Brands
Skechers does it right with 3D display billboards
MUMBAI: Skechers India is hitting it out of the park. Last week, it decided to promote its cricket shoe range which it launched earlier this year. Right at the location where rising players congregate.
They chose the Oval cricket ground in south Mumbai where many a match – both professional and amateur – is held. The ground is known for its ferocious uneven bounce where a pacer’s ball can kick up suddenly and unexpectedly or a leg spinner’s innocuous ball can generate vicious turn.
The Skechers marketing team decided to shift shape the bus shelters into shoe: the Skechers cricket blade shoes. The speciality of these shoes is that they have seven metal spikes as compared to the Skechers cricket elite which have 11 metal spikes. The cricket collection is endorsed by cricketers Ishan Kishan and Yastika Bhatia.
Skechers 3D displays
“We have designed a product range that brings incomparable performance, grip, and comfort to the cricket oval,” had said Skechers Asia CEO Rahul Vira at the time of the launch.
Vira was full of praise for his marketing team’s promotional gig at the Oval ground.
Said he: “Thrilled to share our marketing team’s innovation of turning mundane bus shelters into interesting 3D billboards. Launching Skechers cricket blade shoes at the cricket lovers paradise in Mumbai The Oval Grounds – a symbol of Mumbai’s cricketing legacy.”
One will have to wait and watch whether the shoes leave their foot marks on cricketer’s dress wear.
(pictures courtesy: Rahul Vira’s linkedin account)
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.
