MAM
Thailand’s Chuo Senko enters India via JV with DDB Mudra
MUMBAI: Thailand‘s media communications group Chuo Senko (Thailand) Public Company Limited is entering India through a joint venture company with DDB Mudra Group.
The two agency networks have floated an entity named Chuo Senko India Co Ltd, 49 per cent of which will be owned by DDB Mudra and 51 per cent by Chuo Senko (46 per cent through Chuo Senko and five per cent through Ad India Ltd).
Incidentally, this is DDB Mudra Group‘s first joint venture as it plans to aggressively expand its business in India. Omnicom has 51 per cent stake in DDB Mudra while the remaining 49 per cent is held by Mudra.
Chuo Senko has invested Rs 5 million for its equity stake in ChuoSenko India.
The JV company has been formed with the intention of launching agencies and firms in the business of advertising, public relation, media, shop decoration and other related advertising services.
Sources said an announcement of the first agency under this JV company will be made as soon as by the end of this month. When contacted, both Chuo Senko and DDB Mudra did not respond to repeated mails and calls.
For DDB Mudra, this deal means tapping into a larger pool of clients. In 2012, the group grew organically with accounts like Ashok Leyland, Adidas, Amway, Bank of Baroda, Carrier Midea and Castrol among others.
Starting in 1963 as a total solution advertising agency in Japan and later shifting its centre of operations to Thailand, Chuo Senko has taken the joint venture route to expand in other Asian markets. It currently has presence in four South East Asian markets apart from Thailand – Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia and Indonesia.
In November 2012, the agency formed a business alliance with Japanese agency Daiko Advertising in a bid to expand into the larger markets of the region. Under this business alliance, Chuo Senko enables Daiko to meet wide variety of client needs by utilising six offices of Chuo Senko in Southeast Asia, besides existing Daiko offices, three in China, two in Vietnam, and one each in Taiwan and India. Meanwhile, Chuo Senko will be able to support its existing clients’ business development in both the Chinese and the Japanese market, utilising the Daiko network in Japan and overseas.
Chuo Senko has clients like Honda, Hitachi, Bangkok Tokyo Department Store, Thanachart Bank Public Company, Epson, and Wan Thai Food Industry.
Brands
Domino’s Q1 profit falls 6.6 per cent, announces $1 billion buyback
Sales rise 3.4 per cent as pizza giant balances growth and shareholder returns
NEW YORK: Domino’s reported a mixed start to 2026, with first-quarter net income slipping even as global sales and store expansion held steady. The company also announced a fresh $1 billion share buyback, underlining its continued focus on shareholder returns.
Global retail sales rose 3.4 per cent on a constant-currency basis to $4.74 billion. The US remained a key growth engine, with same-store sales inching up 0.9 per cent, supported by a 1.5 per cent rise at company-owned outlets.
International markets, however, painted a more uneven picture. While Domino’s added 161 net new stores overseas during the quarter, international same-store sales declined 0.4 per cent. Overall revenues still climbed 3.5 per cent to $1.15 billion, driven by higher supply chain revenues and a 2.6 per cent increase in food basket pricing for franchisees.
On the profitability front, net income fell 6.6 per cent to $139.8 million, compared to $149.7 million a year earlier. Diluted earnings per share dropped to $4.13 from $4.33. The decline was largely attributed to a $30 million unfavourable swing in unrealised gains linked to its investment in DPC Dash Ltd.
Despite this, operational performance showed resilience. Income from operations rose 9.6 per cent to $230.4 million, supported in part by a $7.8 million pre-tax gain from the sale of a corporate aircraft.
Domino’s footprint continued to expand, with the company ending the quarter at 22,322 stores across more than 90 markets. In the US, digital orders remained dominant, accounting for over 85 per cent of retail sales in 2025.
The company also maintained its dividend payout, declaring $1.99 per share, payable on 30 June 2026. After repurchasing $75.1 million worth of stock during the quarter, the new authorisation lifts the total available for buybacks to $1.29 billion.
Domino’s chief executive officer Russell Weiner said the company’s scale and store-level economics position it well to capture further market share in 2026, even as competition intensifies.
As Domino’s leans into expansion and capital returns, the latest results show a business managing short-term pressures while keeping its long-term growth strategy firmly in play.
