes are due to weak consumer spending and economic growth in South Africa. Edcon was taken over by banks and bondholders in 2016 to avoid nose-diving. Edcon shops of Jet sells quality value fashion, home and beauty merchandise targeted at lower to middle-income customers- these are the hardest hit by South African recession.
Edgars on the other hand is expected to salvage a lot of business because it targets middle to upper-income customers who control the economy, but this type of consumers takes a lower share of the South African population. Now Edcon plans on “recapitalisation programme”to reduce their financial woes. Edcon Spokesperson Michael Rubenstein would not comment on how the recent developments are exactly going to affect Edcon business in Botswana.
This week Rubenstein passed a recent statement from Edcon CEO Grant Pattison to BusinessPost and the spokesperson said the announcement applies to all Edcon businesses, even those in Botswana. This suggests that the financial woes at South Africa also affects Edcon local businesses. "The restructuring and recapitalisation of Edcon has passed its next hurdle with the Edcon Board having recently approved the structure of the proposed recapitalisation plan, and in response lenders have extended waivers to allow time for implementation.
This will allow sufficient time for the number of necessary due diligence and governance processes to be completed. At this stage, we can’t release any additional detail as we remain subject to Confidentiality Agreements. The Board fully appreciates the support that is being received from all Group stakeholders and the commitment that has been shown for the viability of the business. We will make further announcements in due course,” said Pattison’s recent statement.
Pattison’s recent statement comes after last year December Edcon press statement where the company confirmed that it is in discussions with numerous stakeholders with regard to the Group’s continued recapitalisation programme. Pattison commented, “Edcon’s balance sheet recovery programme has been underway for some time as we continue to focus on completing a recapitalisation of Edcon.
Part of the process is the continuing discussions with various stakeholders: which include lenders, landlords, potential new investors, and others, as we explore and discuss various options.” Edcon want malls to reduce rent and lenders to go easy on it. South Africa’s Sunday Times reported that on 7 December Edcon had sent out a letter to its 31 biggest landlords asking for a two-year 41 percent "rent holiday" in exchange for a five percent stake in the business in a bid to stave off liquidation and the loss of up to 140 000 jobs.
A report by the Sunday Times newspaper stated that Edcon had sent out a letter to its 31 biggest landlords asking for a two-year 41 percent "rent holiday" in exchange for a five percent stake in the business in a bid to stave off liquidation and the loss of up to 140 000 jobs
Edcon is facing collapse or possible liquidation according to South African experts. According to Sunday Times who had seen a letter from Edcon to landlords, the group is desperate to an extend that it is planning to offera 5 percent stake in the business in exchange for a two-year agreement on rentals.
According to the South African Sunday publication, Edcon is doing all these to secure P1.6 billion in emergency funding from banks and the Public Investment Corp. According to latest financials, Edcon’s total net third party debt as at 30 June 2018 was P6 billion. According to Edcon, another element of the programme to ensure successful recapitalisation of the balance sheet has been to lower store costs, which were well-controlled for the three-month period ended 30 June 2018 increasing by only 0.6 percent to P1.4 billion. Financial results for the thirteen weeks ended 30 June 2018 the Edcon Group reported retail sales of P4 billion for the quarter, at a gross profit margin of 38.9 percent.
Business
LLR transforms from Company to Group reporting
Botswana Stock Exchange listed diversified real estate company, Letlole La Rona Limited (“LLR” or “the Company” or “the Group”), posted its first set of group financial statements which comprise the Company and Group consolidated accounts, which show strong financial performance for the six months ended 31 December 2023, with improvements across all key metrics.
The Company commenced the financial year with the appointment of a Deputy Chairperson, Mr Mooketsi Maphane, in order to bolster its governance and enhance leadership continuity through the development of a Board and Executive Management Succession Plan.
At operational level, LLR increased its shareholding in Railpark Mall from 32.79% to 57.79% and proudly took over the management of this prime asset.
The CEO of LLR, Ms Kamogelo Mowaneng commented “During the period under review, our portfolio continued to perform strongly, with improvements across all key metrics as a result of our ongoing focus on portfolio growth and optimisation.
“We are pleased to report a successful first half of the 2024 financial year, where we managed to not only grow the portfolio through strategic acquisitions and value accretive refurbishments but also recycled capital through the disposal of Moedi House as well as the ongoing sale of section titles at Red Square Apartments. The acquisition of an additional 25% stake in JTTM Properties significantly uplifted the value of our investment portfolio to P2.0 billion at a Group level. Our investment portfolio was further differentiated by the quality of our tenant base, as demonstrated by above market occupancy levels of 99.15% and strong collections of above 100% for the period”.
The growth in contractual revenue of 9% from the prior year’s P48.0 million to the current year P52.2 million, increased income from Railpark Mall, coupled with high collection rates, has enabled the company to declare a distribution of 9.11 thebe per linked unit, which is in line with the prior year.
In line with its strategic pillars of ‘Streamlined and Expanded Botswana Portfolio’ as well as ‘Quality African Assets’, the Group continuously monitors the performance of its investments to ensure that they meet the targeted returns.
“The Group continues to explore yield accretive opportunities for balance sheet growth and funding options that can be deployed to finance that growth” further commented the CEO of LLR Ms Kamogelo Mowaneng.
Ms Mowaneng further thanked the Group’s stakeholders for their continued support and stated that they look forward to unlocking further value in the Group.
Business
Botswana’s Electricity Generation Dips 26.4%
The Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) has reported a significant decrease in electricity generation for the fourth quarter of 2023, with output plummeting by 26.4%. This decline is primarily attributed to operational difficulties at the Morupule B power plant, as per the latest Botswana Index of Electricity Generation (IEG) released recently.
