logo
U.S. pizza chain Little Caesars eyes India expansion with dozens of new stores

U.S. pizza chain Little Caesars eyes India expansion with dozens of new stores

Time of India09-06-2025
U.S.
pizza chain
Little Caesars is planning to open dozens of stores in India over the coming years aiming to capitalise on the country's robust economic growth, an executive told Reuters.
Little Caesars
will open its first Indian store in the Delhi NCR region this month.
"India is on a growth trajectory ... We don't want to miss this wave," said Carlos Vidal, vice president of international development at the privately held Little Caesars.
Play Video
Pause
Skip Backward
Skip Forward
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
0:00
Loaded
:
0%
0:00
Stream Type
LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
1x
Playback Rate
Chapters
Chapters
Descriptions
descriptions off
, selected
Captions
captions settings
, opens captions settings dialog
captions off
, selected
Audio Track
default
, selected
Picture-in-Picture
Fullscreen
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text
Color
White
Black
Red
Green
Blue
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan
Opacity
Opaque
Semi-Transparent
Text Background
Color
Black
White
Red
Green
Blue
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan
Opacity
Opaque
Semi-Transparent
Transparent
Caption Area Background
Color
Black
White
Red
Green
Blue
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan
Opacity
Transparent
Semi-Transparent
Opaque
Font Size
50%
75%
100%
125%
150%
175%
200%
300%
400%
Text Edge Style
None
Raised
Depressed
Uniform
Drop shadow
Font Family
Proportional Sans-Serif
Monospace Sans-Serif
Proportional Serif
Monospace Serif
Casual
Script
Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values
Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
India's economy is projected to grow at 6.5% for fiscal 2026, maintaining its position as the fastest-growing major economy, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Founded in 1959, Little Caesars is the third largest pizza chain in the world, with a presence in more than 29 countries.
Live Events
The
Indian pizza market
is fiercely competitive, with established players like
Domino's Pizza
and Yum Brands' Pizza Hut, alongside local chains such as La Pino'z and numerous independent shops.
India has proven a challenging market for other major pizza chains. Papa John's, for instance, exited in 2017 due to fierce competition and operational challenges, though it now plans to re-enter the market in 2025.
A 100 Little Caesars stores in India by decade-end is a realistic target, Vidal said, adding the brand is "thinking about hundreds and eventually thousands of stores over time."
Little Caesars is customizing its menu with vegetarian pizzas to cater to the country's significantly large vegetarian population. It will also introduce flavored crusts-a first for the brand-as plain crusts are often left uneaten by Indian consumers.
In addition to India, Little Caesars plans to also focus on Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil over the next few years with a view to opening more new stores outside the United States.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Coffee flavour wheel in Indian languages for baristas and farmers
Coffee flavour wheel in Indian languages for baristas and farmers

The Hindu

time10 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

Coffee flavour wheel in Indian languages for baristas and farmers

At his Barista Training Academy in Panchsheel Park, New Delhi, Vinny Varghese is brewing more than just good coffee — he is creating an inclusive vocabulary for how we talk about it. Last year, the seasoned barista and co-founder translated the globally recognised Coffee Flavour Wheel into Hindi, which took him 10 days to complete. Now, he is expanding the project to six more Indian languages, including Tamil, Malayalam, Punjabi, Assamese, and Bengali. For each regional version, Vinny — known in the coffee community as Binny — has collaborated with connoisseurs from those linguistic and cultural backgrounds to ensure accuracy and authenticity. 'The idea is to help Indian coffee lovers and professionals connect more deeply with the beverage, in their own language,' he says. Originally developed by the Specialty Coffee Association in 1995 in US, the Coffee Flavour Wheel is a detailed chart that helps classify and describe different coffee flavours based on taste and aroma. It is widely used by roasters, baristas and enthusiasts to articulate a brew's profile, and to help customers better understand their preferences. Binny breaks it down: 'There are three levels to the wheel. The innermost circle consists of nine broad categories — sweet, floral, fruity, sour, green, other, roasted, spices, and nutty/cocoa. The second layer refines these into more specific descriptors like citrus fruits, berries or dried fruit under the fruity umbrella. The outermost circle offers even finer nuances pinpointing the exact flavour notes in each category.' With these translations, the once-intimidating flavour lexicon becomes far more approachable. What inspired Vinny to reimagine the Coffee Flavour Wheel in Indian languages? The answer, as with most things in coffee, lies in making that taste accessible. 'At the Barista Training Academy, many of our students aren't fluent in English, nor are they familiar with global flavour references like 'blueberry' or 'green apple',' he says. 'But they know jamun. They know amla. The idea was to create something relatable, so that whether you're a barista, a farmer, or someone who enjoys coffee, you can understand what you're tasting in your own words.' Each chart is translated into colloquial versions of Hindi, Tamil, or whichever language it is being developed in — dialects and phrasing that students actually use. This is no stiff textbook translation. 'So where the original flavour wheel says 'roast', the Hindi version might say bhuna hua or halka bhuna hua,' Vinny explains. 'For a dark roast, we've gone with jala-hua, not because it's literally burnt, but because it conveys that familiar smoky, acidic sharpness.' For now, the regional flavour wheels are displayed at the Barista Training Academy for its students. English versions sit side by side with their Indian counterparts, giving learners the context and confidence to describe what they are tasting. The flavour wheels in select regional languages are currently available at the Barista Training Academy.

