Bata looks to expand business

Bata now looks to expand business, setting up more ‘large format stores’ countrywide in the next few years, as officials of the multinational shoemaker said.
“We’re looking to set up 15 more retail outlets in Dhaka by the year-end,” Rajeev Gopalakrishnan, Bata’s managing director for Bangladesh, told a press briefing yesterday.
Gopalakrishnan also laid bare his plan to add at least 20 to 25 such stores in different parts of the country each year.
“In such a way, we want to reach the doorsteps of the rising middle class buyers.”
The world-class footwear giant is currently operating through 260 retail outlets and around 1,000 dealers across the country.
Recently, the company has also brought renowned international brands such as Hush Puppies, Scholl and Nike in Bangladesh, along with the existing ones like Power, Marie Claire and Bubblegu-mmers.
“We sell around 30 million pairs of shoes and other footwear annually in the country whereas the total market size is actually 140 million pairs,” said M A Quader, consultant for Business Development.

Courtesy of The Daily Star