Latest news with #Sawhney
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Why consumer spending power is shifting toward purpose, passion, and bucket lists
Across the globe, there has been a reframing of traditional markers of wealth. True wealth is no longer defined by material things, but rather by experiences with those who matter most, whether that's exclusive access to a hot new restaurant or front-row tickets to a show you've been waiting to see for years. New Mastercard research reveals that today's consumers are chasing purpose, passion, and moments that matter. According to Mastercard insights, two-thirds of consumers consider checking off bucket-list experiences, including travel, dining, and entertainment, a top priority. This trend is even more prominent among the higher-earning demographic, with 59% saying they prefer experiences over buying things, and 46% citing spending time enjoying such experiences with loved ones as a leading personal goal. Bunita Sawhney, chief consumer product officer at Mastercard, notes, "Consumers are stepping away from the pursuit of perfection and leaning into intentional living. They're asking, 'Does this bring me real fulfillment?' and making choices that reflect that." Globally, higher-earning consumers spend 167% more than the average consumer on foreign travel, 51% more on specialty foods, and 41% more on entertainment. Regarding dining and experiences, they are six times more likely than general consumers to be interested in pursuing elevated dining and unique travel experiences. Tapping into the fulfillment economy From the perspective of banks and other financial institutions, it is critical to engage higher-net-worth individuals. Comprising 17 million people and with a collective spending power of $3 trillion, this demographic is a powerful engine for growth in the future, across the financial services sector and beyond. Leaning into the changing preferences of consumers provides clear opportunities for businesses to build consumer trust and long-term loyalty. However, doing so requires moving beyond the transactional and instead placing emphasis on more tailored products and services. This is especially true for financial services, as banks seek to capture the attention and loyalty of consumers who are increasingly drawn towards experiences and personalized offerings. "In today's world, fulfillment isn't about what people own — it's about how they live and the memories they've made," Sawhney observes. "It's about spending time with the people who matter most, doing the things that bring you joy. And for brands and banks alike, the message is clear: If you want to earn loyalty, offer memory-making experiences." International reverberations What's clear is that this is a global trend — and financial institutions in all corners of the world are turning their attention to how best to meet consumers' pursuit of fulfillment, through curated rewards programs worldwide. That's why Mastercard has launched The Mastercard Collection — a new suite of benefits across World, World Elite, and the all-new World Legend cards. Designed for a world where time is the ultimate luxury, The Mastercard Collection offers access to unforgettable dining, entertainment, and travel experiences across the globe, at home, and when traveling. Citi recently launched its new Strata Elite Credit Card, which offers cardholders flexible benefits that are customizable to fit their lifestyle. It is the first World Legend Mastercard issued — Mastercard's most prestigious consumer card to date. World Legend is designed for consumers who want exceptional access to experiences that bring them closer to their passions. "Our new Citi Strata Elite Card is the first credit card with Mastercard's premium benefits, bringing cardmembers best-in-class rewards across travel, dining, entertainment, and more," said Pam Habner, head of US branded cards and lending at Citi. "Together with Mastercard, we're offering unmatched benefits we know affluent customers will value, catered to their unique lifestyles and passions." Consumers globally have growing expectations of their payment cards. Whether it's culinary exploration, artistic endeavors, or cultural immersion, The Mastercard Collection empowers cardholders and their loved ones with access to elevated, globally connected experiences that are tied to their top passions. Elevating experiences and fostering loyalty As the race for high-value customers intensifies, attention and loyalty hinge on fostering an emotional connection. Benefits that unlock unforgettable experiences and quality time with loved ones aren't just perks — they're powerful differentiators. In a world where time is the ultimate luxury, joy is measured not by "things" but by the moments that matter.
