Bata is the name known to all Indians. Comfort and class are the two main components of a Bata Shoe. Popular among the middle class, Bata is the go-to regular shoe brand. It serves you as a daily wear shoe, occasional festive wear shoe as well as a comfy home wear sandal.
Let’s look at how Bata, a foreign footwear brand, has become one of the most popular footwear brands in India.
Establishment of Bata
Originated in 1894, Bata Shoes is a family-owned business started by Tomáš Baťa, a Czech entrepreneur. He started making shoes from canvas instead of leather. These lightweights, comfortable and affordable shoes became a quick hit among the locals and his business took off. Soon the company had hundreds of employees who made shoes by a mechanized method. During the First World War, there was low demand for products as the economy had fallen. Instead of cutting down on his employees, Tomáš chose to reduce the price of his shoes. This move was extraordinary and attracted several sales and his company started growing even outside Czechoslovakia.
Batanagar-City named for Bata
Bata Shoe Company was setting up production units worldwide and they established a unit in Konnar near Kolkata in the 1930s. Within two years of its establishment, Bata Shoes had high demands on their production which led to the doubling of the site, and the region came to be known as Batanagar. By 1939, the company had thousands of employees working to produce thousands of shoes every week.
It was at this site Bata designed and manufactured the popular tennis shoes-a simple shoe design made of white canvas. This, later on, became a part of our school life. Later on, when competition came from Paragon and Khadims, Bata started advertising its affordability, durability, and comfort. The company also started using taglines to attract more customers. One of the taglines was, “First to Bata, Then to School”. To date, Bata remains one of the most popular shoe brands in India as people feel happy wearing comfortable yet stylish and classy Bata shoes.