Local electricity production saw a drastic reduction, falling from 889,535 MWH in the third quarter of 2023 to 654,312 MWH in the period under review. This substantial decrease is largely due to the operational challenges at the Morupule B power plant. Consequently, the need for imported electricity surged by 35.6% (136,243 MWH) from 382,426 MWH in the third quarter to 518,669 MWH in the fourth quarter. This increase was necessitated by the need to compensate for the shortfall in locally generated electricity.
Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (ZESCO) was the principal supplier of imported electricity, accounting for 43.1% of total electricity imports during the fourth quarter of 2023. Eskom followed with 21.8%, while the remaining 12.1, 10.3, 8.6, and 4.2% were sourced from Electricidade de Mozambique (EDM), Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), Nampower, and Cross-border electricity markets, respectively. Cross-border electricity markets involve the supply of electricity to towns and villages along the border from neighboring countries such as Namibia and Zambia.
Distributed electricity exhibited a decrease of 7.8% (98,980 MWH), dropping from 1,271,961 MWH in the third quarter of 2023 to 1,172,981 MWH in the review quarter.
Electricity generated locally contributed 55.8% to the electricity distributed during the fourth quarter of 2023, a decrease from the 74.5% contribution in the same quarter of the previous year. This signifies a decrease of 18.7 percentage points. The quarter-on-quarter comparison shows that the contribution of locally generated electricity to the distributed electricity fell by 14.2 percentage points, from 69.9% in the third quarter of 2023 to 55.8% in the fourth quarter. The Morupule A and B power stations accounted for 90.4% of the electricity generated during the fourth quarter of 2023, while Matshelagabedi and Orapa emergency power plants contributed the remaining 5.9 and 3.7% respectively.
The year-on-year analysis reveals some improvement in local electricity generation. The year-on-year perspective shows that the amount of distributed electricity increased by 8.2% (88,781 MWH), from 1,084,200 MWH in the fourth quarter of 2022 to 1,172,981 MWH in the current quarter. The trend of the Index of Electricity Generation from the first quarter of 2013 to the fourth quarter of 2023 indicates an improvement in local electricity generation, despite fluctuations.
The year-on-year analysis also reveals a downward trend in the physical volume of imported electricity. The trend in the physical volume of imported electricity from the first quarter of 2013 to the fourth quarter of 2023 shows a downward trend, indicating the country’s continued effort to generate adequate electricity to meet domestic demand, has led to the decreased reliance on electricity imports.
In response to the need to increase local generation and reduce power imports, the government has initiated a new National Energy Policy. This policy is aimed at guiding the management and development of Botswana’s energy sector and encouraging investment in new and renewable energy. In the policy document, Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security Lefoko Moagi stated that the policy aims to transform Botswana from being a net energy importer to a self-sufficient nation with surplus energy for export into the region. Moagi expressed confidence that Botswana has the potential to achieve self-sufficiency in electric power supply, given the country’s readily available energy resources such as coal and renewable sources.
Business
MMG acquires Khoemacau in a transaction valued at P23Bn
MMG Limited, the Hong Kong-based mining company specializing in base metals, has successfully concluded the acquisition of Khoemacau Copper Mine, a state-of-the-art, world-class copper asset nestled in the northwest of Botswana.
On Monday, MMG announced that the acquisition of Khoemacau Mine in Botswana was finalized on 22nd March 2024. “This acquisition enriches the company’s portfolio with a top-tier, transformative growth project and signifies a monumental milestone in the Company’s journey,” MMG communicated in an official statement published on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Upon completion of the acquisition, MMG remitted to the Sellers an Aggregate Consideration of approximately US$1,734,657,000 (over P23 billion), a sum subject to potential adjustments post-Completion.
In addition to the Aggregate Consideration, MMG, in accordance with the Agreement, advanced an aggregate amount of approximately US$348,580,000 (over P4.5 billion) as the Aggregate Debt Settlement Amount, to settle certain debt balances of the Target Group (Cuprous Capital/Khoemacau).
On November 21, 2023, Khoemacau announced that the shareholders of its parent company [Cuprous Capital] had agreed to sell 100% of their interests to MMG Limited.
MMG is a global resources company that mines, explores, and develops copper and other base metals projects on four continents. The company is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, and has a significant shareholder, China Minmetals Corporation, which is China’s largest metals and minerals group owned by the Government of the People’s Republic of China.
On December 22, 2023, Khoemacau Copper Mining (Pty) Ltd received the approval from the Minister of Minerals and Energy of Botswana regarding the transfer of a controlling interest in the Project Licenses and Prospecting Licenses associated with the Khoemacau Copper Mine, a result of the Acquisition.
The Botswana Competition & Consumer Authority (CCA) on January 29, 2024, notified the market that it had given its approval for the takeover of Khoemacau Copper Mining by MMG Limited.
On January 29, 2024, the CCA issued a merger decision to the market, stating that after conducting all necessary assessments, it was ready to proceed.
The Competition Authority affirmed that the structure of the relevant market would not significantly change upon implementation of the proposed merger as the proposed transaction is not likely to result in a substantial lessening of competition, nor endanger the continuity of service in the market of mining of copper and silver ores and the production, and sale or supply of copper concentrate in Botswana.
Furthermore, the CCA stated that the proposed merger would not have any negative impact on public interest matters in Botswana as per the provisions of section 52(2) of the Competition Act 2018.
Earlier this month, Minister of Minerals & Energy, Lefoko Maxwell Moagi, informed parliament that his Ministry was endorsing the Khoemacau acquisition by MMG Limited. He noted that not only was the company acquiring the existing operation but also committing to an expansion program that would cost over $700 million to double production, create more jobs for Batswana, and increase taxes and royalties paid to the Government.