weekly digest - Bata World News

Transcription

NEWS FROM AROUND BATA WORLD
WEEKLY DIGEST
Bata World Digest February 19, 2016
INTERVIEWS
Q & A with Pierluigi Pontecorvo
Pierluigi Pontecorvo is company manager of Bata Singapore, and he recently spoke with Bata World
News to discuss developments, and highlight some of the initiatives that are currently underway in
his region.
MARKET TRENDS
INTERVIEWS
STORE
Bata Czech Republic Launches
Online Blog: Bata Lounge
Person of the Week: Meet Gary Yee,
Bata Awards Winner
Bata Singapore Begins Competition
for Best Store Staff
BCP China Teaches Children about
Chinese Zodiac
Bata Best Sellers: Style and Comfort with
Thailand's Classic Pump
Latam
Bata Group
Bata Group
Bata Mexico and
Employees Celebrate 25
Years Together
We Are Bata People:
Prakash Joshi Sends In
a Selfie
New Footin Website Is
a Big Step Forward
Bata Shoe Museum’s New Exhibition
Displays Rare Arctic Footwear
WEEKL Y
DIGEST
INTERVIEWS
Q & A with Pierluigi Pontecorvo
Pierluigi Pontecorvo is
company manager of Bata
Singapore, and he recently
spoke with Bata World
News to discuss
developments, and
highlight some of the
initiatives that are
currently underway in his
region.
How have you begun
2016 in Singapore?
What have you been
focusing on?
The new year has started fantastically! We
exceeded our targets for top and bottom
line, and in February we are on track to do
the same. In January we attained very good
results in BTS, and now we just passed
Chinese New Year with the same results. It
is giving the team confidence as we have
been planning this period together since
October. Our main focus is on
merchandising mix, price point, visual
merchandising, customer service, team
building and training.
What do you intend to
dedicate most time to
in 2016?
Our customers and my team are the pillars
of my belief. For this reason, my main
efforts are in the direction of creating a
good, customer-oriented work
environment. More specifically, we are
focusing on operational excellence,
customer service and refocusing on the
collection, starting from the customer's
perspective. My team and I have created
the roadmap to reach these goals, and
every team member has specific KPIs to
ensure we stay on track, and to take action
in case it is required.
In November last year,
you received a Golden
Jubilee Business
Award as company
manager of Bata
Singapore. How did
the company achieve
this?
This award was given as result of many
years of contributing to the economy of the
country. Bata has been established in
Singapore since 1931, and during this long
time it has proudly been part of the local
community, and has contributed to its
growth.
How did you feel when
you accepted the
award?
I felt, and I am still feeling, very proud.
Talking to the people who attended the
ceremony, I had the confirmation that Bata
is a well-known brand, one that is part of
everyone’s lives.
Which of the Bata Core
Values do you think
best describes your
management style?
I believe in all of the core values, and I try
to show that in every action I do. I think
that “Serve with Passion,” “Count on Me”
and “Be Bold” are those most visible in my
management style.
What changes do you
expect to see in
Singapore over the
coming year?
Regarding Bata Singapore, we have
planned, and I am expecting to see, a gain
in market share, despite a difficult
economic scenario. People rarely change
their habits. They keep spending, maybe
less, but always on their usual brands. We
are building a new collection to be sold in
an environment able to create a pleasant
shopping experience.
What is the best piece
of advice you have
received about your
job?
I have received a lot of good advice, so it is
difficult to decide which is the best. The
one I try to follow everyday is: “work hard
and with passion, and never forget that
whatever the goal set in your mind, you can
only reach it through your team.”
How would you like to
see business in
Singapore develop in
the future?
Business doesn’t happen by chance. Our
business plan for the next three years is
mainly based on the improvement of
internal processes, to be able to offer to
our customers the right shoes at the right
time, and at the right price. I firmly
believe we also need to expand, opening
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DIGEST
Q & A WITH PIERLUIGI PONTECORVO
iconic stores such as at the airport. Ideally
Bata Singapore should have 55 to 60
stores – we currently have 43 – in order to
cover all of the market, and to have more
power when buying.
What do you think will
be the most important
elements to ensure
success for Bata in the
region?
