Brands
POPxo expecting to see a considerable increase in ad revenues in vernacular space
MUMBAI: Started a few years ago from a small working space in Delhi’s Hauz Khas, POPxo is the one-stop destination for millennial women looking for questions to their answers related to beauty, healthcare, relationships, and everything that concerns their world. The content-website hosts a great deal of written and video content connecting communities of women with similar interests and offering them an easy platform to communicate and discuss.
POPxo growth lead Manan Jain told Indiantelevision.com that the company was started with an idea to bridge the big gap that was there in content specific to millennial women. “When we started, there was no single brand that was producing content exclusively for women, especially for millennial women. Yes, there were magazines but nobody was doing what POPxo is doing. We saw a huge growth in search and social at that time and it has been great for the past 3-4 years.”
As per Jain, the site now is getting 42 million active MAU and 4-5 million DAU, across platforms, however, the ad revenue from programmatic ads has a potential for further improvement.
POPxo has started experimenting in the regional content space as well and launched four vernacular content sites—Marathi, Bangla, Tamil, and Telugu—last year, complementing the English and Hindi versions. Jain stated that the new sites are performing well, especially Marathi, of which the team has got a good hold in both social and search paradigms.
Speaking about the performance of the newly launched vernacular sites, Jain revealed that they are witnessing a 300 per cent month-on-month traffic growth. "The ad revenues for vernacular content are low as compared to the same for English content. However, the user acquisition through content is a little easier. I expect that in the next 5-6 years, just like English, we are going to see ad revenues increase considerably in the vernacular space as well."
Like many content platforms, POPxo also is finding its space in the merchandise market. Apart from affiliate collaborations, it is converting some of its content into merchandise for the millennial young.
Talking about the same, Jain said, “We have just started our online and offline commerce platforms. Right now, the base is very small and so is the SKU but the revenue is substantial. It is also because we don’t have to spend much on marketing. We promote the products through our own machinery. We have a big name and good social media following. We have a full 40-people edit team that writes the concepts and we distribute it on our own platforms through videos.”
He added that the products are in the lifestyle space right now but soon it will be revealing some offerings in beauty and fashion.
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI:Â 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.
