WEEKLY CORPORATE Rajeev Gopalakrishnan Honored as One of India s Top CEOs On May 5, World Consulting and Research Corporation (WCRC) Leaders Asia presented Bata's president for South Asia Rajeev Gopalakrishnan with an award as one of India s most trusted CEOs. The award was presented in recognition of those leaders who have driven revolutionary success in the industry over the past financial year. INTERVIEWS INTERVIEWS PRODUCT Meet the Bloggers: Big-League Influencer MissMalini Talks Bata Meet the Bloggers: Silvia Njoki Head over Heels for Insolia Bata's Biggest Ever Global Product Review Held in Italy Perfect Style: Accessories for a Great Denim Look BCP Pakistan Organizes Health Screening for the Community Africa Africa Bata Group Bata Zimbabwe Introduces: Insolia Tomy Takkies Takes It Further in South Africa Summer Trend: Everybody's Talking about Espadrilles and Sneakerdrilles Bata Pakistan Spurs Momentum for Retail Team
CORPORATE Rajeev Gopalakrishnan Honored as One of India s Top CEOs On May 5, World Consulting and Research Corporation (WCRC) Leaders Asia presented Bata's president for South Asia Rajeev Gopalakrishnan with an award as one of India s most trusted CEOs. The award was presented in recognition of those leaders who have driven revolutionary success in the industry o... The ceremony for the "India's Most Trusted CEOs 2017" awards took place at the Eros hotel in New Delhi, and the award was presented by Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Babul Supriyo. Among the other other leaders recognized at the event were State Bank of India s Arundhati Bhattacharya; Star Network India s Uday Shankar; Maruti Suzuki s Kenichi Ayukawa; Manoj Adlakha of American Express; PepsiCo India s N Shivakumar, and Nestle India s Suresh Narayanan. The WCRC, with more than 500 clients across the Asia, is a leading brand equity and research company, and its "Most Trusted CEOs" awards aim to recognize the efforts of company heads who have brought success to their companies, despite a difficult economic climate in the financial year 2016/2017, through an innovative leadership approach, inspiring trust and dedication in their teams. Gopalakrishnan was shortlisted and extensively interviewed based on his credentials as a leader who has steered his organization to great heights over the last financial year, and is continuing his success thanks to his dynamism and strategy. Gopalakrishnan believes that an organization's true assets today are its people and their shared experience. Bata India promotes a cohesive environment, where discussion of issues and plans happens on a platform across departments allowing all members of staff to contribute their ideas, and it was this creative and inclusive approach that led the WCRC to choose Gopalakrishnan as one of its award winners. Speaking about his award, Gopalakrishnan commented: I m extremely humbled to be receiving this award from an organization like WCRC Leaders Asia, on behalf of the entire Bata India team. CEOs cannot exist without their people. With more than eight decades of Bata legacy in India, we are proud to take forward the global vision of being there for our consumers at every step of their lives. This recognition is an immense boost to us, as it recognizes the excellent service and operation of Bata in the Indian footwear fashion industry, and we will only strive to achieve greater heights worthy of awards like these.
INTERVIEWS Meet the Bloggers: Big-League Influencer MissMalini Talks Bata Bata India was excited to have Meriam Ahari at the recent Bata Fashion Weekend in Prague. Ahari is the fashion and beauty director for MissMalini, which is hugely popular in India and beyond. She talked to Bata World News about all the great things she just discovered about the brand. Tell us about MissMalini. MissMalini is an entertainment group that creates content on Bollywood, fashion, beauty and lifestyle. The company started as a blog and evolved into YouTube videos, Facebook Lives, e-commerce, multiple reality shows, a book deal, and even producing television shows and ad campaigns. Across our platforms, we reach about 6 million unique views daily from all over India, and 10 percent of them internationalbased. Our viewers range in age from 15 to 40 and are both male and female. How did MissMalini get started, and how did you get into it? Malini Agarwal, the founder of MissMalini, was born in Allahabad, India and has lived in a multitude of countries such as Somalia, Lebanon, and Greece. Malini started blogging in 2008 when she realized there were so many amazing things happening in India that no one was talking about. She also wanted to show the rest of the world that there is so much more to India than what they see in movies. I am from the United States and moved to Mumbai to work as MissMalini s fashion and beauty director. What did you think of the Bata Fashion Weekend? I very much enjoyed the event. I loved that it was held in Prague the country where the brand originated which started the conversation on why everyone thinks Bata originated in their own country. The fashion show accurately displayed the new comfortable yet sexy image the brand is adopting. Also, the public performance inviting people of all races, shapes, sizes, and styles to walk the runway coincided perfectly with their Me & Comfortable with it motto. The fact that Bata invited media from all over the world to attend the event proves what a relatable and global brand it is. What is the most exciting product you saw? I loved learning about the Insolia technology and very much look forward to trying it out. A woman will always wish her heels are more comfortable. Which was your favorite exhibition? I loved the winning designs [of the Young Designers Challenge] by