Bata India Ltd. has identified new avenues of growth in the post-pandemic era as the country gradually learns to cope with the virus.
First, growth of franchise stores in small towns with 1-3 lakh population, Sandeep Kataria, chief executive officer at the maker of footwear under the namesake brand, Hush Puppies and Marie Claire, among others, told BloomberQuint in an interview. The company has seen a rise in demand from smaller towns as they choose to shop from local stores instead of travelling to cities amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
Second, increase sales via distribution channels — retail sales via non-Bata stores.
Third, digital retail, which has seen dramatic growth in India during the lockdown, as Bata adopts technology. The company, Kataria said, has even sold products via video calls and Facebook-owned messenger application WhatsApp.
Besides, after multiple studies and surveys, Bata has decided to focus on fashion and comfort wear in urban India as work-from-home prompted customers to opt for more festive and activewear shoes, he said.
The company was growing between 7% and 11% for the last five years before the pandemic struck. Its revenue fell 9% in the quarter ended March 2020. While Kataria expects the fiscal ending March 2021 to be subdued on disruptions caused by the virus outbreak, he is confident of attaining growth in the following years, he said.
Watch the full conversation here:
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