Footwear brand Bata India has crossed the milestone of 700 franchise stores nationwide, underscoring the growing importance of its franchise-led model in expanding the brand’s reach across emerging markets in India.
Bata India further noted that this underscores the brand’s continued focus on expanding access, deepening local relevance, and driving growth by creating business opportunities for its partners. About 70 per cent of its franchise stores are located in Tier II, III, and IV markets. Going forward, the company expects franchise momentum to accelerate further as it plans to double the pace of new store openings.
Badri Beriwal, chief strategy officer and chief business development officer, Bata India, said, “The franchise model has become a strong pillar of our retail expansion strategy because it brings together the strengths of both partners. Our franchise partners bring deep local market understanding and on-ground operational efficiency. This allows us to grow with speed and discipline, especially in markets beyond metros where branded footwear demand is rising steadily.”
For franchise partners, the model under Bata’s domestic arm presents an attractive business proposition, with an initial investment of around Rs 35–40 lakh. For Bata, it allows faster market entry and expansion with relatively lower capital deployment, while strengthening its presence in high-potential markets.
On overall growth, Bata India said it continues to strengthen its retail model by combining national brand strength with localised execution, supporting its broader ambition to serve consumers across regions, categories, and price points.
Its expansive retail network comprises over 1,900 stores (company-owned and franchise). Through multi-brand outlets and a robust omnichannel presence spanning D2C platforms and marketplaces, Bata India sells close to 50 million pairs annually.
In a recent interaction with Business Standard, Bata India said it aims to scale up to 3,000 outlets over the next three to five years, betting on deeper penetration into Tier III and Tier IV markets, digital-first retailing, and India’s growing role as a global sourcing hub.
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