Adam Kost and Linda Zabilkova. Does Bata's 2017 Brand Manifesto Me & Comfortable with it resonate with you? Absolutely. I love any campaign that promotes a positive body image. Especially in an industry like fashion that can spawn so many insecurities. Did the event change your impression of Bata? Yes, it did. I learned so much about the brand. It has been around for much longer than I realized. Also, there are so many wonderful aspects to this brand, from the Young Designers Challenge, to the university they opened, and all the charitable acts they ve accomplished. All of these amazing facets that make the brand so wonderful were humbly and nonchalantly mentioned during casual conversation. But it was all of these amazing facts that made me want to write about Bata. Check out Ahari s blog post on the Bata Fashion Weekend, and follow MissMalini on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
INTERVIEWS Meet the Bloggers: Silvia Njoki Head over Heels for Insolia Silvia Njoki is a well-known Kenyan fashion blogger, and has been writing about the topic on her site since its creation in 2013. She recently attended the Bata Fashion Weekend, having already written an article about Bata's new Insolia heels on her blog, and Bata World News took the opportunity to... What is your blog about? Where can we find it? I am the online content creator and the founder and inspirational manager of the fashion and beauty blog Style by Silvia, which is a vehicle for sharing my personal style as well as inspirational content revolving around fashion and beauty. I am also the creator and manager of the online magazine Style Yetu, a fast-growing blog on which I post a number of daily curated articles on fashion, beauty, travel, lifestyle, celebrity and entertainment news. Where are you from? How did you get into blogging? I was born in Kenya and this is where I live and work. My blog was launched in 2013, as a creative outlet for my DIY activities in pursuit of dressing my infant daughter, born that year, but gradually evolved into what it is today. The content of the blog primarily attracts fashion-conscious women of the age group 20 to 30 years. What was your overall impression of the Bata Fashion Weekend? I enjoyed every moment of the weekend and was amazed by the efficiency of its planning and execution. The fashion show was a very attractive eye-opener to the stylish range of Bata products, and the contributions of young designers to forward-looking product development arguably the best fashion show I have witnessed in my life. I was really impressed by the shoes which are due to be released in various collections in Kenya. From a personal point of view, I wish to express my appreciation of how Bata hosted and entertained me throughout my entire stay in Prague. What is the most exciting product you saw? Many new products were highly interesting, but I was particularly impressed by a pair of shoes from the young designers competition a rather beautifully strange shoe which was a combination of a sock in a boot. Overall, the young designers were very innovative and their pieces beautiful. Which was your favourite exhibition? My two favourite exhibitions were first of all the corner mini factory showing how shoes are manufactured, from the cutting of the individual parts to the final sewing together of them. But I also loved the stand where people were able to design and paint their own Tomy Takkies I kept wishing that my four-year-old daughter were there with me to custom-make some. What do you think of Bata's 2017 Brand Manifesto Me & Comfortable with it? The manifesto strikes a strong cord in my fashion-conscient mind by implying a perfect combination of style and comfort in a world where we are all unique in our own ways a harmony which I would appreciate to recognize in any line of apparel and footwear. I think it is high time that we appreciate that we do not have to compromise fashion for beauty, and that we can be stylish without spending a fortune. I fully endorse it, and will be proud to promote this image of Bata as a peopleoriented iconic brand on my social media platforms. Do you wear high heels? What is your opinion of Insolia? Yes I frequently wear high heels in fact I own ten times more pairs of heels than I do flats! And I wish Insolia had been around when I first practiced to walk confidently and gracefully in heels. Since owning my first pair of Insolia, I am now able to wear my heels longer. I think the concept of achieving a more comfortable distribution of weight between heel and toes is as brilliant as it is innovative, and am convinced that the Insolia line will be a major success. Did the event change your impression of Bata? What did you take away about the brand? The Fashion Weekend was a fantastic opportunity to familiarize myself with the very diverse and impressive range of Bata products and to look eye-to-eye with a number of the talented and innovative staff
MEET THE BLOGGERS: SILVIA NJOKI HEAD OVER HEELS FOR INSOLIA of the company. I was excited to meet fashion professionals from all over the world. My stay also allowed me to admire the beauty of Prague, and to appreciate the long and fascinating journey of the brand from a small family-run enterprise to today s efficiently managed international corporation. What impressed me particularly was the continuing involvement of the Bata family in all corporate social responsibility matters, and how its members continue to nurture talent. How will you work the weekend into your blog? I shall post a multi-faceted article on the blog, weaving personal experiences (including my own touristic adventures) into an overview of the Bata Fashion Weekend highlights. The article will be linked to a travel vlog, to be published on YouTube.
