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International footwear brand Bata has emerged as one of the winners in the Franchise 100 list 2020 published by The Franchising World magazine, recently. The annual survey identifies top-performers in the franchise segment, which have not only impressed the customers, but also the franchise partners.
Scored on several parameters like employee growth, franchise store growth, and the overall growth of the brand, the Franchise List is a comprehensive, data-driven list of best opportunities for 2020.
Bata is the largest footwear retailer in India, offering footwear, accessories and bags across brands like Bata, Hush Puppies, Naturalizer, Power, Marie Claire, Weinbrenner, North Star, Scholl, Bata Comfit and Bubblegummers, to name a few.
Tracing Bata’s journey in India in the last three years, The Franchising World discovered that in 2018-19, Bata India opened over 70 new retail stores and 50 franchise stores, besides renovating 47 outlets. The brand now has over 1,500 stores in India and has invested around Rs 260 crore over the last three years for modernising its manufacturing plants and renovating retail stores.
While offline retail has been Bata’s foundation of growth in India, it has also started aggressively pursuing online presence. To tap the vast online market opportunity, it has partnered with e-commerce players like Myntra, Amazon, and Flipkart. The brand says e-commerce has helped Bata increase its visibility and revenue generation.
Winning strategy for franchisees
“We have a winning proposition for franchisees with a clear focus on ‘enhanced consumer shopping experience’ at our stores. Our robust and sustainable business model combined with continuous guidelines and checks from the organisation helps our franchise partners ensure sustainable returns. We have customised training programs for store managers and staff which are provided through online modules as well as through classroom and in-store sessions. Our other key initiatives include seasonal and festive promotions, demand generation via 360-degree campaigns, and consumer feedback module, which of course are some of the best practices in retailing,” says Sandeep Kataria, CEO, Bata India.
Bata currently has over 170 franchise stores in India. Now, it is targeting to expand in Tier II, III and IV cities in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Bihar and Tamil Nadu, in the next two years. It aims to open about 500 franchise stores in the next five years.
Kataria says Bata is looking at adding around 100 stores every year for the next five years. “To enable this, we are sharpening our portfolio in terms of premium products, variety and regional touch. We have established ourselves as a ‘fashion forward’ brand with new arrivals being launched every Friday,” he adds.
Franchise 100
The Franchising World, India’s no.1 franchising magazine, identifies the Top-100 franchise brands and celebrates their achievements every year in its anniversary issue. The issue highlights the established and emerging Indian and global brands that are increasing their positioning in India along with the new-age brands that are lucrative and profitable, expanding fast and can act as a reference guide for budding entrepreneurs and investors across India.
Franchise 100 is the one-stop destination to know everything about the franchise industry and the leading brands, which investors and prospective franchisees can consider to start their entrepreneurship journey.
