Bata India to add 150 retail, franchise stores in 2018

“Your company plans to add around 100 new retail stores and 50 new franchise stores in the current year across India,” Chairman Uday Khanna told shareholders at the 85th AGM here.

He said the growth of the industry has been triggered by increasing internet and smartphone penetration and the shoe maker sold over 8.9 lakh pairs of footwear through e-commerce channels, recording a turnover of Rs 879 mn during 2017-18. To expand its presence in the e-commerce space, the company also listed its products on high traffic-generating websites, Khanna said.

“It plans to focus on building the brand and attracting footfalls through attractive store decor, in-store activities, aggressive launch of new products and raising our ad spend,” he said.