Time of India
26-07-2025
- Time of India
Rs 24cr earmarked to improve tourist infra at Attari
1 2 Amritsar: To enhance visitor experience at the Attari international border, a project designed to provide world-class facilities will be launched soon, informed Amritsar deputy commissioner Sakshi Sawhney here on Saturday. She said that construction will start from the entrance gate, and extend up to the border line, with a total budget allocation of ₹24.65 crore. "The project aims to improve tourist infrastructure, promote cultural heritage, and ensure a more comfortable, informative, and engaging visitor experience," said DC Sawhney. Sanctioned under the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme of the ministry of tourism, the project will be developed by the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB) with active coordination from the Border Security Force (BSF) and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). It is expected to be completed within nine months, she said. MSID:: 122922877 413 |
Mint
15-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
From Leh to Kota, multiplexes roll into smalltown and southern India
Several multiplex cinema operators are surging ahead with a two-pronged expansion strategy undeterred by recent unpredictable box office performance. Big multiplexes such asPVR Inox and Cinepolis as well as smaller companies such as Miraj Entertainment Ltd, Mukta A2 Cinemas, and MovieMax Cinemas have set their eyes on tier 2 and 3 markets such as Patna, Shillong, Jaipur, Kota, and Leh-Ladakh to build low-cost cinemas with local developers. The second part of the strategy involves focusing on markets in South India, including cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Huballi, Kochi, and Cuddalore that boast a robust theatre-going culture, according to industry experts. These expansion plans come amid a lacklustre first half of the year for the Hindi film industry, the country's biggest, which is pinning hopes on a stronger second half with a wave of sequels and stories rooted in mythology and folk traditions, as Mint reported on . However, real estate experts said the overall cinema industry's expansion remains fairly conservative, with smaller properties and fewer screens planned as alternative entertainment options such as OTT (video-streaming platforms) have become increasingly popular, especially post covid. 'The South is a strategic focus area for us," said Kunal Sawhney, chief operating officer, MovieMax Cinemas. 'The region's rich cinema culture, coupled with the popularity of films across multiple languages, allows for greater programming flexibility and wider appeal. This, in turn, leads to better (seat) occupancies." MovieMax is targeting several towns across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka as part of its expansion, which includes expanding to tier 2 and 3 cities, particularly those with populations of 500,000 and above, Sawhney added. 'In these markets, average ticket price will be lower than metros, in alignment with local affordability. (But) we typically partner with strong regional developers who have a deep understanding of local market potential and are committed to delivering a high-quality mall experience tailored to the needs of the community," Sawhney said. Pricing caps, regulations, and other challenges Rahul Puri, managing director, Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas, agreed these smaller markets hold strong potential, as ticket prices in these regions are designed to reflect local dynamics, making cinema-going more accessible to wider audiences. Mukta too is collaborating with regional developers to develop multiplexes in smaller cities. Referring to tier 2 and 3 markets as commercially promising yet under-screened, Bhuvanesh Mendiratta, managing director, Miraj Entertainment, said ticket prices in smaller cities are calibrated to local affordability, averaging ₹180-200, significantly lower than in metro cities. 'We partner with local developers, including mall owners and standalone theatre operators, often converting single screens into three to four screen multiplexes," said Mendiratta, whose company is venturing into cities such as Sitapur, Alwar, Ittawa, and Sambalpur. Miraj Entertainment plans to add 40-50 screens in 2025-26, of which 25-30% will be in South India, including cities such as Chennai, Kozhikode, Visakhapatnam, Kurnool, and Tumkur. To be sure, southern markets pose certain unique challenges for multiplexes, according to some experts. Anuj Kejriwal, CEO and managing director, ANAROCK Retail, a property consultancy, said cinemas in South India faced strict state-imposed caps on ticket prices, a less well-developed mall culture in some cities, as well as the prevalence of single-screen theatres. Complex regulations and competition from OTT platforms can reduce overall profitability for cinemas and prevent faster adoption of luxury formats in the southern markets, industry experts said. In several small cities in South India, multiplexes will need to modify their business models according to the local market dynamics and requirements to ensure sustainable growth, they added. That said, some of these hurdles and evolving dynamics aren't specific to South India. 'Competition from OTT and general lack of new content in cinemas has meant that companies are now quick to give up on properties that aren't doing well," said Abhishek Sharma, director, retail, at realty consultancy Knight Frank. 'Further, from the 10-plus screens planned earlier, theatre chains aren't looking at more than eight screens as the best possible scenario now."
