Delhivery Ltd Q1 FY25 Earnings Conference Call Insights

Key highlights from Delhivery Ltd (DELHIVERY) Q1 FY25 Earnings Concall

• Financial Performance
  • Revenue grew by 13% year-over-year and 4.7% quarter-on-quarter.
  • EBITDA for the quarter was 4.5%, with adjusted EBITDA at 1.7%.
  • Profit after tax reached INR54 crore, down 2.4% for the quarter.
  • This included a positive impact of INR39 crore from changing depreciation methods.
• Express Parcel Service
  • Volumes grew 0.6% year-over-year and 4.1% quarter-on-quarter.
  • The service handled 183 million parcels during the quarter.
  • Revenue increased by 6% year-over-year and 5% quarter-on-quarter.
  • Growth was seen across all non-large marketplace segments.
  • Significant growth seen in the heavy goods category.
  • Service EBITDA remained stable at 18%.
• Part Truck Load Business
  • Revenue increased by 25% year-over-year.
  • The business handled just under 400,000 metric tons of load.
  • Service EBITDA improved to 3.2%.
  • Growth was driven by both volume increases and yield improvements.
• Supply Chain Services
  • Revenue grew by 26% year-over-year.
  • The company has a robust pipeline of customers across auto, electricals, and FMCG sectors.
  • Service EBITDA margins were 4.4%, slightly below the previous quarter’s 6%.
  • The decline in margins was due to increased trucking and manpower costs from sudden demand spikes.
• Infrastructure and Capacity
  • The company operated with a steady network and infrastructure.
  • No material capacity additions were made during the quarter.
  • The customer base expanded from 33,000 to nearly 35,000.
  • Team size, partner size, and fleet size improved in line with business growth.
• Express Volume Shipments
  • The company delivered growth despite a volatile quarter for the industry.
  • Long-term forecast remains steady, with annual e-commerce market growth rates between 15-20%.
  • The company’s numbers are expected to be broadly in line with market growth.
  • Future performance may depend on platform-level strategies, which remain fluid.
• Quick Commerce Strategy
  • The company is launching a new product for rapid in-city delivery for e-commerce companies.
  • The company plans to create a network of shared dark store warehousing for multi-tenant use.
  • Delhivery believes the actual volume at risk from quick commerce in e-commerce is likely to be small.
  • The company will provide dark stores and delivery services for e-commerce companies on a multi-tenant basis.
  • The new model focuses on rapid commerce (2-4 hour delivery) rather than sub-30 minute delivery.
  • Unit economics for rapid commerce are expected to be positive, unlike ultra-fast delivery for low-value products.
• Dark Store Network
  • Delhivery is creating a network of shared dark store warehousing for e-commerce companies.
  • The model allows multiple companies to share infrastructure and variable costs.
  • The approach helps companies avoid over-inventorizing or underutilizing expensive urban real estate.
  • Large quick-commerce companies are not expected to be immediate customers of this service.
  • The model is more suitable for companies with diverse SKUs rather than limited shelf space grocery items.
• Express Parcel Growth
  • Growth was observed across all categories and client segments in non-marketplace e-commerce.
  • The company saw growth in direct-to-consumer, SME, and marketplace segments.
  • Consumer-to-consumer shipping via the Delhivery Direct app continues to see steady growth.
  • The company is expanding its offline reseller network, similar to a franchise program.
• Market Share Trends
  • The most significant market change has been Meesho internalizing some of its logistics.
  • There hasn’t been significant interstate movement of market share among 3PLs.
  • Delhivery maintains its position as the largest 3PL in the market.
• Depreciation and Capex
  • The company experiences seasonality in its capex cycle throughout the year.
  • Q1 and Q2 are periods when capex commissioning begins.
  • In Q1, the fresh capex was about INR80 crores.
  • Last year’s total capex was close to INR550 crores for the full year.
  • Depreciation is expected to rise in the second half of the year as capex catches up.
• Quick Commerce Strategy
  • Delhivery won’t need to build as many dark stores as quick commerce grocery companies.
  • The company already operates 3,450 delivery stations across the country.
  • Delhivery doesn’t anticipate building anywhere near 1,000 dark stores or incurring significant capex for this initiative.
• Employee Expenses
  • There was no significant increase in employee expenses this quarter, contrary to usual trends.
  • Delhivery’s increment cycle ends in March, with Q1 typically reflecting wage inflation costs.
  • The company doesn’t anticipate a significant increase in wage costs overall.
• Contract Negotiations
  • Delhivery’s yield and overall margins have improved between Q4 and Q1.
  • The company aims to link pricing to the volume provided by customers.
  • Contracts include protections against adverse mix provided by customers.
• Capital Expenditure
  • The company purchased vehicles worth about INR29 crore, including Volvo tractors.
  • Automation investments amounted to INR4 crore.
  • Plant and machinery investments totaled INR26 crore.
  • Additional investments were made in furniture and fixtures.
• PTL Business Growth
  • Business has shown strong growth compared to the industry.
  • The total spend on PTL in India is estimated to be over 10 billion.
  • The company’s network is integrated across PTL and express services.
  • Serviceability for PTL is the same as for express services.
  • High-density PTL locations are served by 120 freight service centers.
  • Expansion strategies include increasing awareness of Delhivery’s PTL services and enhancing direct sales capabilities in tier 1, 2, and 3 markets.
• Margin Expectations
  • Express parcel business margins are stable at around 18-20%.
  • Delhivery aims to pass on cost savings to customers to drive volume growth.
  • PTL business margins are expected to align with express business margins, potentially higher in the future.
  • Freight costs have declined year-on-year and sequentially, with further scale benefits expected.