Brands
Sealed with a Kiss Nykaa Posts Love at Palladium
Pink pop up at Phoenix Palladium runs 6 to 15 February 2026.
MUMBAI: Love is in the mail and this time it comes with lipstick. This Valentine’s season, Nykaa is swapping checkout counters for letter counters with the launch of its Nykaa Love Post Office, an immersive pop up at Phoenix Palladium Mall. Running from 6 February to 15 February 2026, the activation turns beauty shopping into something closer to a handwritten confession.
Set up opposite Uniqlo and next to PVR, the space trades bills for blush and parcels for poetry. Designed in soft pinks and Nykaa’s signature hues, the booth resembles a whimsical post office where shoppers can pen old school Valentine’s notes and drop them into a statement pink letter box at the centre of the installation.
From there, the brand plays cupid. The handwritten notes are paired with carefully chosen beauty gifts, transforming a routine purchase into a rom com style surprise.
The idea leans into the sentiment that Valentine’s Day is not reserved for couples alone. Visitors can write to a boyfriend or girlfriend, but also to a sibling, a best friend or a mother. A lipstick for your bestie, a glow kit for your partner or a self love treat for yourself all fit within the same pink envelope.
The pop up doubles up as a discovery playground, bringing together brands such as Nykaa Cosmetics, Nykaa Wanderlust, Kay Beauty, Dot and Key, Charlotte Tilbury, Supergoop, Sol De Janeiro, Tom Ford, Mac, e.l.f., YSL Beauty, Clinique, Laneige, Pixi and Wishcare. With heart motifs, dreamy décor and Instagram ready corners, the activation is as much about the picture as the purchase.
To sweeten the deal, Nykaa is offering Valentine’s exclusive Buy More Get More promotions, stacked discounts on existing deals and complimentary gifts on select purchases, nudging shoppers to indulge a little further.
Anchored in the theme This Valentine’s Day, Nykaa delivers love, the Love Post Office blends retail and ritual in a way that feels deliberately nostalgic. In a season dominated by instant messages and last minute deliveries, the brand is betting on the charm of pen, paper and a perfectly chosen beauty box.
For mall goers between 6 and 15 February 2026, the message is simple. Slow down, scribble something sweet and let love be posted the old fashioned way, with a little help from a pink letter box.
Brands
Maharashtra revokes Ola, Uber, Rapido bike taxi licences
Temporary e-bike taxi permits cancelled as firms fail to meet state rules
MUMBAI: Maharashtra’s roads are set to see fewer zipping two-wheelers after the state government pulled the plug on provisional licences granted to bike taxi giants Ola, Uber and Rapido. Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik announced in the Legislative Council on Monday that temporary permissions would be revoked.
“These companies were given permission for just a month and were required to submit certain documents. Since they have not complied, their temporary licences are cancelled. This is to ensure illegal bikes do not operate on our roads,” Sarnaik said.
The move follows the Maharashtra E Bike Taxi Rules 2024, designed to generate employment for local youth and offer commuters a cheaper, greener ride option. The rules, approved in August 2024, allow electric bike taxis in cities with over one lakh residents.
Under the policy, only electric vehicles can ply as taxis, and operators had 30 days to fulfil licensing and compliance requirements. Yet, officials claim many continued operations without meeting these conditions. Sarnaik added that a large number of bike taxis currently running in Mumbai and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region are illegal.
In a firm enforcement twist, the government has instructed authorities to focus on vehicle owners rather than riders when registering cases. Safety concerns, particularly for women passengers, and accident complaints have also been flagged by the transport department.
Since April 2024, Regional Transport Offices have taken action against 130 non-compliant bike taxis, collecting fines exceeding Rs 33 lakh. Authorities say further measures will follow to ensure services adhere to regulations before returning to city streets.
Maharashtra’s bike taxi saga has been a rollercoaster. Initially banned in January 2023 due to concerns over private vehicles ferrying passengers, the sector was later formalised through an electric bike framework in 2024. Provisional licences were granted in 2025, but the government now warns that any bike taxi operating on city roads without proper permits will be considered illegal.
Adding to the transport shake-up, the government has also halted the issuance of new auto rickshaw permits from March 9 to ease urban traffic pressures and safeguard livelihoods of existing drivers. A fresh standard operating procedure for future permits is set to go before the state cabinet soon.
Maharashtra commuters may have to find alternative rides as the state reins in its two-wheeled taxi revolution, leaving app-based bikers in a legal limbo.
