Brands
Kansai Nerolac renews commitment to Gujarat with ‘Man of the Match’ grant
MUMBAI: Staying true to its commitment of supporting skill development initiatives and to inculcate the spirit of performance amongst youth, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd (KNPL), one of the leading paint companies in India, in association with Gujarat Lions, has announced a unique initiative – ‘Man of the Match’ grant.
The Man of the Match Grant will match the Man of the Match award amount from each IPL home game played by Gujarat Lions and release it on behalf of the best player of the Gujarat Lions team. The grant will be used towards imparting painting training to unemployed youth and equip them with a livelihood skill.
Kansai Nerolac Paints GM – marketing – decorative paints Peeyush Bachlaus and Gujarat Lions CEO Arvinder Singh were present at the ceremony to announce the initiative. Gujarat Lion’s star players Dinesh Karthik, James Faulkner, Ishan Kishan and Coach Brad Hodge, were also part of the ceremony.
Bachlaus said, “We at Kansai Nerolac are excited to initiate the ‘Man of the Match’ grant in association with Gujarat Lions. This initiative empowers the unemployed youth and offers them an opportunity to enhance skills through classroom as well as practical training by our experts.”
Singh said, “We are proud to be associated with Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd, by supporting skill development in our community we are supporting a bright future for India. Gujarat Lions believe that there is no dearth of talent in this country and we must do our bit to create an environment which is conducive to nurturing talent, helping them excel and realise their true potential.”
“We share a special relationship with Gujarat and initiatives in the field of education, sports and cultural heritage among other fields, we aim to bring to the fore benefits of our healthy home paints range to create a better living environment for the people of Gujarat,” added Bachlaus.
Brands
Dunkin’ Donuts to exit India as Jubilant FoodWorks ends 15-year franchise deal
The quick service restaurant giant is ending a 15-year franchise partnership with the American doughnut chain, even as it renews its Domino’s agreement for another 15 years
NOIDA: Dunkin’ is done in India. Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd, the country’s leading quick service restaurant operator, has decided not to renew its franchise agreement with the American coffee and doughnut chain, and will wind down its Indian stores in a phased manner before December 31, 2026, bringing a 15-year partnership to a quiet, loss-laden close.
The decision, approved by JFL’s board on March 30, 2026, ends a relationship that began with a Multiple Unit Development Franchise Agreement signed on February 24, 2011. JFL will now evaluate and undertake what it described in a regulatory filing as the “rationalisation and/or cessation of certain operations and/or sale, transfer or disposal of assets and/or assignment or transfer of franchise rights,” all in consultation with Dunkin’s brand owners and strictly within the terms of the original agreement.
The numbers tell the story bluntly. In the financial year 2024-25, Dunkin’ India posted a revenue of Rs 37 crore against a loss of Rs 19 crore — a haemorrhage that was always going to test the patience of a parent company recording revenues of Rs 6,104 crore and a profit of Rs 194 crore in the same period. Doughnuts, it turns out, were never going to move the needle.
The contrast with JFL’s handling of its other marquee franchise could hardly be sharper. Even as it walks away from Dunkin’, the company has just doubled down on Domino’s, signing a fresh Master Franchise Agreement on March 31, 2026, granting it exclusive rights to develop and operate Domino’s Pizza stores in India for 15 years, with an option to renew for a further 10.
JFL, incorporated in 1995 and promoted by the Bharatia family, operates a network of more than 3,500 stores across six markets — India, Turkey, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Its portfolio includes Domino’s and Popeyes on the global side, and two home-grown brands: Hong’s Kitchen and COFFY, a café brand in Turkey.
For Dunkin’, India was always a stretch. The brand never quite cracked the cultural code in a market where filter coffee and chai command fierce loyalty and where the doughnut remains, at best, an occasional indulgence rather than a daily habit. Fifteen years, mounting losses and a parent with better things to spend its capital on was always going to be a difficult equation to solve.
The doughnut has had its last day. The pizza, however, is staying.
