MAM
Hero Honda lines up marketing activities around the World Cup
MUMBAI: Two wheeler company Hero Honda Motors, which is a global partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC), has unleashed a slew of activities offering opportunities for fans to realise their cricketing dreams and get closer to their cricketing icons.
Hero Honda has announced the “Karizma ZMR Cricket Championship” to be hosted in Colombo, Dhaka and 75 cities spread across the country prior to the World Cup.
Spanning over two weeks, the Karizma ZMR Cricket Championship will feature cricket teams from several city colleges, who will compete to be the best in their respective cities. 28 city teams will be finally chosen for the dream-come-true opportunity to take a ‘Victory Lap’ each during a World Cup match, hosted in their city or region.
In addition, many winners will also get another opportunity – this time to pose with the World Cup trophy, during the trophy tour being organised on the sidelines of the championship.
Moreover, one additional team will be chosen nationally through an online contest. This team will be chosen based on their performance in a cricket-based video game which can be played on mobile phones and computers. And this team gets the Biggest Prize of all – they will get to take their Victory Lap in the final match of the ICC Cricket World Cup in Mumbai!
Hero Honda is also organising a tour of the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy. The trophy has already been taken to Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, and Colombo in Sri Lanka. It will now be taken to Delhi, Chandigarh and Dhaka (Bangladesh) so that fans can actually get to see the all-important trophy for themselves.
The cricket World Cup, to be played in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, takes place from 19 February – 2 April 2011.
Hero Honda Motors senior VP marketing and sales Anil Dua said, “If big time cricket is here, you can trust Hero Honda to bring in exciting innovative concepts for cricket fans and enthusiasts. Taking a Victory Lap at an international cricket match – that too at an ICC Cricket World Cup match – is any cricketer’s dream. And Hero Honda is playing the catalyst in helping young, budding college cricketers realise that dream. Does it get bigger than this! It’s our own unique way of not just raising a cheer for the game of cricket but also for the fans – who have made cricket a religion in this part of the world.”
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.