India bonds dip as wary traders sell before US, domestic cenbank policy
India bonds dip as wary traders sell before US, domestic cenbank policy

Mint

time10 minutes ago

  • Mint

India bonds dip as wary traders sell before US, domestic cenbank policy

MUMBAI, July 28 (Reuters) - Indian government bonds fell in early deals on Monday, as traders nervously sold debt ahead of rate decisions by the United States and Indian central banks, and as the market lacked fresh positive cues to spur buying. The yield on the benchmark 10-year bond was at 6.3603% as of 10:35 a.m. IST, compared with Friday's close of 6.3505% and up nearly 8 basis points since last week. Bond yields move inversely to prices. Indian bond yields continued to rise after Friday's selloff, when Reserve Bank of India Governor Sanjay Malhotra's commentary in an interview with the Financial Express trimmed rate cut bets in the market. "Investors expecting an August rate cut are shedding positions after the Governor's comments on Friday, so the selling pressure is expected to continue," a trader at a state-run bank said. "6.38% is a key technical level for the 10-year benchmark this week." Traders will closely eye any change in the RBI's inflation and growth forecasts to gauge its interest rate trajectory, they said. The RBI is set to announce its policy decision on August 6. Focus is also on the US Federal Reserve's policy decision, due on Wednesday, in which the central bank is widely expected to keep the rates unchanged, traders said. US yields have also hurt sentiments in the domestic market. The US 10-year bond yield was at 4.3899% in Asian hours, having risen nearly 6 basis points since last week. India's overnight index swap rates were unchanged in early trading, as market participants awaited further cues after a selloff on Friday. The one-year OIS rate was at 5.53% and the two-year OIS rate was at 5.51%. The liquid five-year OIS rate was at 5.73%. (Reporting by Khushi Malhotra; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)

Poonawalla Fincorp share price rises 6% despite sell-off in Indian stock market; here's why
Poonawalla Fincorp share price rises 6% despite sell-off in Indian stock market; here's why

Mint

time10 minutes ago

  • Mint

Poonawalla Fincorp share price rises 6% despite sell-off in Indian stock market; here's why

Poonawalla Fincorp share price jumped over 6% on Monday led by heavy buying momentum, despite broader weakness in the Indian stock market. Poonawalla Fincorp shares rallied as much as 6.59% to ₹ 440.75 apiece on the BSE. Around 40 lakh equity shares of Poonawalla Fincorp changed hands on stock exchanges, significantly higher than their one week average trading volumes of 19 lakh shares. The rally in Poonawalla Fincorp share price comes after the financial services company approved raising ₹ 1,500 crore from its promoter and aims for over 40% growth in its asset book, led by expansion in products portfolio including gold loans. The board of directors of Poonawalla Fincorp, on July 25, approved raising of funds up to ₹ 1,500 crore from promoter Adar Poonawalla's Rising Sun Holdings by issuing and allotting of 3.31 crore fully paid-up equity shares at an issue price of ₹ 452.51 per equity share by way of preferential allotment and private placement basis. The equity infusion has increased Poonawalla Fincorp's net worth to ₹ 9,700 crore. 'The said capital raise is a strategic move not only strengthens the company's financial position but also reinforces the promoter's confidence in the Company's long-term potential. The Company is well positioned to continue its growth trajectory, deliver value to its stakeholders and achieve its ambitious objectives in the competitive NBFC landscape,' Additionally, Poonawalla Fincorp is targeting above 40% growth in its asset book on the back of expansion in products portfolio including gold loans. 'We have given Asset Under Management growth guidance of 35-40% this year. We hope to exceed our target as new product lines are gaining good traction,' Poonawalla Fincorp MD and CEO Arvind Kapil told PTI. The non-deposit-taking NBFC, Poonawalla Fincorp, reported a net profit of ₹ 63 crore in the first quarter of FY26, a steep fall of 78.5% from ₹ 292 crore in the year-ago period, impacted by one-time expenses and prior provisioning. However, profit remained flat on a sequential basis. The company's net interest income (NII) in Q1FY26 increased to ₹ 639 crore from ₹ 576 crore, year-on-year (YoY). Poonawalla Fincorp registered a 53% robust growth on an annual basis in AUM at ₹ 41,273 crore at the end of first quarter ended June 30, 2025. In Q1FY26, the company had taken a one-time accelerated provision of ₹ 666 crore on the erstwhile STPL book, which also improved its provision coverage ratio (PCR) to 53.93%, up from 52.53% a year earlier. 'With credit cost significantly reducing on an overall basis by 53 bps QoQ, a risk-calibrated AUM increase of 15.8% QoQ, and ~Rs.1,500 cr capital infusion on preferential basis by the promoter, strengthens the company and supports its growth plans. Poonawalla Fincorp is well-poised for building a risk-first, sustainable, and profitable model,' said Arvind Kapil, Managing Director and CEO, Poonawalla Fincorp. Poonawalla Fincorp share price has fallen 3% in one month, but the NBFC stock has rallied 14% in three months and 42% in six months. The stock is up 40% on a year-to-date (YTD) basis, while it has gained 16% in one year. Poonawalla Fincorp share price has delivered multibagger returns of 1607% over the past five years. At 10:35 AM, Poonawalla Fincorp share price was trading 5.94% higher at ₹ 438.05 apiece on the BSE. Disclaimer: The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store