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HY-2016: Adlabs footfalls doubles; EBIDTA more than quadruples
BENGALURU: Adlabs Entertainment Limited (Adlabs) reported almost double (increased by 98.2 per cent) the footfalls at its two theme parks Adlabs Imagica and Adlabs Aquamagica-Water Park for the half-year ended 30 September, 2015 (HY-2016, current half-year) at 7.87 lakh as compared to 3.97 lakh in the corresponding year ago half-year.
Footfalls in the quarter ended 30 September, 2015 (Q2-2016, current quarter) increased 14.8 per cent YoY to 2.48 lakh from 21.6 lakh in Q2-2015, but were more than half (declined 54 per cent) from the 5.39 lakh in the immediate trailing quarter. The company says numbers have been affected due to the closures of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway because of landslides in August and September 2015.
Note: (1) 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore
(2) All numbers in this report are standalone unless stated otherwise
Buoyed by the numbers reported during Q1-2016 (quarter ended 30 June, 2016, immediate trailing quarter, previous quarter) or the school and college holiday season, Earnings before interest, depreciation and amortisation and taxes (EBIDTA) more than quadrupled (4.28 times) in HY-2016 to Rs 18.48 crore (15.1 per cent margin) as compared to the Rs 4.31 crore (six per cent margin) in HY-2015. EBIDTA in Q2-2016 was negative Rs 6.26 crore as compared to the Rs 3.54 crore (9.9 per cent margin) in Q2-2015 and the Rs 24.73 crore (29.1 per cent margin) in Q1-2015.
Adlabs CEO Kapil Bagla said, “The highlight of Q2-2016 was the launch of our Hotel Novotel Imagica with 116 rooms. The hotel has got off to a great start with an average occupancy rate of 77 per cent and a huge pent up demand for this product. We see a healthy mix of corporate and leisure customers at our property and the feedback from customers who have stayed at the Novotel has been very encouraging.”
“We were impacted by the disruption and closure of Mumbai-Pune Expressway due to recurring landslides in the months of August and September. The Expressway is our primary connectivity to the Park. The historical trend is that we achieve 60-62 per cent of our annual footfalls in the second half, so we feel; that Q3 and Q4 will be extremely good quarters for us,” added Bagla.
Let us look at the other numbers reported by Adlabs:
Adlabs revenue in HY-2016 increased 69.6 per cent to Rs 122.22 crore as compared to the Rs 72.07 crore in the corresponding half-year of last year. For Q2-2016, the company reported 4.2 per cent YoY growth in revenue to Rs 37.21 crore as compared to the Rs 35.71 crore in Q2-2015, but a 56.2 per cent decline from the Rs 85.01 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.
Total Expenditure (TE) in HY-2016 increased 38.4 per cent to Rs 146.03 crore (119.5 per cent of TIO) as compared to the Rs 105.53 crore (146.4 per cent of TIO) in HY-2015. TE in Q2-2015 increased 28.5 per cent YoY to Rs 64.99 crore (174.7 per cent of TIO) from Rs 50.56 crore (141.6 per cent of TIO), but declined 19.8 per cent QoQ from Rs 81.05 crore (953 per cent of TIO).
A major expense head for Adlabs is Employee Benefits Expense (EBE). EBE in HY-2016 increased 48 per cent to Rs 30.32 crore (24.8 per cent of TIO) as compared to the Rs 20.49 crore (28.4 per cent of TIO) in HY-2015. EBE in Q2-2016 increased 56.9 per cent YoY to Rs 14.85 crore (39.9 per cent of TIO) from Rs 9.46 crore (26.5 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2015, but declined four per cent QoQ from Rs 15.47 crore (18.2 per cent of TIO).
Adlabs loss in HY-2016 reduced to Rs 49.45 crore as compared to the Rs 53.61 crore in the corresponding year ago period. Loss in the current quarter however, was higher at Rs 34.73 crore than the loss of Rs 24.94 crore in Q2-2015 and the loss of Rs 14.81 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.
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Muthoot FinCorp names Arun Kumar COO & Harjit Singh Takkar chief distribution officer
Leadership hires to boost operations and widen pan-India reach
THIRUVANANTHPURAM: Muthoot FinCorp has strengthened its top deck with the appointment of Arun Kumar B as chief operating officer and Harjit Singh Takkar as chief distribution officer, sharpening its focus on scale, speed and service as it pushes into its next phase of growth.
The flagship financial services arm of the 138-year-old Muthoot Pappachan Group, popularly known as Muthoot Blue, is expanding both muscle and mindset. With more than 3,750 branches nationwide and its digital platform, the Muthoot FinCorp ONE app, the company is betting on tighter execution and wider reach to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive lending market.
Arun Kumar B steps in with nearly two decades of experience cutting across financial services, technology transformation and customer analytics. He previously worked with CreditAccess Grameen, where he led enterprise-wide technology and data strategy initiatives and played a pivotal role during a major merger in the microfinance space. His work spanned integrating operations and products while scaling lending and non-credit offerings such as insurance and pensions.
At Muthoot FinCorp, Arun will steer operational excellence and strategic growth initiatives, aligning teams and processes to deliver sharper efficiency across the business. A gold medallist from Anna University and a postgraduate from IIM Indore, he also holds certifications in design thinking, Blue Ocean Strategy and business analytics.
Harjit Singh Takkar takes on the newly created role of chief distribution officer, reporting directly to the chief executive officer. The position is designed to energise the company’s distribution engine and bring greater governance and agility across its branch network.
Takkar brings over 28 years of retail banking experience, having held senior leadership roles at IndusInd Bank, Bandhan Bank, Yes Bank and ICICI Bank. Known for scaling branch networks and building high-performing teams, he combines distribution expertise with governance depth as a qualified company secretary with a master’s degree in finance and control.
In his new role, Takkar will oversee branch business and distribution channels, with a clear brief to expand reach, lift productivity and reinforce the company’s pan-India presence.
Commenting on the appointments, Muthoot FinCorp Ltd. chief executive officer Shaji Varghese, said the company continues to invest in leadership as it scales. “Our purpose is to improve the financial well-being of the common man. As we grow, strengthening leadership across key functions is important to ensure consistency in execution and customer experience,” he said.
With complementary strengths in operations and distribution now in place, Muthoot FinCorp appears set to move from steady expansion to sharper acceleration, backed by people, process and technology working in concert.
