Cybiz Super Brands Joins hands with Molecule Air Bar for Master Franchise Rights

Beverage and snacks maker PepsiCo has planned to reconsider its franchising strategy for betting the bottling business across the globe.

Chief executive PepsiCo Indra Nooyi said in post-earnings investors call that wherever the company ‘finds a good bottler which can run the business better than PepsiCo, the company will refranchise’. She was responding to an analyst query on refranchising plans in its bottling operations further in India.

She said, “Internationally, when we find a very good bottler and we believe that they can run the business better than us, we will refranchise the business. We look across our portfolio internationally to see where it makes sense.”

RJ Corp of South Asia, PepsiCo’s biggest bottler is keen on acquiring additional franchising rights of the beverage maker in India. RJ Corp already owns the franchise for PepsiCo's beverage business in the North and East regions. PepsiCo had also signed a distribution tie-up with RJ Corp promoted company Varun Beverages for Tropicana juices, Gatorade sports drink and Quaker Oats last month. Varun Beverages now owns PepsiCo’s bottling franchisee rights for 20 Indian states and two Union territories.

Nooyi said PepsiCo grew in “mid-single digits” during the October-December quarter in India, and that post the roll-out of the Goods & Services Tax (GST), the India market is ‘coming back’.

Stating that India and Mexico posted good mid-single-digit growth in the quarter, she commented, “Organic revenue growth outside North America was fuelled by continued strong performance in developing and emerging markets, which posted organic revenue growth of 7% as a group.”

For the fourth quarter ended October-December 2017, PepsiCo reported revenues of $1.89 billion for the Asia, Middle East, North Africa (AMENA) region, a 6% revenue growth. The Pepsi cola, Mountain Dew and Lays chips maker said in its earnings statement that the region was positively impacted by refranchising in Jordan, productivity gains and a gain on an asset sale in India.

In a shocking incident, Shiv Sagar a prominent vegetarian restaurant in CP has allegedly denied entry to underprivileged kids at their restaurant.

According to Dehradun resident and writer Sonali Shetty, who was out on dinner with her husband and kids to celebrate her husband’s birthday on Saturday took these children to have dinner with them at the restaurant.

A claim by her states that the restaurant owners pushed the children out of their outlet and were also manhandled and abused by the restaurant employee.

Though, a different picture came when reached to the restaurant owner, Vidur kanodia who owns the franchisee right for the brand in Delhi-NCR.

“The family and the street children were allowed inside and were asked to leave only when the children started creating a ruckus,” shared Kanodia.

Talking about the incident, Delhi’s deputy CM Manish Sisodia has asked to take a strict action into the matter and has cited the incident as an example of typical "colonial mindset" and said that if the allegations against the restaurant are found true its licence will be cancelled.

"If allegations are found true, Delhi government will cancel licence of the restaurant," added Sisodia.

Sisodia has also ordered the district magistrate of New Delhi to conduct an inquiry into the incident and submit a report within 24 hours.

Discovery Communication is buying a majority stake in celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor promoted Turmeric Vision which owns FoodFood channel for an undisclosed amount.

Turmeric Vision is a joint venture between Kapoor, Astro Overseas Ltd and Mogae Consultants.

The transaction is expected to be completed in the coming weeks and is subject to regulatory approvals.

“Discovery plans to support FoodFood’s complete focus on local programming and products, and to drive further value from the ongoing digitalisation of India. Discovery has also agreed to sell FoodFood’s advertising, effective immediately,” shared a statement released by Discovery Communication.

After the completion of the acquisition, Kapoor will continue to own a minority stake in Turmeric Vision as well as star and produce programming for the TV channel as its brand ambassador, added the statement.

Discovery said this move will help grow its audience share and strengthen its existing portfolio of female and lifestyle brands, which includes TLC and ID.

“Discovery’s investment in FoodFood further boosts our presence in this important market and broadens our portfolio by adding a category of content that people love,” shared Arthur Bastings, President & Managing Director, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific.

The group is also planning to deepen the channel’s engagement particularly in digital and widen its consumer base internationally.

This partnership will help strengthen the channel’s reach and affinity with consumers, advertisers and distributors.

FoodFood was launched in 2011 and has presence in India, UAE, Canada and the US.

The recently released bollywood hit, FAN featuring Shah Rukh Khan has come under legal soup for showing the famous sweets from Delhi based Ghantewala sweets.

The owners of the famous Chandni Chowk based sweet shop has sent a legal notice to the producers and the star for allegedly using its brand name without permission.

The film features a scene where Delhi based Gaurav taking a box of sweets from ‘Ghantewala sweet shop’ to meet his favorite actor. In a later scene, the box of sweets falls on the ground in the commotion outside the actor’s residence.

Sushant Jain, the present owner of the shop has sent a legal notice to Yash Raj Films, Aditya Chopra, director Maneesh Sharma, writers Habib Faisal and Sharat Katariya, as well as Shah Rukh Khan.

He has asked them to remove the dialogues and scenes that “infringe the trademark” of the shop.

According to the notice sent through advocate Ankit Sahni, the filmmakers had infringed the trademark of the shop, which has been operating in Old Delhi since 1790. The notice has asked the filmmakers to remove all references to the shop.

“Our client is perhaps a one-of-a-kind business that has, over the past more than 225 years of its existence, witnessed history unfold before itself and has been instrumental in its own way in shaping it..,” stated the notice.

The notice has alleged that the use of the name ‘Ghantewala sweets’, “without seeking the consent, permission and/or license of our client amounts to infringement of trademark.”

“Such act of deliberate infringement, you are attempting to misrepresent and deceive the public at large into believing that your said feature film titled “FAN” enjoys the patronage, sponsorship and endorsement of our clients, and/or that such use as is described above in your said feature film is under license from our client, which facts are neither true nor correct. In fact, it is our client’s wish that our client does not want to have any association with you, your feature film and/or its consequent success or failure,” the notice added. 

Hardcastle Restaurants, McDonald’s franchisees for West and South India is facing anti-profiteering action for not passing on the gains of Goods and Services Tax (GST) to consumers.

According to the complaint file the price of a cup of coffee allegedly remained unchanged at Rs 142 despite the government reducing GST from 18% to 5%.

Several restaurants had increased menu prices, resulting in a situation where the gain to the customer was reduced, a move that did not go down well with the government. The notice initiating investigation was issued by DG Safeguards on 29^th December 29. “We have not received any such communication,” shared Hardcastle Restaurants.

The complaints have been vetted by the standing committee on anti-profiteering, for which a penalty has been prescribed in the law to ensure that sellers pass on the benefits of lower taxes to consumers or do not overcharge tax. All the entities have been asked to submit documents and replies.