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Franklin Templeton flags off Kanyakumari to Kashmir investor drive
MUMBAI: Franklin Templeton India on Tuesday launched Change the Soch – Kanyakumari to Kashmir Drive, a nationwide investor awareness campaign aimed at boosting financial literacy, with a sharp focus on women. Marking the fund house’s 30 years in India, the 30-day initiative will span more than 4,000 km, covering 21 cities from Kanyakumari to Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, through a series of on-ground education sessions and community engagements designed to demystify mutual fund investing.
The drive will be led by Franklin Templeton India president Avinash Satwalekar, who will travel across towns and villages, stopping every alternate day to conduct investor workshops for women from diverse backgrounds. The programme will engage participants ranging from farmers and self-help groups to students, teachers, entrepreneurs, salaried professionals and defence personnel, with an emphasis on progressing from savings to long-term investments.
Speaking at the launch, Satwalekar said financial literacy among women remains uneven, particularly in tier 2 and tier 3 regions. He noted that empowering women with financial knowledge can strengthen household resilience, enable community-level growth and support India’s broader push towards inclusive development. The initiative, he added, aligns with the country’s ambition of achieving Viksit Bharat status by 2047 by expanding access to financial tools and confidence at the grassroots.
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Domino’s Q1 profit falls 6.6 per cent, announces $1 billion buyback
Sales rise 3.4 per cent as pizza giant balances growth and shareholder returns
NEW YORK: Domino’s reported a mixed start to 2026, with first-quarter net income slipping even as global sales and store expansion held steady. The company also announced a fresh $1 billion share buyback, underlining its continued focus on shareholder returns.
Global retail sales rose 3.4 per cent on a constant-currency basis to $4.74 billion. The US remained a key growth engine, with same-store sales inching up 0.9 per cent, supported by a 1.5 per cent rise at company-owned outlets.
International markets, however, painted a more uneven picture. While Domino’s added 161 net new stores overseas during the quarter, international same-store sales declined 0.4 per cent. Overall revenues still climbed 3.5 per cent to $1.15 billion, driven by higher supply chain revenues and a 2.6 per cent increase in food basket pricing for franchisees.
On the profitability front, net income fell 6.6 per cent to $139.8 million, compared to $149.7 million a year earlier. Diluted earnings per share dropped to $4.13 from $4.33. The decline was largely attributed to a $30 million unfavourable swing in unrealised gains linked to its investment in DPC Dash Ltd.
Despite this, operational performance showed resilience. Income from operations rose 9.6 per cent to $230.4 million, supported in part by a $7.8 million pre-tax gain from the sale of a corporate aircraft.
Domino’s footprint continued to expand, with the company ending the quarter at 22,322 stores across more than 90 markets. In the US, digital orders remained dominant, accounting for over 85 per cent of retail sales in 2025.
The company also maintained its dividend payout, declaring $1.99 per share, payable on 30 June 2026. After repurchasing $75.1 million worth of stock during the quarter, the new authorisation lifts the total available for buybacks to $1.29 billion.
Domino’s chief executive officer Russell Weiner said the company’s scale and store-level economics position it well to capture further market share in 2026, even as competition intensifies.
As Domino’s leans into expansion and capital returns, the latest results show a business managing short-term pressures while keeping its long-term growth strategy firmly in play.
