Brands
Rahul Agarwal steps in as VP of IT at MakeMyTrip Group
MUMBAI: MakeMyTrip Group has a new technology captain at the helm. Rahul Agarwal has been appointed vice president, information technology, and will lead enterprise technology across the group’s ecosystem, including MakeMyTrip, Goibibo, redBus and other entities.
In his new role, Agarwal will oversee critical technology pillars such as ERP, analytics, artificial intelligence and cloud platforms. His mandate is clear. Simplify complex systems, scale smartly and drive digital transformation that keeps pace with the group’s ambitions in India’s fast-moving travel market.
Announcing the move, Agarwal shared his excitement about taking on the responsibility of leading enterprise technology across the MakeMyTrip Group, with a sharp focus on building strong, future-ready platforms.
Agarwal brings with him a career that blends deep technical expertise with hands-on transformation experience. Before joining MakeMyTrip, he was AVP and centre of excellence head for supply chain and ERP at Airtel, where he led large-scale digitisation, AI-led supply chain initiatives and global ERP implementations across multiple markets.
His earlier stints include senior technology leadership roles at The Coca-Cola Company, KPMG India and Deloitte, where he worked at the intersection of IT strategy, ERP modernisation and business transformation. Over the years, he has built a reputation for turning complex technology programmes into systems that actually work for businesses.
At MakeMyTrip Group, Agarwal now steps into a role where technology quietly shapes every journey, from booking a bus seat to planning an international holiday. For travellers, his work may stay behind the scenes. For the company, it could be the engine that keeps the journey smooth, smart and future-ready.
Brands
Dunkin’ Donuts to exit India as Jubilant FoodWorks ends 15-year franchise deal
The quick service restaurant giant is ending a 15-year franchise partnership with the American doughnut chain, even as it renews its Domino’s agreement for another 15 years
NOIDA: Dunkin’ is done in India. Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd, the country’s leading quick service restaurant operator, has decided not to renew its franchise agreement with the American coffee and doughnut chain, and will wind down its Indian stores in a phased manner before December 31, 2026, bringing a 15-year partnership to a quiet, loss-laden close.
The decision, approved by JFL’s board on March 30, 2026, ends a relationship that began with a Multiple Unit Development Franchise Agreement signed on February 24, 2011. JFL will now evaluate and undertake what it described in a regulatory filing as the “rationalisation and/or cessation of certain operations and/or sale, transfer or disposal of assets and/or assignment or transfer of franchise rights,” all in consultation with Dunkin’s brand owners and strictly within the terms of the original agreement.
The numbers tell the story bluntly. In the financial year 2024-25, Dunkin’ India posted a revenue of Rs 37 crore against a loss of Rs 19 crore — a haemorrhage that was always going to test the patience of a parent company recording revenues of Rs 6,104 crore and a profit of Rs 194 crore in the same period. Doughnuts, it turns out, were never going to move the needle.
The contrast with JFL’s handling of its other marquee franchise could hardly be sharper. Even as it walks away from Dunkin’, the company has just doubled down on Domino’s, signing a fresh Master Franchise Agreement on March 31, 2026, granting it exclusive rights to develop and operate Domino’s Pizza stores in India for 15 years, with an option to renew for a further 10.
JFL, incorporated in 1995 and promoted by the Bharatia family, operates a network of more than 3,500 stores across six markets — India, Turkey, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Its portfolio includes Domino’s and Popeyes on the global side, and two home-grown brands: Hong’s Kitchen and COFFY, a café brand in Turkey.
For Dunkin’, India was always a stretch. The brand never quite cracked the cultural code in a market where filter coffee and chai command fierce loyalty and where the doughnut remains, at best, an occasional indulgence rather than a daily habit. Fifteen years, mounting losses and a parent with better things to spend its capital on was always going to be a difficult equation to solve.
The doughnut has had its last day. The pizza, however, is staying.