Success is the result of combined efforts
and ingredients. Like a recipe, by changing
even a small quantity of any component,
the taste may be completely different.
Business is a complex machine, and each
mechanism must play its part to ensure the
final result. Besides that, I believe people
are the key to getting anywhere. So in this
region, as everywhere, having the right
people in the right place, and with the right
support, is the key to success.
WEEKL Y
DIGEST
MARKET TRENDS
Bata Czech Republic Launches Online Blog: Bata
Lounge
Bata Czech Republic
recently launched its new
online blog called "Bata
Lounge," designed to
provide readers with
fashion tips, as well as
stories and trends from
leaders in the fashion
industry.
The word “lounge” by definition
emphasizes a mood of well-being and
relaxation. Building on this mood, the blog
aims to enhance every moment of its
readers' lives, providing inspiration and
information to assist with the eternal
question of what to wear. It has been
created by the newly established online
public relations department, managed by
the multi-channel center in Prague.
The Bata Lounge blog, which has so far
been read by over 15,000 readers, was
created mainly for Bata customers and
anyone who loves shoes. Its purpose is to
disseminate the good reputation of the
Bata brand through online media, and the
articles are divided into a variety of
interesting categories.
The first and most important category is
“Collection,” and focuses on Bata's product
portfolio. The articles cover products from
the current season, fashion trends,
timeless models and technology. Readers
can find inspiration for their purchases, as
well as useful educational information.
The "Backstage" category offers readers an
insight into the company's work and the
remarkable history of the Bata company. It
discusses the details of the complex yet
interesting buying process at Bata,
explained by Jiri Chudarek, who is in charge
of the entire Czech buying department.
The "Lifestyle" section deals with different
ways of living, and focuses more on what is
trending, while revealing interesting facts
about everyday life, culture and fashion.
The "Guests" category is a platform for
bloggers and famous personalities who
love the Bata brand and shoes. A recent
guest was Pavlina Jagrova, a famous
blogger who was invited to discuss dresscode themes.
Martin Lysoněk, head of multi-channel at
Bata Europe, commented: "The purpose of
our blog is to expand Bata’s brand
perception as a market leader in shoes and
fashion. From the perspective of building a
relationship with the brand, a blog is a
place that resonates with customers'
expectations, while also giving us a good
opportunity to address and connect with a
younger target audience."
He added: "The whole concept builds and
expands on stories that are tied to our
collections, moods and lifestyles, and is
naturally complemented by online PR’s
collaboration with leading bloggers and
vloggers. We are also doing our best to
bring this experience to our retail stores."
WEEKL Y
DIGEST
INTERVIEWS
Person of the Week: Meet Gary Yee, Bata Awards
Winner
Gary Yee is supply chain
management manager at
CFS, and together with his
team recently won the
"Count on Me" category of
the Bata Awards 2015, for
their mobile procurement
app project. Bata World
News spoke to him to hear
his thoughts on the win.
You have been with
Bata for over 10 years.
What would you say
has been your most
memorable moment?
This is my 13th year with Bata, and being
one of the pioneers of the Bata group
sourcing office based in China, there have
been many memorable moments. If I had
to pick one, I would say meeting Thomas. J.
Bata, together with Mrs. Sonja Bata, in
person for the first time in 2004. To
become a member of the big Bata family
was already a privilege, and to be able
meet the legend himself was just priceless.
You are currently
supply chain
management manager
at CFS. What do you
most enjoy about your
role?
CFS is unique in Bata, and I believe the
supply chain management department in
CFS is currently one of its kind in the Bata
organisation. A little more than two years
ago, the department did not even exist.
There were many workflows and processes
that had to be put in place in order to
ensure the department, and the centre as a
whole, functioned efficiently and smoothly.
Getting the goods to the companies on
time and at the right time is one of the
most important aspects of the sourcing
and supply chain centre, and in order to do
that, we had to reinvent ourselves and put
some critical KPIs in place to ensure we
delivered.
The current role has presented me vast
learning opportunities from day one, so I
must say that the challenges to put the
processes in place and opportunities to
learn, especially from experts like Mr.
Simon Tidball and Mr. Joseph Choi, are
what I enjoy most.
