Brands
Huawei & Apple manufacturing tussle predicted, former may overtake Samsung
MUMBAI: American analyst firm Drexel Hamilton has stated that current mobile trends point to Huawei, presently the world’s second largest android smartphone manufacturer, dethroning Samsung to become Apple’s main challenger in years to come.
With a wide pipeline of products to cater to various market segments, both Huawei and Honor have put the needs of the Indian consumer first and have focused on channel, retail, brand, marketing and services, to strengthen the business base and streamline operations and customer service.
Keeping in line with the government’s ‘Make in India’ policy, Huawei recently opened a manufacturing facility in Chennai. After China, India has the most localized facilities with a pan-India presence having 14 circle offices, over 200 service centers across India, two customer experience centers in India, one R&D center and Innovation Solution & Demo Center each. Huawei also has 8000 employees across India (92% Indian) with 3000 working in R&D.
Huawei/Honor EMUI presently supports 14 local Indian languages and was the first brand to introduce the SOS feature in all smartphones, as per the government’s directive. Huawei/Honor are presently looking at expanding offline distribution in a bid to help increase accessibility of their smartphones in all markets.
Brands
Devyani International Ltd plans three-subsidiary merger to streamline operations
QSR operator moves to streamline structure and unlock operational synergies
Devyani International is tightening its corporate kitchen. The quick-service restaurant operator has approved a scheme to merge three subsidiaries—Sky Gate Hospitality, Blackvelvet Hospitality and Say Chefs Eatery—into the parent company in a bid to simplify its structure and sharpen operational efficiency.
The decision was cleared at a board meeting on March 10 and disclosed in a regulatory filing to the stock exchanges. The merger will take effect from April 1, 2025, subject to statutory approvals.
All three transferor companies are direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries, meaning no fresh shares will be issued and the shareholding pattern of Devyani International will remain unchanged once the scheme is completed.
The subsidiaries together operate more than 100 outlets—including dine-in restaurants and cloud kitchens, spread across over 40 cities such as Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru.
Devyani International, the largest franchisee of Yum Brands in India, said the consolidation is aimed at generating operational synergies, optimising resource utilisation and reducing layers within the corporate structure.
Financially, the move brings together businesses of varying scale. As of March 31, 2025, Devyani International reported a net worth of Rs 10,381.02 million and turnover of Rs 33,493.33 million. Sky Gate Hospitality posted a net worth of Rs 761.14 million with turnover of Rs 2,657.57 million, while Blackvelvet Hospitality and Say Chefs Eatery reported smaller operations and negative net worth.
The merger will consolidate these operations under a single corporate umbrella as the company sharpens its focus on scale and efficiency.
Devyani International currently runs more than 2,000 outlets across over 280 cities in India, Nigeria, Nepal and Thailand. Its portfolio includes franchise rights for brands such as Pizza Hut, KFC, Costa Coffee, Tea Live, New York Fries and Sanook Kitchen, alongside its own food brands.
With the paperwork underway and approvals pending, Devyani is essentially clearing the corporate clutter—turning three subsidiaries into one tighter, leaner operation. In the QSR world, even the back office needs a spring clean.
