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Future Group’s Pantaloon Retail inks JV with Axiom Telecom
MUMBAI: Pantaloon Retail (I) Ltd, Future Group‘s flagship company, has signed a 50:50 joint venture with the UAE based Axiom Telecom LLC, an authorized distributor, retailer and after sales support provider of mobile phones, phone accessories, wireless gadgets, memory and storage devices in the Middle East. The new company will focus on developing backend sourcing infrastructure for Pantaloon Retail‘s existing telecom retailing business, to enable it to expand and scale up. Additionally, it will also create a nationwide network of state-of-the-art after sales service centers for mobile handsets in the country. Future Group Group CEO Kishore Biyani said, “The current explosion of the telecom retail market that we are seeing is breaking new barriers every day. There is no doubt that mobiles will soon be the single largest electronic products retailed in the country. Future Group, with the knowledge and expertise of Axiom Telecom‘s systems and process in this area, will be best positioned to retail and service the Indian telecom market.” The joint venture activities would be carried out by a separate company. This joint venture is a strategic business decision for the Future Group and reinforces its commitment to be a serious player in the telecom wholesale, retail and after sales service market in the country, adds the release. Axiom Telecom LLC CEO Faisal Al Bannai said, “We see great business potential in India for distribution and servicing of telecom products, and are delighted to partner with Future Group, the largest retailer in the country. We believe that our expertise in distribution and after sales service operations, and Future Group‘s understanding of the Indian consumer and the marketplace, will create a win-win for us, as well as the Indian consumers.” Rabo India Finance Ltd. And Alpen Capital (ME) Limited, Dubai were joint financial advisors to the transaction.
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