PRODUCT Bata's Biggest Ever Global Product Review Held in Italy From May 8 to 12, representatives from all the Bata regions around the world descended on Padua, Italy, for a Global Product Review (GPR), the biggest the company has held to date. The event, hosted for the second time by the Bata Innovation and Style Center (BISC) in Padua, saw more than 220 collec... During the opening session on May 8, Thomas A. Bata, chief marketing officer, together with Marcos Canovas, global Bata brand and BISC manager, explained the key agendas and targets of the meeting, and presented Bata brand strategies in term of product and marketing. Following this, Maura Zamprogna, BISC trends manager, offered a preview of the Q1/Q2 2018 trends presentation. Roberto Jimenez, Weinbrenner brand manager, and Patricio Landabur, Weinbrenner product manager, then gave a brief presentation of the new features of the Weinbrenner collection. Bata Men, Bata Women, Bubblegummers, Weinbrenner, Power, BTS, North Star, Pata Pata and Tomy Takkies were all present at the meeting, and all product displays were presented by their respective collection managers, with daily schedules allowing buyers to choose from more than 7,000 lines in every category and brand. The BISC marketing department and Bata Italy also provided a mobile app for the event, which helped to improve work efficiency, commitment processing, order processing and data management, and a new layout of the space allowed an extra display room and a dedicated lunchroom, with seating capacity for more than 70 people, helping the event run more smoothly than ever before. BISC teams worked hard to create a spectacular presentation for the Bata International companies in attendance, taking the occasion to present their projects with special features, with particular attention given to the Bata Tech collection. Brands such as Insolia, Flexible, Light and Comfit, designed, developed by BISC, were presented with a strong visual impact by the BISC VM department. The product teams took the opportunity to showcase the special features of their key projects, having been hard at work to create global products. A completely new collection of colorful and comfortable Insolia wedges and platforms was also on show, with a rose-tinted, laminated Flexible moccasin the standout piece from the collection. Another star of the event was the relaunch of a Bata icon: Atletico. Mainly designed by the FabLab team, along with Rubens Luciano and the Padua BISC team, Atletico really stole the show. Inspired by the Bata Heritage sports team designs, the Atletico collection featured an '80s vibe updated with contemporary flavour, with a range of laminated, patent leather, or woven uppers in pale colors on sneakers structures, bringing to mind classic sports trainers, but with a very modern twist. In addition, the new range of bags, with a total of 240 SKUs all designed to match the main shoe collection of Bata brands in terms of color, features and trends was also on display in a dedicated showroom area. Due to this strong focus and on-trend designs, the attention given to handbags increased dramatically in comparison with the previous year. Canovas, speaking after the event, commented: "This second edition of the GPR has clearly shown an improvement in the collection showcased: many new designs, strong technological families, contemporary and trendy collections with clearer concepts. We have several fantastic stories in the works, and introduced many exciting ranges: most notably Bata Atletico, a capsule collection realized through a collaboration between our BISC designers and two top Italian design studios. I believe these will go from strength to strength in supporting our growth. Now we have the right products to sweep Angela off her feet."
