De Beers pins recovery hopes on U.S consumer lockdown reflections
De Beers Group says most of its net end consumers are still intact financially, and stand ready to demand its luxury and magnificent offerings in diamond jewellery.
A study conducted by the diamond mining global giant during COVID-19 lockdown suggests that over two thirds of jewellery buyers still have the financial capacity to purchase the sparkling downstream products.
De Beers, which sources most of its diamonds from Botswana, is present in all segments of the diamond business, Upstream where it mines diamonds in Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and Canada; Midstream where it sorts, values and sells rough diamonds, by in large in Botswana, at the Global Sightholder sales.
The company also has a strong presence in the downstream which comprises of retail. DeBeers operates in this space through Forevermark, a retail brand of jewellery made from natural, hand selected rare diamonds.
Following a promising recovery from slow year in 2019, De Beers Group and the entire diamond industry then faced a catastrophic down cliff as a result of the novel Coronavirus which put breaks on almost everything in the first half of 2020.
The novel contagious plague sprang out of China in December 2019, and then intensified in February, putting the entire world at a standstill, shutting down businesses and restricting movement of, people, goods and commodities whilst also caging people in their houses for months.
De Beers’ second sight fell by about 36 % from the first sales of the year and 25 % when gauged against the same sight in 2019. This was mainly due to slow business in China where corona virus broke in the city of Wuhan.
After the United States, China is De Beers’ second biggest market. Business was also slow in India and Belgium, which houses some of the world largest centers of diamond cutting and polishing industries.
However findings from recent surveys by the diamond mining unit of Anglo-American suggests there might be some positive from the worldwide lockdowns. The London headquarters, once diamond business monopoly says consumers have introspected during these lockdowns.
According to De Beers the introspection at the need for things that matter, that represents love and values life more, something which diamond and diamond products stand for.
A research undertaken over a period of nine weeks by De Beers Group suggests that consumers in the US will reassess their purchasing behavior in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. It says gifts that are meaningful and that retain their value will be the priority as people emerge from lockdown.
The research demonstrated that lockdown had made many consumers feel grateful for things they used to take for granted, such as spending time with family, and that this would influence their purchasing and gifting behavior in future.
When it came to gifting and in particular looking forward to the holiday season, 56 percent of respondents from the survey felt gifts should be meaningful, over and above being practical, functional or fun.
This research which will make part of the upcoming diamond insights states that Diamonds were seen as the top gift for symbolizing intimacy, connectedness and love among both men and women, with the primary desire for purchasing being a reflection of gratitude and acknowledgement during the current crisis.
Ninety percent of respondents said that choosing gifts that hold their value over time would be an important consideration this holiday season, and more people chose diamonds as the top choice for a gift of this nature from a list of luxury items including designer clothing and accessories, electronic devices, a piece of furniture, or other jewellery.
The findings are the first in a series of Diamond Insight ‘Flash’ Reports that De Beers Group will publish to share insights regarding the evolving consumer perspective and what it means for diamonds as the world passes through the stages of the COVID-19 crisis.
The mining behemoth also found that around two-thirds of the consumers polled indicated their personal finances have not been affected by COVID-19. Three-quarters of consumers said that COVID-19 had not impacted their likelihood to purchase diamond jewellery and the majority of respondents continued to wear their diamond jewellery during lockdown because it made them ‘feel connected to someone’.
De Beers says consumers felt safest shopping for jewellery online; however, they clearly distinguished local independent jewellers as the best source for knowledge and product quality, as well as being considered the safest of all the physical outlets for jewellery shopping.
Forty-five percent of respondents said that they would seek to buy fewer, better things when considering clothing and jewellery purchases after the lockdown. Consumer preference for travel continues to show a declining trend, with 39 percent of consumers saying it will be seven to 12 months before their travel spending stabilizes.
Bruce Cleaver, CEO, De Beers Group, said: “The COVID-19 crisis and associated lockdowns have caused people all around the world to re-evaluate aspects of what’s important in their lives and have reinforced the value of personal relationships.”
The London based diamond industry gaffer said while consumer confidence and spending has been significantly impacted in the US diamonds will nonetheless have a unique role to play in people’s lives in a post-lockdown world as they seek to celebrate their most meaningful relationships
“While it will take some time for the market to recover fully, we hope these insights will assist large and independent jewellery retailers alike to understand the evolving consumer perspective as we move through and emerge from the crisis,” said Cleaver.
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.