Bata to switch to large format stores

“We are switching to large format stores as smaller ones cannot display all the designs the company offers,” Bata India Managing Director, Rajeev Gopalakrishnan, said here today on the sidelines of the East India Retail Summit 2012.

He said the country’s largest store measuring 20,000 sq ft would be coming up in Mumbai and a deal had been signed in this regard.

At present, the company’s largest format store of 10,000 sq ft is in Mumbai’s Borivelli, Gopalakrishnan said.

In 2012, Bata would open 150 stores out of which 30 would be ‘Hush Puppies’ concept stores, he said.

Bata officials said the number of stores in the country now stood at 1,250 and denied that with realignment, the number of stores would come down in a big way.

Meanwhile, reacting to 100% FDI in single brand retail, Mr Gopalakrishnan said, “Competition is always good and we believe if there is competition, we will gain because the market is big”.