PRODUCT Bata Zimbabwe Introduces: Insolia On May 6, Bata Zimbabwe presented its latest collection featuring the revolutionary Insolia Heel technology. The launch event took place at the recently opened Bata store in the Arundel Village shopping center in Harare, where customers were able to see the heels in action in a catwalk show and then... A runway stage was built outside the very popular store and branded with Insolia backdrops. With its Insolia catwalk, Bata brought even more energy to the normally busy shopping mall. Popular radio personality Tendai Chakanyuka served as master of ceremonies, and the invited guests included Wadza Chitimbe, public relations manager of AgriBank. Country manager Ehsan Zaman was present along with other representatives of Bata Zimbabwe, members of the press and scores of customers. Models were selected to educate those gathered about the benefits Insolia offers women who want fashion coupled with comfort, and retail personnel were there to explain the technology in greater detail. As they enjoyed the catwalk show, Insolia leaflets were distributed to the crowd. Many women were keen to know what Insolia is all about, and a number of display areas were created in the store to allow women to try on the shoes and feel the difference for themselves. In this dynamic market, fashion-conscious customers need shoe companies to merge style and comfort, Chitimbe remarked. I believe that Bata has paved the way by being the first to bring such technology to Zimbabwe. She went on to lead all the women there in a round of applause for Bata, as Insolia would mean they no longer need to bring an extra pair of shoes with them to all functions. The day marked a significant step forward for the Bata Zimbabwe women s collection. Insolia technology has the potential to boost sales and make Bata stores a first- choice destination for the Angela businesswoman. I am confident this product will be accepted with open arms in the market, as the technology is something all women are looking for, said collections manager Moreblessing Shumba. More importantly, in this Zimbabwean economy, the price point is very attractive and definitely speaks to our brand, which offers value for money. This launch has provided our customers with lots of information about the product, and we are confident the information will spread to others.
MARKET TRENDS Tomy Takkies Takes It Further in South Africa Tomy Takkies is on the move. The brand s first large-scale photo shoot was an incredible success and the culmination of a twomonth social media campaign that drew in Tomy Takkies customers. Tomy Takkies, created in 1964, have had a vibrant comeback due to the recent demand for classic canvas brands worldwide. The recent Freestyle campaign began when Bata South Africa asked Tomy Takkies wearers on social media platforms to show off their #TomyStyle, and their selfies showed how real people create their personal style with these shoes. The winners were offered a makeover by a celebrity stylist and makeup artist and took part in a photo shoot for the brand. The photo shoot took place in a Johannesburg studio and on location in the hipster Maboneng neighborhood. It was the experience of a lifetime for the winning users of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This campaign went above and beyond expectations, allowing for a new visual identity across South Africa. The campaign not only built greater brand awareness and affinity, it was the first time the South African market began to see Tomy as a premium brand. Another goal of the campaign was to create more visual assets for the brand. The photo shoot proved to be a valuable source for generating content such as behind-thescenes footage and lifestyle imagery that is being used on various platforms to elevate the brand positioning and give Tomy Takkies a more urban feel. This visual update is allowing the brand to target different demographic groups. The results of the summer photo shoot show that the content has been seen on social media over 2.5 million times, and 68,839 people watched the video content posted to Instagram. Swastika Juggernath, marketing manager at Bata South Africa, added, "The campaign helped us to understand our Angela in her very own creative space and style, which provides valuable insights for our forthcoming marketing initiatives.
MARKET TRENDS Summer Trend: Everybody's Talking about Espadrilles and Sneakerdrilles The espadrille, traditionally a casual shoe made of a canvas or cotton upper and jute sole, has long been a favorite for the hot summer months, but for summer 2017, something of a revolution is taking place. Gone are the days when these shoes were only suitable for a casual beach look. Espadrilles a... On May 9, Courtney Thompson, writing for the Bravo TV website, penned an article on the subject, entitled: This Is the Shoe That Everyone Is Going To Be Wearing This Summer. The article highlighted the impending arrival of the espadrille as the most on-trend shoe for summer 2017, citing a loafer version by Chanel as a particularly coveted example of the new style. In addition to a wide variety of platform and wedge designs, this year also sees the emergence of a new crossover known as sneakerdrilles, a combination of espadrille and sneaker, that is also making waves among fashion-conscious customers around the globe. Of course, whatever style you're after, Bata has got you covered. Maria Wilson, posting on her blog The Classified Chic on April 12, also picked up on the central role of the style for this year. She wrote: I m going to admit that espadrilles are one of my favorite shoe trends for spring and summer 2017. While espadrille shoes have been around a very long time, designers have brought them back with all kinds of modern twists. I specifically love the variety that give height while managing to keep a comfortable fit. There are some really swanky platform and wedge styles out right now. However, this is one summer trend that is not only for women, as designers have been busy creating a wide range of espadrilles for men as well. Brands such as Hermès, Christian Louboutin and Dries Van Noten have all introduced versions of the shoe, giving men the opportunity to slap on the style along with the suncream as the weather heats up. Check out the gallery to see a selection of Bata's offerings that are perfect to complete your sexy, summer look.
