Bata India to invest Rs. 100 crore this year.

Bata India is planning to invest Rs. 100 crore in store expansion and upgradation this year.

The company would upgrade three of its plants, located in, Kolkata, Patna and Bangalore, entailing an investment of nearly Rs. 50 crore, said R Gopalakrishnan, group managing director, Bata Emerging Markets, Bata India, on the sidelines of the 81st annual general meeting of the company. The three plants together manufacture 22 million pairs of shoe. The upgradation would increase the production by 10-15%, added Gopalakrishnan.

This apart, the company has chalked out a strategy to open stores in rural areas, particularly tier III and IV cities, under the franchise model. The company plans to open nearly 100 rural stores over the next 12-18 months. It has already opened about 20 such in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh on a pilot basis.

'We are looking at both topline and bottomline growth. Our focus will be tier III and IV cities this year, apart from metro centres,' said Gopalakrishnan.

BS