Bata India to unveil 100 stores in FY21 amid COVID-19 outbreak

Footwear major Bata India is planning to open around 100 outlets during this financial year despite the COVID-19 outbreak. The shoemaker, which currently has around 1,500 stores across India, plans to add 500 outlets by 2023 to strengthen its network in semi-urban and rural markets. 80 percent of the new outlets will be opened through a franchise model in tier-II and tier-III cities. The network expansion will be executed mostly in the rural areas where economic performance has been comparatively better than in urban areas during the current COVID-19 crisis. Such store expansion move of Bata India will be an added business opportunity for the signage companies whose activities involve in in-store branding and display projects.