Thomas G Bata, Chairman and Chief Executive, BATA who was in Chennai to open a new showroom at Forum Mall, Bata said the company is planning to expand its offering from footwear to product lines for both men and women for the entire family to handbags and fashion accessories.
Bata India's Managing Director Rajeev Gopalakrishnan said the company has around 1,250 stores across India and every year the company is planning to open around 100 stores. Last year, the company opened 189 stores. He added, the company will invest around Rs 60 lakh to Rs 1crore for a store .
Besides, Bata is also planning to have specialised footwear stores for its licenced brands like Hushpuppies across India, he said. At present the company has 30 stores and planning to add 5-10 stores every year.
Commenting about the Indian market, Bata said, with a huge population, the country offers a lot of opportunity for the company. The Indian operations rose by around 20 per cent and at present India contributes around 15 per cent of the global Bata's revenue.
Bata attributed the growth in the footwear market, which is estimated to be around Rs 70,000 crore, both organised and unorganised. Bata said pro-active attitude of the Government is encouraging business, investment and employment.
The company which launched ladies hand bag, a year ago has shown some positive results, we will launch ladies belt, wallet, new hand bags and wallets for men, said Gopalakrishnan.
"Europe is a major market for us. But, some of your neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh are developing very well for Bata," said Bata.
He claimed that the company has a 30 per cent market in the organised market.