Brands
Versuni India launches dual-basket Air Fryer 3000 series with Varun Sharma
Mumbai: Versuni India has launched its latest kitchen innovation, the Dual-Basket Air Fryer 3000 Series in collaboration with actor and comedian Varun Sharma. The partnership aims to make cooking more accessible and enjoyable, showcasing the air fryer’s versatility and ease of use through a playful and relatable video featuring Varun Sharma.
In the video, Varun brings his signature humour and energy, sharing how the Dual-Basket Air Fryer has made cooking simpler for him. Known for his witty charm, Varun recounts his journey from rarely stepping into the kitchen to now enjoying the convenience and fun of preparing meals with the air fryer. As a self-proclaimed kitchen novice, Varun humorously shows how the air fryer’s dual-basket feature allows him to cook multiple dishes at once, making even the busiest schedules manageable.
Commenting on the collaboration, Versuni India Home Solutions Ltd’s chief marketing officer, Pooja Baid said, “We are thrilled to partner with Varun Sharma for a fun and versatile product like our Dual-Basket Air Fryer. His relatable charm and humour perfectly capture the essence of our brand, showcasing the ease and versatility this product brings to the kitchen. At Versuni India, we aim to simplify everyday cooking, and Varun’s authentic approach makes it clear that even the busiest individual and least experienced cooks can create effortless, healthy meals that taste just like mom’s homemade food. We’re confident this video will inspire more people to enjoy the convenience and joy of cooking with our latest innovation—and we’re sure consumers will love it as much as we enjoyed making it.”
In the video, Varun highlights the air fryer’s dual-basket design, which allows users to cook different meals or larger portions simultaneously. He demonstrates how the synchronised cooking feature ensures that dishes with varying cook times finish together, saving both time and effort. With 8 preset settings and Philips’ RapidAir Plus Technology, the air fryer guarantees perfectly cooked meals, making the kitchen a place of fun and convenience.
Philips first introduced air fryers to India in 2010, consistently leading with innovative cooking solutions. The Dual-Basket Air Fryer 3000 Series continues this tradition, offering a 9-litre capacity across two asymmetrical baskets, making it ideal for family meals. Its features include the TIME function, eight preset modes for popular dishes, and connectivity to the HomeID app for quick recipes, making it an ultimate tool for healthy, convenient cooking.
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.
