Brands
Weekend Unwind with: Chtrbox VP Karan Pherwani
Mumbai: With another weekend upon us, it is time to unwind with the latest Q&A edition of Indiantelevision.com’s Weekend Unwind—a series of informal chats that peek into the minds of business executives through a fun lens in an attempt to get to know the person behind the title a little better.
In this week’s session, we have Chtrbox VP Karan Pherwani.
So, without further ado, here it goes…
Q1. Your Mantra for Life
Consistency is the key
Q2. A Book you are currently reading?
Leading by Sir Alex Ferguson
Q3. Your Fitness mantra, especially during the pandemic?
– Playing a sport as part of any fitness routine is a must.
– Eat healthy & till you’re 80 per cent full.
– Consistency is everything.
During the pandemic since it wasn’t possible to play any sport – I spent an 45-60 mins cycling or did home workouts.
Q4. Your comfort food?
A chicken salad sandwich
Q5. When the chips are down a quote/ philosophy that keeps you going?
Every cloud has a silver lining
Q6. Your guilty pleasure?
Eating only desserts at a buffet dinner
Q7. When was the last time you tried something new?
Tried canvas painting for the first time last month.
Q8. A Life lesson you learnt the hard way?
“It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”
Q9. What gets you excited about life?
Not knowing what the next day/the future holds! What excites me the most is trying new things, exploring new cultures, travelling to places I’ve never been to before and adventure sports.
Q10. What’s on top of your bucket list?
Watching Manchester United play at Old Trafford
Q11. If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Spend more time on learning & experiencing new things.
Q12. One thing you would most like to change about the world?
I think discrimination against caste, race & gender is prevalent all around the world. It’s scary and disturbing to see what people are put through. I’d love to see a world where we’re all accepting of one another irrespective of our race, gender or caste.
Q13. An activity that keeps you motivated/charged during tough times?
Growing up I wanted to become a professional football player but unfortunately, I wasn’t good enough to make the cut. But even now it’s an activity I enjoy doing with friends that keeps me charged and motivated.
Q14. What lifts your spirits when life gets you down?
Spending quality time with family & friends
Q15. Your go-to stress buster?
I love gaming in my free time and I get really lost in it. So whenever I get the chance I enjoy an hour or 10 of Fifa or Football Manager.
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.
