Brands
Casio strengthens India strategy with local manufacturing of select watches
MUMBAI: Casio India, a subsidiary of Japan-based Casio Computer Co. Ltd., today announced the sale for its locally manufactured watch models, marking a strategic step in deepening Casio’s local footprint and long-term vision for India. This milestone aligns with Casio’s efforts to enhance product availability, support national manufacturing goals, and respond more intuitively to Indian consumer preferences.
Since entering the Indian market in 1996, Casio has steadily built a reputation for innovation, reliability, and stylish design. The decision to “Make in India” is both a strategic and symbolic step that enables the brand to become more agile and responsive in a market that continues to evolve rapidly in terms of fashion, function, and consumer expectation. As part of this development, Casio is manufacturing 28 specially curated watch models in India, integrating its globally trusted Japanese technology with the strengths of India’s manufacturing ecosystem.
Commenting on the initiative, Casio India managing director Takuto Kimura said, “India has always been a priority market for Casio, and we continue to see immense potential for growth here. By manufacturing locally, we are better equipped to design and deliver products that truly resonate with the Indian mindset and lifestyle. This move allows us to be more agile in responding to consumer needs, while also ensuring that the watches we offer are more aligned with local tastes and expectations. Local manufacturing is not just a strategic step—it’s a consumer-first approach that reflects our deep commitment to the Indian market.
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.
