MAM
Shoppers Stop to up ad spends to Rs 500 mn next fiscal
BANGALORE: Fashion and lifestyle large format department store chain Shoppers Stop plans to spend around Rs 500 million towards marketing and communications.
This fiscal the chain has planned spends of Rs 450 million. The thrust will be mainly through online social media, newsprint and some outdoor, revealed Shoppers Stop Ltd customer care associate and marketing director Govid Shirkande to www.indiantelevision.com.
Shirkande was in Bangalore for the launch of the brand’s 50th store in India and its sixth store in Bangalore. Shoppers Stop is also looking at television for mass media communication.
Over the next two years Shoppers Stop plans to increase the store count to around 65 at the rate of about eight stores per year as well as enter tier-2 towns in India. It has planned spends of Rs 2.5 billion towards expansion. At present it is present in 22 cities and towns in the country.
Overall across the various retail formats such as HomeStop, Crossword Book Store, Mothercare & Early Learning Centre and Hpercity, the group has around four million square feet of retail space. Over the next two years this will go up to about five million square feet.
Shoppers Stop also is targeting the woman consumer since the business for women oriented products has been going up.
“Once we enter the smaller towns and cities over the next two years, we plan to use television for mass media communications. At present, we create the awareness across the newsprint in the cities and towns that we are present in for a better connect with our customers,” revealed Shirkande further.
Shoppers Stop has a huge fan following on facebook with the number of fans nearing two million. “Over the next few days, we should cross the two million fan mark on facebook,” said Shirkande. The brand is also present across 200 bill boards in the towns that it has outlets.
Contract Advertising looks after the creative work and Maxus the media buying for Shoppers Stop.
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.
