Brands
KFC and Pizza Hut get single India owner as Devyani, Sapphire Foods merge
MUMBAI: Devyani International and Sapphire Foods have agreed to merge, creating a single, unified franchisee for Yum! Brands’ KFC and Pizza Hut businesses in India, in a consolidation that reshapes the country’s quick-service restaurant landscape.
The boards of both companies approved a scheme under which Sapphire Foods will merge into Devyani International through a share-swap, with Devyani issuing 177 equity shares for every 100 shares held in Sapphire. The transaction is subject to regulatory, shareholder and tribunal approvals and is expected to take 12–15 months to complete.
Once closed, the combined entity will rank among India’s largest QSR operators, with a nationwide footprint and franchise rights across the entire Indian market for KFC and Pizza Hut, alongside an expanded presence in Sri Lanka.
Yum! Brands has cleared the consolidation and agreed to revised commercial terms, including enhanced waivers to accelerate store expansion, the transfer of 19 KFC outlets in Hyderabad to Devyani, and a one-time payment covering merger approval and additional territory licence fees.
The strategic play is unapologetically about scale. Management expects sharper execution from a unified brand strategy, procurement savings, tighter supply chains and leaner overheads. Devyani estimates annual synergies of Rs 210–225 crore from the second full year
of integrated operations, with full integration targeted within 15–18 months of completion.
Devyani International non-executive chairman Ravi Jaipuria, called the deal a “decisive leap”that positions the group as Yum!’s sole long-term partner for KFC and Pizza Hut in India. Samara Capital SFIL nominee director and founder Sumeet Narang, said the merger fulfils the vision of building a scaled, institutionally strong QSR platform in a high-growth market.
For Yum!, the message is equally clear. India remains a priority battleground, and backing a single, financially stronger franchisee is seen as the fastest route to growth in a fiercely competitive eating-out economy.
(Note: The cover image is AI-generated and is meant for representational purposes only.)
Brands
MS Dhoni joins Cars24’s Crashfree India as Goodwill Ambassador
Cricketing legend lends his voice to the fight against road fatalities in India.
MUMBAI: MS Dhoni has traded his cricket whites for a new kind of captaincy, one that aims to save lives on India’s roads. The former India captain has been appointed Goodwill Ambassador for Crashfree India, Cars24’s national road safety initiative. The move brings one of the country’s most trusted and disciplined public figures to a cause that desperately needs both credibility and urgency.
India continues to record the highest number of traffic fatalities globally. In 2024 alone, 1,80,000 people lost their lives on Indian roads, one every three minutes. The country has roughly 1% of the world’s vehicles but accounts for 11 per cent of global road deaths. Shockingly, 66 per cent of those killed were between 18 and 34 years old, the most productive age group, and nearly 10,000 were school students. Seven in ten fatalities were linked to overspeeding.
Dhoni, known for his calm judgment under pressure, did not mince words when speaking about the issue. “A vehicle gives you freedom, but it also gives you responsibility,” he said. “On our roads, too many people still see safety as a rule to follow only when someone is watching. That mindset has cost us far too much.”
He added: “We already know what is going wrong. We know how many lives are being lost. What we need now is not more excuses. We need more responsibility, more discipline, and more respect for life.”
For Cars24, the association goes beyond a celebrity endorsement. Founder and CEO Vikram Chopra described Dhoni’s involvement as a game-changer: “His understanding of Indian roads is grounded in lived experience. He holds us to a higher standard and his involvement challenges us to push this mission further.”
Crashfree India aims to shift the national conversation on road safety from reaction to prevention, from accepting deaths as routine to treating them as the urgent failure they are. With Dhoni on board, the initiative gains a powerful, trusted voice that transcends statistics and connects directly with millions of Indians.
In a country where dangerous driving is too often mistaken for confidence, Dhoni’s message is refreshingly clear: true strength lies in control, discipline, and respect for life. When one of India’s most respected captains decides to lead this fight, the conversation suddenly becomes much harder to ignore.
The roads just got a new captain. And this time, the goal is not to win a trophy but to save lives.