Mint
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Why writer Yashpal's feminism provokes thought 50 years on
The plot of Dada Comrade, the Hindi communist writer Yashpal's (1903-76) debut novel (originally published in 1941), was informed by the events of his own tumultuous youth. As an idealistic young student in Punjab in the 1920s, Yashpal joined the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) alongside revolutionaries like Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh. Some of his colleagues, however, did not appreciate the young Yashpal's romance with the 16-year-old Prakashvati Pal (later his wife) because they viewed marriage and domesticity as obstacles in the road to revolution. After a group of HSRA members unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate Yashpal in 1930, the organisation was torn asunder and never really reunited, mirroring the rift between Yashpal and Azad. These events are fictionalised to varying degrees in the book, and the female lead Shailbala is based on aspects of Prakashvati. In the introduction to her 2022 English translation of Dada Comrade, scholar Simona Sawhney had written, 'Today, many readers may question the ways in which Yashpal conceived of equality, revolution and gender. Yashpal's feminism, for instance, is not the same as mine, but that does not prevent me from recognizing it as a feminism: a discourse that wrestled, in its own way, with questions of gender, sexuality, power and equality." Sawhney's introduction sought to contextualise Yashpal's unique and complex engagement with gender politics. This endeavour is more fully realised in the recently released essay collection, Yashpal: On Gender and Revolutionary Thought, published by Orient BlackSwan and edited by Sawhney alongside Kama McLean. The 17 essays collected here are based on some of Yashpal's best-known works: novels like Divya (1945), Gita (1946), Manushya Ke Roop (1949), short stories like Holi Ka Mazaak ('The Holi Joke') and Tumne Kyun Kaha Main Sundar Hoon? ('Why Did You Say I Am Beautiful?'), as well as landmark essays from the journal Viplav, which the writer founded in the 1940s. Three different essays, of course, are devoted to his magnum opus Jhootha Sach, a novel published in two parts in Hindi over 1958-60, and translated into English as a single, 1,100-page novel by his son Anand under the name This is Not That Dawn in 2010. What makes Yashpal such a compelling subject of study from both literary and the historiographic points of view? (Sawhney and McLean, after all, are professors of literature and history, respectively.) For one, he was one of the rare male Indian writers of his era—and this is doubly true for Hindi literature—who not only centred women's stories, but through dark humour and satirical techniques, exposed the collective complicity of Indian society in the oppression of women. Set in the 1st century BCE, Divya follows a high-born woman who decides to become a prostitute after realising that she is living in a gilded cage and that, in several meaningful ways, the courtesans and prostitutes of the era have more agency than her. This is Not That Dawn begins on the following tragicomic note, where a pair of daughters-in-law are trying their level best to 'perform" grief to the satisfaction of the men around them. 'Both daughters-in-law were present when the old woman breathed her last. The elder told the younger to announce the death of their mother-in-law with a scream of unbearable pain, mindful of the ritual at the hour of terrible grief. The younger one was at such a loss that she could not do this right. To observe the tradition properly, the elder went to the window herself and cried out in the required loud, heart-rending voice, as an eagle might cry in agony when pierced with an arrow." Second, as some of the essays in On Gender and Revolutionary Thought prove, Yashpal's engagement with gender issues was also reflective of the way his overall politics evolved with time. Xiaoke Ren, in his essay Narrative Critique of the Congress Rule in Yashpal's 'Jhootha Sach', shows us how the writer's caricatures of self-centered, predatory politicians use gender relations to underline Yashpal's views on power and its corrupting influence. In Jhootha Sach, the protagonist Tara Puri, a Partition refugee and rape survivor from Lahore now building a new life in Delhi, is crudely propositioned by a politician who promises her that he can get her a job working in the movies—suggesting, additionally, that Punjabi women ('free with their bodies") like herself have done very well in that industry. The implications about both Tara, in particular, and Punjabi women, in general, are painfully clear. A bittersweet and touching portrayal of Yashpal and Prakashvati's marriage is provided by their son Anand in Yashpal, My Father, which is the last entry in the book. Francesca Orsini, in her essay On Her Own Terms: Viplav, Women and Prakashvati Pal, describes how Prakashvati charted her own intellectual path through essays in the journal Viplav. Orsini's entry is particularly interesting because Dada Comrade, the female lead Shailbala isn't really allowed by Yashpal to develop revolutionary strands of thought by herself—both her romantic and political awakenings follow the lead of her beloved, Harish (based on Yashpal himself). My favourite essay in the collection, however, is Punjabi Refugee Women in Urban Spaces in 'Jhootha Sach' by Ritu Madan, because it looks at the bigger picture presented by Yashpal's portrayals of Punjabi female refugees in 1950s Delhi. We see how they are viewed with suspicion initially. Many of them are unfamiliar with the gendered social mores of Delhi, especially in terms of what to wear at which place, which lanes are to be avoided after dark, et cetera. But once a section of educated, driven refugees manage to place themselves in 'respectable", often English-speaking jobs, their 'foreign" bodies (alluring and a-threat-to-the-social-fabric in equal measure) acquire the blunting, assimilatory edge of the white collar. These women, then, have a hand in shaping the very foundation of Delhi's modernity, a modernity that gives them a place in society, but under strictly demarcated terms. Madan writes, 'As Delhi is transformed in the novel from refugee city to capital city by the labour of the Partition migrants who settle into new homes and occupations, Punjabi migrant women become increasingly invisible in the city. By discipling their bodies into 'normative femininity', they forfeit unconditional access to public space, and inhabit it purposefully, for education, employment or shopping. As they occupy the city with their disciplined bodies, waiting at bus stops in their clean and starched saris to reach places of work where they labour honestly (…), these Punjabi women redefine the city as the modern and developing capital of a new country." The emphasis on educated, upper-caste characters in Yashpal's corpus, however, is also the key to understanding the limitations of his feminism. As Sawhney explains in her own essay (which opens the book), upper-caste protagonists like Tara from Jhootha Sach encounter two kinds of supporting characters quite often—the oppressed lower-caste woman who is usually a peer, and the bitter, long-suffering woman who's usually from a generation above. Both these recurring 'types" in Yashpal's fiction are flat, unconvincing portrayals because they seem to exist only to further the education of the young, educated, idealistic upper-caste protagonist. 'If education is the single most important factor shared by the women protagonists of Yashpal's novels, it is also what sets them apart from other women, including their own mothers and aunts who are never able to provide guidance or support to these young women," as she argues. Aditya Mani Jha is a writer based in Delhi.
