New Delhi: Leading footwear retailer Bata India on Wednesday said it will open 40 retail stores across the country in the first quarter of this calendar year as a part of its expansion plans.
“We have finalised locations for setting up 40 stores, which will come up in the first quarter of 2009,” Bata vice-president (Marketing and Customer Service) Manoj Chandra said.
He, however, declined to comment on the investments.
The company is targeting tier-I and -II cities like Sonepat, Kota, Jodhpur, Ludhiana and Kakinada.
“We are looking at strengthening our presence in tier-I and -II cities. All these stores will be company-owned,” he said.
Bata is the country’s largest footwear retailer and has a market share of over 20% in the organised sector. It has more than 1,200 stores across 400 cities.
The company has opened over 150 new large format stores since 2006 and plans to open 60 stores every year.