MAM
Vitamin Stree latest campaign breaks down the opportunity gap to educate the Indian economy
MUMBAI: Women have long been unable to progress economically, in the way and scale that their male counterparts have. India’s female workforce participation has sharply declined (19.6 million left the workforce) in the time (between 2006-2012) that the economy itself has grown substantially. This has allowed for at least 70% of overall household income in India to go to men. And it makes no fiscal sense either, to leave women out. Women can add up to 700 billion USDs if opportunities for both genders are made equal. So Vitamin Stree, decided to look into it and explore why this economic gender gap exists – and credit went to an ‘opportunities gap’ that has existed for decades, if not centuries now.
The opportunity gap has five key components; birth rate, education, workforce participation, safety and financial security. Vitamin Stree’s latest scratching the Surface video breaks down the opportunities gap with the aim to educate and inform viewers of what constitutes the gap, why it exists, and how eradicating the gap would affect the Indian economy. That gender disparity is deep-rooted in our society is nothing new, what is alarming is the rate at which we are trying to bridge this gap. The World Economic Forum recently said that it would take us 202 years to bridge the gap at the rate we are going. That’s a long time. And if we need to hasten the process, which we do, a good place to start is at the beginning.
Padmini Vaidyanathan, Head, Vitamin Stree: " Women need a new working reality, and for the workplace to be equal for everyone, the ground work needs to start at the time a girl is born. There is no magical, overnight solution to this, and with this video, we want to show gender gap, currently, only widens at every step of a girl’s life. We believe this can and will change, as long as we keep reminding ourselves, where all women are discriminated against, and actively work to resolve that.
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.
