Brands
Reesee Entertainment names Pavel Jelšik as vice president of global sales
Toy industry veteran joins to steer 2026 international push
GUANGZHOU: China based children’s entertainment and licensing company Reesee Entertainment has appointed seasoned toy executive Pavel Jelšik as vice president of global sales, signalling a confident step into its next phase of international growth.
Jelšik joins from Playmind Group, where he served as VP of international sales and marketing. Over a career spanning more than 20 years, he has led global sales for the Toy Plus, Sweet’n’Fun and National Products portfolios, and managed the Minix brand across select territories. His track record stretches across Europe, Asia, North and South America, where he has built distribution networks, nurtured licensing partnerships and scaled brands from promising newcomers to retail regulars.
Based in Europe, Jelšik will now oversee Reesee’s global sales strategy, with a brief to accelerate expansion and sharpen the company’s commercial edge. His appointment comes as Reesee strengthens its international infrastructure following steady growth across Southeast Asia, Europe and North America.
Founded in 2018, Reesee has carved out a niche in IP content monetisation and trend driven toy development. The company works with globally recognised names including My Little Pony, Barbie, Hot Wheels and Sesame Street, while also building its own original properties such as Nomster and Dewbee.
For Jelšik, the opportunity lies in turning creativity into global shelf space. “Reesee combines a compelling vision with a strong flow of creative ideas,” he said, adding that his focus will be on widening the company’s global footprint and deepening strategic partnerships to create toy experiences that resonate with families worldwide.
Chief executive Ray Wang believes the timing is right. He said Jelšik’s international experience and ability to scale toy businesses will be key as Reesee expands across priority markets.
With fresh leadership in global sales and a growing portfolio of brands, Reesee appears set to move from playroom favourite to a more formidable name on the world stage.
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.
