Country’s Footwear major, Bata is planning to add about 100 of its new outlets despite Covid-19 pandemic and currently, it has 1,500 stores across India. Earlier, the shoemaker had planned to add 500 outlets by 2023 for strengthening company network in semi-urban and rural markets, said an official on Wednesday.
Another company official said that Bata is expanding its network in rural areas where the economic performance has been better than in urban areas during pandemic. The shoemaker is ramping up its online marketplace by allowing delivery in more than 1,300 cities and rolling out home delivery options from more than 900 stores.
Ashwani Windlass, Chairman of Bata India told, “We will open around 100 outlets by this year and 80 per cent of these stores will be opened through a franchise model in Tier-II and Tier-III cities.” Windlass added, that several digital steps have been taken by the company and he hopes that the e-commerce initiative will boost company’s sales to double by this fiscal.
Sandeep Kataria, CEO of Bata India said the new channel “Bata Store-on-Wheels” of the company will allow to reach out to its customer in urban areas by shopping at their doorsteps. Bata had set up temporary stores at large residential complexes and condominiums, a new initiative to offer a convenient shopping experience to customers, especially for those ages whose movement have been restricted due to the pandemic, said Kataria.