MAM
Levi Strauss India appoints Venkataramani as marketing director
MUMBAI: Levi Strauss India (LSIL) today announced the appointment of K Venkataramani as marketing director. In his new role at LSIL, Ramani will be spearheading marketing initiatives for the Levis’s stable of products viz., Levi’s Red Tab, Red Loop, Levis Skyes etc. Ramani takes over from Shumone Chatterjee who recently moved on as the managing director of Levis Strauss India.
“Levi’s recognises India as one of the fastest growing markets in the world for jeanswear and other youth categories,” said Chatterjee. “We remain committed to making Levis’s one of the largest, most iconic and coolest brands for youth in the country and the last two years IIFA Awards for the ‘most admired jeans brand’ by thousands of consumers stand testimony to the same.”
Describing his new assignment at Levi Strauss India as both “exciting as well as immensely challenging,” Ramani said, “I look forward to an amazing time on Levis’s which today enjoys the status of being one of the true iconic youth brands in the country. Immense opportunities that the Indian youth and the economy provides along with the status of the Levis’s brand makes this one of the coolest marketing assignments in India.”
Ramani’s responsibilities would include consumer insight mining, product portfolio and brand architecture management, brand positioning, communication and developing an appropriate retail image for brand across India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Ramani holds a Bachelors Degree in Engineering from The Regional Engineering College, Durgapur and a Masters Degree in Marketing Studies from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute, Mumbai. Ramani has over 12 years of national experience in the FMCG industry with most of the time spent in Unilever, India.
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.