Cision Canada
02-07-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Dr. Phone Fix Expands Partnership with Assurant to Accelerate Certified Pre-Owned Phone Sales Across Canada
/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE USA/ TORONTO, July 2, 2025 /CNW/ - Dr. Phone Fix (TSXV: DPF) is pleased to announce the expansion of its strategic partnership with Assurant, Inc. (NYSE: AIZ), a premier global protection company that safeguards and services connected devices, homes and automobiles in partnership with the world's leading brands, unlocking a nation-wide supply of certified pre-owned smartphones for the company's 35 retail locations across four Canadian provinces. This expanded collaboration builds on the companies' existing relationship and represents a key milestone in their shared commitment to the growing pre-owned device market. Dr. Phone Fix will gain greater inventory capabilities and access to Assurant's extensive deep expertise across the entire device lifecycle eco-system. "Our customers want affordable, fully warrantied smartphones," said Piyush Sawhney, CEO of Dr. Phone Fix. "This deeper integration with Assurant super-charges our supply chain, widens our assortment, accelerates inventory turnover, and positions us to capture the fastest-growing segment of the device market." Industry research from CCS Insight underscores the strategic importance of this partnership, projecting that the pre-owned smartphone market will exceed 400 million units by 2029 and represent 25 percent of global smartphone shipments. This data highlights the substantial market opportunity both companies are well-positioned to capture. "Assurant remains at the forefront of the evolving mobile device ecosystem," said Paul Cosgrove, President and CEO of Assurant Canada. "Our strengthened relationship with Dr. Phone Fix demonstrates our strategic approach to capturing growth opportunities in the pre-owned device sector while delivering value to consumers." "Our expanded relationship with Assurant represents a transformative development in supporting our long-term growth strategy," adds Mr. Sawhney. "Assurant continues to demonstrate their commitment to growth in this sector through strategic initiatives, including CPR by Assurant, a leading electronics repair franchise with locations across the United States and parts of Canada." Dr. Phone Fix buys and sells pre-owned phones through its 35 stores in 4 provinces, matching the similar one-year warranty typically offered by manufacturers for brand new phones. "We are excited to offer consumers quality phones at greatly affordable price points while furthering the broader benefits associated with extending the lifecycle of mobile devices, including significant environmental advantages," continued Mr. Sawhney. Extending device lifecycles also delivers environmental benefits, reducing e-waste and carbon emissions tied to new handset production. About Dr. Phone Fix DPF is a top leader in Canada's mobile phone and gadgets repair and used resale industry. It has won awards for being eco-friendly and customer-focused. DPF opened in 2019 and now runs a network of 35 company-owned mobile phone and electronics repair stores across the country. DPF does repairs, but it also sells a lot of different accessories and certified pre-owned devices. DPF has well-established networks that allow them to buy and resell a wide range of used and refurbished electronics from trusted sellers. Dr. Phone Fix is traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "DPF." About Assurant Assurant, Inc. (NYSE: AIZ) is a premier global protection company that partners with the world's leading brands to safeguard and service connected devices, homes, and automobiles. As a Fortune 500 company operating in 21 countries, Assurant leverages data-driven technology solutions to provide exceptional customer experiences. Learn more at Dr. Phone Fix Contact: Warren Michaels Senior Manager, Brand and Business Development [email protected] Assurant Contact: Julie Strider Vice President, Global Communications [email protected] NEITHER THE TSXV NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSXV) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information can be identified by words such as: "intend", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will" and similar references to future periods. 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Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements depending on, among other things, the risks (i) that the future plans of the Company may differ from those that currently are contemplated; and (ii) that the expected trading date of the Resulting Issuer Shares may change. Additional risks include those disclosed in the Filing Statement, which are incorporated herein by reference and are available through SEDAR at
