Bata India Ltd, the footwear maker, would focus on "flagship retailing" in the coming years as top-end of the market was growing at a rapid pace, its managing director Stephen Davies said.
The flagship segment was growing at a phenomenal 23 per cent against the industry average of just six per cent, he said.
Davies said that to tap this prospective area, the company would increase the number of flagship stores from 25 to 40 in the coming years.
For this, Bata would make significant investments, Davies said, adding that the company would also open its first new generation store in Mumbai shortly.
Asked how the shifting of commercial and marketing divisions from Kolkata would help the company in making a turnaround, Davies said that retailing activities in Delhi and Mumbai were booming with mushrooming shopping malls.
He said that presence of the company in Gurgaon near Delhi would help Bata in increasing its retailing activities.
When asked whether the company would ultimately shift its registered office from Kolkata, Davies ruled out any such possibility.
To catch the fancy of the young, Bata would also associate itself with trendy brands like Reebok, Nike and Adidas, Davies said, adding that these international names would complement the company's range.
Besides retailing, the company would also emphasise on manufacturing. He said that the company would make significant investments at its facility at Batanagar for upgrading the technology.
Currently, the company is manufacturing 25 million pairs.
About the shifting plan, Davies said that all the top officials in finance and marketing would be based in Gurgaon.
He said the Gurgaon office should be starting functioning from first quarter next fiscal.
© 2025