MAM
Dentsu merges Fountainhead & psLIVE to form Fountainhead-MKTG
MUMBAI: Dentsu Aegis Network has merged Fountainhead with its experiential marketing arm psLIVE India to form Fountainhead-MKTG.
It may be recalled that last year, Dentsu Aegis Network formed its ninth global network brand – MKTG, the lifestyle marketing agency it acquired in August 2014. The agency also made the Fountainhead acquisition in India last year.
With this merger, MKTG brings its vast resource of experience and knowledge into the Indian landscape. The agency currently operate in various mature lifestyle markets around the globe. This knowledge, combined with Fountainhead’s local expertise is poised to produce some unique and outstanding marketing innovations.
“In India, the lifestyle marketing solutions market is growing at twice the rate of the ATL market. With Fountainhead, a leading player in India and MKTG, a leading global player, we now will have the best offering of global standards, through Fountainhead MKTG. This is another big step forward in helping us achieve our mission of being the second largest agency group by end 2017 in India, overturning for the first time the existing ranking, which has historically been in place for over 80 years in India,” said Dentsu Aegis Network chairman and CEO – South Asia Ashish Bhasin.
“With this influx of international expertise, safety standards, design & technology, Fountainhead MKTG will consistently raise the bar when it comes to producing events within the country. While officially we are a full-service marketing agency, in reality we are a creative group of people who come to work everyday to create unique, disruptive and innovative projects for our clients,” added Fountainhead-MKTG CEO Brain Tellis.
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI: 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.
