Brands
Studds rides high on 50 years of trust
MUMBAI: Half a century on the road, and Studds still has its visor on the future. Celebrating five decades of safety, style and innovation, Studds Accessories Ltd. has launched a powerful new brand film that captures the spirit of trust the brand has built, helmet by helmet, since 1975.
Shot against the breathtaking backdrop of Ladakh, the film is a visual ode to resilience and evolution, tracing how Studds has grown in sync with India’s ever-changing two-wheeler culture. Conceptualised and executed by Continu Media co-founder and director Rudraksh Vashist and produced by Tanya Dudeja, the cinematic piece combines stunning visuals with heartfelt storytelling. It showcases how Studds’ helmets have become more than just protective gear, they’re companions for every kind of rider, from daily commuters to mountain explorers.
“Over the last 50 years, Studds has been the preferred choice for safety and reliability. We’ve evolved with changing times while bringing global standards to India,” said Studds Accessories Ltd managing director Sidharth Bhushan Khurana. “This film celebrates our journey and reinforces our commitment to innovation and customer trust.”
Set to premiere across digital platforms, the film portrays riders across lifestyles and generations, reinforcing the message that a Studds helmet doesn’t just protect, it powers passion and purpose on the open road.
With a legacy built on 7.4 million helmets sold last fiscal and global presence across Asia, Europe, and the Americas, Studds continues to prove that while trends change, trust never goes out of style.
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.