MARKET TRENDS Perfect Style: Accessories for a Great Denim Look Denim jeans and jackets are an evergreen of the fashion world. They exude effortless cool, and can be worn as part of almost any type of outfit. However, the secret to getting the perfect denim look, apart from choosing the right jeans and jacket in the first place, are the accessories. Making the r... So, how should you go about picking out shoes, bags and scarves that will make your denim outfit pop? Consulting the fashion icons who are currently wearing it best is a good place to start. From global superstars such as Rihanna and Victoria Beckham, to fashion trendsetters like Gigi Hadid and Alexa Chung, this season everyone is rocking that denim look. Alexa Chung prefers to match cropped jeans with a blazer and heeled mary-janes, finishing off the look with a cross-body bag. Victoria Beckham regularly opts for a simple elegent shirt and heels or sandals when wearing jeans, while Rihanna was recently seen mixing things up at Coachella with a denim jacket and split jeans combo featuring thigh-high boots. Gigi Hadid has also been sporting denim this season, wearing turned-up jeans with a long coat, high-neck top and high heels for a more elegant appearance. Another current on-trend option is to add a touch of denim to an outfit with the accessories themselves. This season has seen designers such as Manolo Blahnik, Chiara Ferragni and Jimmy Choo offering denim shoes in a range of styles, from denim wedge sandals to floral slingbacks and slippers. A denim bag is also a great way to complete a spot-on look for this season. Browse the gallery for some of Bata's latest accessories that will fit perfectly with your favorite pair of jeans or denim jacket, giving your outfit the perfect finishing touch to help you turn heads wherever you go.
BCP BCP Pakistan Organizes Health Screening for the Community On May 6, the Bata Children s Program (BCP) Pakistan organized a hepatitis screening clinic and awareness campaign at a state high school for girls in Batapur, Lahore. The World Health Organization estimates that there are 520 million people worldwide with chronic hepatitis B or C infection, and Pakistan is among the nations most afflicted. Various factors can lead to hepatitis, or liver inflammation, and hepatitis B and C are among the main causes of severe liver disease. Given the importance of this health issue, the BCP Pakistan team planned a day of free screening for hepatitis B and C for the students of a local girls high school. The screening was extended to the girls parents and the surrounding community as well. A team including a medical officer, four paramedics and 10 BCP volunteers offered their services to make the activity a success. A total of 226 people were screened, and three tested positive for hepatitis B and seven for hepatitis C. The people who tested positive were counseled on the next steps to take in order to treat the disease. The medical officer and volunteers also held awareness sessions with the students and other visitors, giving them information about hepatitis, including its symptoms, treatment and prevention. Ayesha Kanwal was one of the participating students. I am grateful to BCP for this initiative of providing health awareness to the students, she said. Firstly, we are satisfied after the screening that we are healthy and, secondly, we can pass this knowledge on to others on how they can protect themselves against hepatitis B and C. I am confident that BCP will continue such activities in future as well.
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org) STORE Bata Pakistan Spurs Momentum for Retail Team Bata Pakistan recently held a strategy and teambuilding event attended by all area managers from across the country. Things were kept lively with brainstorming sessions, teambuilding exercises, market and store visits. To boost motivation, time was also dedicated to recognizing the retail team's eff... The meeting took place at the Bata Retail Academy in Batapur, Lahore on April 27 and 28, with the main goals of reviewing the first quarter, planning for the second and identifying new market opportunities. The focus was on key performance indicators like units per transaction, conversion rate, the Diversity business and staff productivity. Topics included the expansion of the franchise network, growing store business with cool merchandise, and personalized customer service to increase comparable store business. With the mantra product is king in mind, retail staff also had the chance to get firsthand knowledge of products by reviewing the upcoming Eid shoe line. They gave their input to the merchandising team by discussing customer preferences and current trends in different markets. The visit to the newly inaugurated store at the Packages Mall was especially appreciated, and the team had set two goals by the end of the meeting: increasing UPT with the help of crossselling, and encouraging more customers to join the Bata Club. To conclude the event, prizes were presented to the area managers and field staff who retail manager Qamber Raza defined the lifeblood of the company, those who achieved the best results in the last Bata Retail Run. Chief among these was Javaid Iqbal, who received a trophy from the hands of country manager Muhammad Qayyum. Iqbal manages the Bahria Town store, which placed first not only in Pakistan but among all Bata stores worldwide. He and his sales staff brought home two months gross salary in recognition of their achievement. Qayyum shared inspirational thoughts with the retail team, commenting, Be humble, be hungry and be the hardest worker. I believe that everyone has a certain set of skills, and by taking advantage of those skills while working together, nothing is impossible to achieve.