Two US coffee titans are squaring up for a turf war in India.
Barely a month after Starbucks formed a partnership with India's Tata Coffee to launch its outlets in the country, Dunkin' Donuts unveiled similar plans to challenge its arch rival.
The US$6 billion (Dh22.03bn) company, owned by the private equity companies Bain Capital, Carlyle Group and Thomas H Lee Partners, announced a franchise deal for an undeclared sum with the Mumbai-listed Jubilant Foodworks to open 500 Dunkin' Donuts outlets around the country in the next 15 years. The first of these is expected to become operational early next year.
Dunkin' Donuts described the deal as its "largest-ever international store-development commitment".
Both rivals have divergent market goals. Starbucks plans to tap into the affluent premium segment, while Dunkin' Donuts is keen to woo the masses.
But their presence follows a common aim: to capitalise on India's growing market for restaurants.
Indians spend an estimated $11.2bn on restaurant meals a year, a market share that has lured several international chains including McDonald's, Yum, KFC, Pizza Hut, Domino's Pizza and Taco Bell in recent years.
"Expansion to India is an integral part of Dunkin' Donuts international growth plan," says Nigel Travis, the chief executive of the company that has 9,700 outlets across 31 countries.
India's young consuming class, with its growing disposable income, offers significant opportunities for investment. The food industry in Asia's third-largest economy is expected to grow to $258bn from the current $181bn in the next four years, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry says.
The fast-food market is growing at an annual rate of between 25 and 30 per cent, according to a report titled Indian Fast Food Market Analysis, released last September by the market researcher RNCOS.
Food-related businesses attracted foreign direct investments valued at an estimated 5.76 billion rupees (Dh468.9 million) in the eight months to the end of last November, Harish Rawat, the minister of state for food-processing industries, told parliament recently.
Foreign chains are more than willing to customise their brands to cater for a wide cross section of Indian culinary habits.
Jubilant Foodworks, which is also the franchisee for Domino's Pizza in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh, has added Indian flavours to its menu to entice local customers.
Peppy paneer, a pizza sprinkled with sliced pieces of cottage cheese laced with peppers, and keema do pyaaza, which includes a topping of minced meat marinated in spices, are just some of its localised recipes.
It is a strategy that has paid rich dividends. The group opened 54 of its 364 outlets in the nine months to the end of December alone. Revenues grew by 61 per cent in this period compared with the same period in 2009.
Jubilant Foodworks says it will pursue a similar strategy for Dunkin' Donuts.
To launch a coffee chain in a country where tea is a much preferred beverage may appear a tricky business, but the company says customers should expect to find more than just coffee and doughnuts on its menu.
"Dunkin' provides flexibility in localising recipes and we have food and culinary strengths which we intend to leverage," Shyam Bhartia and Hari Bhartia, the joint chairmen of Jubilant Foodworks, said in a statement.
The chain's sugary treats, observers say, could compete with India's traditional sweets market dominated by millions of family stores. Many of them offer the finest range of regional recipes.
Gulab jamun, a deep-fried dough ball dunked in sugar syrup, melts in your mouth. Mithai - creamy slabs made from condensed milk and clarified butter, and flavoured with cashews, pistachio and saffron - are packed with calories but can be too tempting to resist.
The sweets industry has been buoyed by the low price of sugar, one commodity for which prices have softened because of strong production.
India is the world's top sugar consumer and its second-biggest producer after Brazil. The country's sugar consumption is forecast to touch 23 million tonnes in the year to the end of September, while the output is set to total 24.5 million tonnes, Bloomberg reports.
But growing affluence and aspirations in India are giving rise to new dietary habits and consumption patterns that are troubling the traditional sweets industry.
A 2009 report by the market research agency Datamonitor titled Product insights: Confectionery in India revealed that the growing demand for products such as chocolates and treats from branded chains are fast replacing traditional sweets during Indian festivals.
In 2009, sales of sweets in New Delhi during Diwali - the festival of lights in which sweets are exchanged between families - fell 40 per cent from the previous year, according to a survey by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India. The decline since then has continued, experts say.
Sweets are also losing their appeal because of rising cases of obesity and related health conditions, the experts add. India has the world's largest number of diabetes patients at 50.8 million.
A report by Nielsen, the marketing research company, says "aspirational products" such as branded chocolates and confectioneries will drive the future growth of India's consumer products industry.
Cadbury India, a leading confectionery company now owned by Kraft Foods of the US, last month reported a record revenue growth of 27 per cent last year for sales of 25bn rupees.
But no one is predicting the demise of Indian sweets, despite the growing prominence of foreign restaurant chains. And those chains face their own competition.
Dunkin' Donuts, analysts say, faces stiffer competition from Mad Over Donuts, a Singapore-based chain expanding fast in India, and Krispy Kreme, a company based in the US that is also keen to woo India's sweets lovers.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
ACC 2019: The winners in full
Best Actress Maha Alemi, Sofia
Best Actor Mohamed Dhrif, Weldi
Best Screenplay Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia
Best Documentary Of Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki
Best Film Yomeddine by Abu Bakr Shawky
Best Director Nadine Labaki, Capernaum
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
SANCTIONED
- Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
- Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB.
- Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.
- Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
- Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.
OTHER IPL BOWLING RECORDS
Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008)
Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye
Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine
Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye
Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)
Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018)
Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra
Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh
Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar
Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine
Scoreline
Australia 2-1 Thailand
Australia: Juric 69', Leckie 86'
Thailand: Pokklaw 82'
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Esperance de Tunis 0
Al Ain 3 (Ahmed 02’, El Shahat 17’, Al Ahbabi 60’)
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Ukraine
Capital: Kiev
Population: 44.13 million
Armed conflict in Donbass
Russia-backed fighters control territory
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The%20specs
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday Stuttgart v Cologne (Kick-off 10.30pm UAE)
Saturday RB Leipzig v Hertha Berlin (5.30pm)
Mainz v Borussia Monchengladbach (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Union Berlin v SC Freiburg (5.30pm)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (5.30pm)
Sunday Wolfsburg v Arminia (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Hoffenheim (9pm)
Bayer Leverkusen v Augsburg (11.30pm)
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
England Test squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
THE%C2%A0SPECS
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