MAM
Publicis Groupe acquires 51% stake in Big Fuel
MUMBAI: Publicis Groupe has acquired a controlling stake in New York-based social media agency, Big Fuel.
As per the agreement, Publicis will start off with 51 per cent and have the option of gobbling it up entirely from 2014.
The agency will be aligned under the VivaKi organization and serve as a strategic social media center for the VivaKi agencies like Digitas, Razorfish, Starcom MediaVest Group and ZenithOptimedia. It will report into the VivaKi organisation through Laura Lang, global CEO of Digitas and member of the VivaKi board of directors.
Laura Lang said, “Big Fuel is a dynamic social media agency with a scalable model that encompasses social tools, process, a content studio and a distribution network. As a result, it will extend the creative and content resourcing of Digitas and Razorfish. They specialize in taking brands from content to commerce, and their social media operating system has earned them Social AOR status with some of the world‘s most powerful marketers. Sitting inside VivaKi, with its powerful media and digital agency networks, Big Fuel gives us unprecedented Paid, Owned and Earned capabilities, further enhancing the social media strategies of its sister agencies.”
Big Fuel is headed by CEO Jon Bond, who runs the agency in partnership with founding partner and chief creative officer Avi Savar, and managing partner and COO Mike McGraw,
According to Jon Bond, the deal will help support Big Fuel’s rapid organic growth. “Big Fuel‘s founder Avi Savar had the vision to create one of the first full-service social media agencies. Now that social is revolutionizing global marketing, this partnership gives the agency and its clients scale, impact, and a network around the world,” he said.
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI:Â Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
