MAM
KDD India awards media biz to MediaCom
MUMBAI: MediaCom has bagged the media duties of KDD India following a multi-agency pitch. The business will be managed out of MediaCom’s Bangalore office.
KDD India is a part of KDD Kuwait, a leading manufacturer and distributor of food and beverage products in the Arabian Gulf.
MediaCom Bangalore GM Anita Devraj Mookerjee led the pitch for the company. Mookerjee said, “It was a very competitive playing field and our innovative and differentiated thinking set us apart. We believe our product offering will add value to KDD India’s business and our knowledge in the category will be further enriched by working with KDD India.”
Based in Kuwait, KDD is a 50 year old company. It has about 160 products falling into the dairy, juice, ice cream, and culinary categories. They are sold across the Gulf and the Levant.
MediaCom India, a part of GroupM, is one of the fastest growing media agencies in the country. It won the Grand Emvies in 2011 for the “Talking Newspaper” innovation it they did for Volkswagen.
MediaCom also manages businesses of Procter and Gamble, Skoda, Audi, Dell, Shell, Wrigley, Revlon and MakeMyTrip.com among others.
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.
