MAM
Bikano prepares for festive fun with new range of salty snacks
NEW DELHI: Packaged snacks brand Bikano today unveiled six new masala-based products ahead of the upcoming festive season to further boost its product portfolio through an aggressive product-line expansion. The brand is expecting a sales surge of up to Rs 75 crore with the addition of the new masala range aimed primarily at consumers in the northern Hindi speaking belt.
The new range of products includes multiple spice-based flavors to augment Bikano’s presence in the rapidly growing ‘traditional snack’ segment. With the launch of its new range ‘Aloo Bhujia-Lemon Chaska’, ‘Chutney-Sev’, ‘Chatpata Mixture’, ‘Manpasand Mixture’, ‘Lajawaab Mixture’‘Daal Mixture’ and ‘Dry Fruit Mixture’, Bikano expects to earn an additional revenue of Rs 75 crore. The brand is already worth over Rs 1000 crore.
The launch comes ahead of the festive season and aims to capitalize on the expected demand surge during Holi including that of festive gifting.
“The salty snacks market in India has witnessed a remarkable evolution and growth in recent years. With a wide proliferation of Indian flavoured packaged snacks, we have witnessed the introduction of multiple new product segments and diverse ethnic flavours. The bhujia category and mixture category are two of the most rapidly growing salty snack segments in India and our new product line aims to leverage this market trend. Offering new products on regular basis has been prime focus of the brand. Apart from this, the new range is expected to give us a sales surge of up to Rs 75 crore in the coming fiscal,” said Bikano director Manish Agarwal.
The packaged food segment continued to witness impressive growth in the post COVID period as demand for packaged food items grew particularly in urban areas. With a mass vaccination programme offering hope of normalcy and an economic rebound, the sector is optimistic about buoyant demand this year.
“With the Holi season upon us, the demand for in-home snacks is bound to increase as people socialise more and experiment with new savouries. Gifting of packaged salty snacks is another area that has gained prominence in recent years and we are also expecting to capitalize on the festive gifting season to boost the sales of our new product range,” added Mr Agarwal.
With an eye on the Hindi-speaking market in the initial phases, the company has made these products available through the country-wide network of GT outlets. Except Lajawaab Mixture, each of these products comes in a Rs. 5 and Rs. 10 pack. Lajawaab Mixture has been priced at Rs. 10 (40g), Rs. 109 (500g) and Rs. 55 (250g). Significantly enough, both Aloo Bhujia-Lemon Chaska and Chutney-Sev have the highest weight for this price point in this category offering true value for money.
Notably, the launch was attended by senior functionaries of the company including director Manish Aggarwal, CEO Pankaj Agarwal, and CFO Sunil Bansal.
The new masala snacks range:
Aloo Bhujia-Lemon Chaska: A noodle-shaped Aloo Bhujia with a sharp lemony twist. Made with potato and maize flour as two base ingredients, a single bite of this delectable savoury is enough to draw and induce the food lover into wanting it more and developing a chaska or addiction for it in no time.
Chutney-Sev: A spiced-up chickpea flour and maize flour-based savoury, this comes with a thick, strong and dry texture and a more piquant and peppery taste.
Chatpata Mixture: A hot spicy savoury snack with an added zing that a food lover would find it very hard to resist.
Manpasand Mixture: A mouthwatering and taste bud-tingling snack, Manpasand mixture comes with the goodness of maize flour, chickpea flour, lentils and peanuts.
Lajawaab Mixture: A premium category snack with high dry fruit quantity perfectly suited to the palates of those inclined to healthy eating yet want their nutrition wrapped in taste.
Dal Mixture: A high-on-protein snack offering a triple tadka of masoor, chana and moongdal packed in the same delectable savoury.
Dry Fruit Mixture: Premium delicious crunchy spicy mixture containing potato sticks with richness of almonds, cashew, raisins.
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.
