Haldiram's to take its restaurant biz overseas; target UK, US
PTI Feb 21, 2010, 10.40am IST
NEW DELHI: Snacks and fast food player Haldiram's on Sunday said it will take its restaurant business overseas, starting with UK this year.
It plans to have at least three restaurants in the overseas market within a couple of years.
"We have acquired some land and a warehouse in UK and have already applied for statutory approval to open the first restaurant there. It should be operational by end of this year," Haldiram's Chairman and MD Manoharlal Agarwal told PTI.
He said the company is also exploring opportunities in countries like the USA, Canada, Fiji and Mauritius.
"We are also scouting for properties in the US, Canada, Fiji and Mauritius. By the end of 2011, we are planning to have at least three restaurants overseas," Agarwal said.
He, however, did not provide investment details of the company's international plans.
Haldiram's already exports its snacks and sweets to over 60 countries. "We will focus on some of our specialised ready-to-serve fast foods, from among the 150-odd items in our menu, while planning our foreign enterprise," Agarwal added.
He further said that by opening restaurants overseas, the company not only wants to tap the diaspora, but is also looking at catering to the growing demand for Indian food items among local people.
The Rs 1,200 crore company has 28 restaurants in the domestic market with an average size of 5,000 sq ft. Its outlets in the international markets will maintain the same format, Agarwal said. http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2010-02-21/news/27589562_1_restaurant-biz-international-plans-uk Sales tax department probe uncovers Haldiram's deals through shell company
Shishir Arya, TNN | Jul 2, 2013, 04.27AM IST
NAGPUR: An application to cancel Value Added Tax registration by a Haldiram group company has stirred a controversy. An earlier report by the sales tax department, which now collects VAT, said this firm, Vivek Food Products, existed only on paper.
Haldiram's is a household brand in the city and operates through a number of corporate entities. It faced an inquiry two years ago for allegedly getting VAT incentives by fudging investment figures. The inspection of Vivek Food was part of this inquiry.
However, Rajendra Agrawal, a director in this family-run group, refused to comment on the matter when he was contacted in their office at Pardi Naka Chowk.
The application to cancel the registration obtained in April 2006 mentions that all assets of the firm had been sold, and the operations closed. A registration under VAT is a must to complete formalities such as payment of tax and getting input credit as well.
The officer concerned has forwarded a letter informing about the inspection in October 2010, which found no such business firm existed at the stated address. Another inspection was undertaken a year later.
The registration certificate shows that the firm shifted to a new address in December 2006 - eight months after it was registered. However, a new complication emerged. The officer who purportedly signed the certificate attesting the new address was not even posted in Nagpur on the date he is supposed to have signed it. The firm could not be found even at the new address during one of the inspections, the source said.
Now, a senior officer has written to the concerned personnel in the department seeking details, such as the date of receipt of application for change of address, returns filed and tax paid by the firm so far. On this, the officer has received a written reply from a colleague mentioning another firm named Haldiram Krishi Udyog in its place. This firm has filed returns till late 2012 and paid Rs 6 lakh as tax.
The officer scrutinizing the case has suggested that the firm's registration is liable to be cancelled from the date it was secured. This will be an indication that the firm remained a dummy company. Such firms help businesses route various dubious transactions and evade taxes.
Haldiram's to conduct campus drive at Tihar
New Delhi: Next time you order 'bhalla papdi chaat' at a Haldiram's joint, your crispy dish may be prepared by a former Tihar prisoner.
Fear not as the popular food chain is among 10 odd companies which will conduct interviews at the jail from tomorrow to hire eligible inmates for different jobs.
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"Hundred prisoners have been found eligible for the campus interview. Companies that have agreed to hire include Vedanta Group and Haldiram's," said Tihar Prisons spokesperson Sunil Gupta.
This is also the first time that inmates who are already been released from the prisons and those with life terms but being considered for a release too will sit for the interviews, he said.
This campus placement was introduced to help rehabilitate prisoners after their release.
"We decided to go for the placement drive after we realised that even after reforming prisoners and making them professionally qualified, they do not get a job after their release due to their criminal background," Gupta said.
Three successful campus placements conducted last year led to appointments of 175 Tihar inmates in different industries and positions for salaries ranging between Rs 84,000 and 6,00,000 annually.
Gupta said that after the news of the recruitment drive spread to different parts of the city, many companies approached us expressing their desire to hire our inmates.
"This encouraged us to take the plunge," he said. The first recruitment drive was conducted on February 25 last year.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, January 26, 2012, 20:07
