Brands
Ayushmann Khurrana is new face of Tecno Mobile
NEW DELHI: Smartphone maker Tecno has roped in actor Ayushmann Khurrana as its brand ambassador for the current calendar. With this partnership, Tecno hopes to drive visibility for its brand philosophy ‘Stop at Nothing’ and bolster its position among smartphone users.
Khurrana said, “As an actor, I understand the importance of perfection and giving the best to our audiences. Tecno has established itself as one of the leading smartphone brand in India with its consistency towards delivering excellent products with stylish designs and innovative features at the most competitive price. Associating with such a brand that stops at nothing to provide a great smartphone experience to its consumers is quite thrilling.”
Tecno Mobile India CEO Arijeet Talapatra, “Tecno is known for its ‘ahead of the curve’ approach and a product philosophy that believes in introducing segment-first features to create greater accessibility for our consumers in the mid-budget category of new Bharat. In this journey, we felt that 'Ayushmann the personality', upholds our values the strongest. He epitomises our intent to be uncompromising in our efforts to empower Indian citizens with feature-rich smartphones. I strongly believe this association will enable us to reach out to a wider base of consumers and further consolidate our position as a leading smartphone player in the segment.”
The association with the Andhadhun star complements the company’s initiative to push the envelope of technology democratisation with innovative, new-age smartphones at aggressive price points. Khurrana will be seen spearheading the new Tecno Spark 7 campaign across Spark, Pova, Camon smartphone series.
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.