What, in your opinion,
has been the reason
for your success?
One reason is perhaps due to this simple
line: “Never say never.” This is a line I
believed in even before I joined Bata.
However, it was further affirmed after I
joined Bata, as Mr. Roberto Longo, who
provided me the opportunity to work for
Bata, also told me the same thing. I always
believe in doing what you can do at your
level best, but at the same time also
pushing a little further and working hard
creatively, as there are always
opportunities to do the job more efficiently
by putting in a little extra effort.
Apart from that, I must say that I also had
the privilege to work with some
inspirational and knowledgeable bosses
throughout my time at Bata that have given
me the opportunity to progress from
where I started.
Your mobile
procurement app
project won the
“Count on Me”
category of the Bata
Awards 2015. How
does it feel to be one
of the five category
winners?
Ecstatic! It is obviously a great feeling
knowing that we have won this category. I
wouldn’t call this “my” project, but rather a
project for all, by all, which was the
brainchild of Mr. Longo. The whole idea of
implementing this mobile application was
to create and improve a smoother and
more efficient workflow for all buyers.
Knowing that the app has been wellreceived by buyers is already a win for the
team.
What aspects of your
entry do you think
convinced people to
vote for your team's
project?
“The buyers have spoken,” I think is an
appropriate quote to use here. The userfriendliness of the app is one key aspect of
its success. The user-adoption rate speaks
for itself, as the usage report for the July
2015 SRM climbed to 97 percent, after the
app's launch in April.
WEEKL Y
DIGEST
PERSON OF THE WEEK: MEET GARY YEE, BATA AWARDS WINNER
There was a lot of
collaboration involved
in your project, both
with Bata colleagues
and with Tata
Consultancy Services.
How did this help its
development?
Everyone involved in the project helped
make it a success. The initial idea of the
mobile app came from Mr. Longo, and at
that time Tata Consultancy Services was
already working with us on the Bata
procurement system. They not only
worked with us on this, but also helped us
to set up the standard operating
procedures for the sourcing centre.
Hence, they have an in-depth
understanding of what was required for
the BPS and the mobile app.
The Group product coordinators were also
attached to CFS, and one of their main
responsibilities was to bridge
communications between CFS and Bata
companies. Being from the respective
regions of Africa, South East Asia, South
Asia and Latam, they are able to
communicate more efficiently with the
buyers from each region.
How are you feeling
about presenting your
project in Canada in
May? What are you
most excited about?
It is obviously exciting knowing that there is
an opportunity to present the project to
the board of directors in Canada. I am most
excited about presenting the project to the
directors, visiting Bata office premises in
Toronto for the first time and sharing the
success with the other award winners.
Finally, is there
anything you wish
more people knew
about CFS's role in the
Bata organization?
Yes, it would be nice if everyone
understood better what CFS is all about.
CFS is essentially a non-profit service and
support centre to the Bata organization,
providing support on product sourcing
especially to the brand team, vendor
management, costing management, order
processing, product quality assurance,
production planning and monitoring,
compliance management, logistics support
and claims management.
By organizing and coordinating the SRMs,
all Bata companies convene to select the
products prepared by the brand and
product teams, in the hope of creating
economies of scale which will translate into
better products at the right prices.
WEEKL Y
DIGEST
STORE
Bata Singapore Begins Competition for Best
Store Staff
Bata Singapore recently
announced a new contest
for store staff and
managers, awarding prizes
to those who receive the
most positive comments
from customers. The aim of
the competition is to
reward front-line staff for
their exemplary customer
service.
The member of staff with the most
recognition, in terms of compliments from
customers in a month, will be awarded a
certificate of excellence as “Star of the
Month,” and will be put into the running for
“Star of the Year.”
The winner of “Star of the Year” will receive
a special certificate, as well as the prize of a
two-day spa staycation for two people at a
Holiday Inn, 150 Singapore dollars in
shopping vouchers and a special "Star
Service" pin.
The store manager with the most
compliments will also run for “Star of the
Year,” and the winner will receive a threeday spa staycation for two people at a
Holiday Inn, 300 Singapore dollars in
shopping vouchers, and a special "Star
Service" pin.
The winning store manager for January was
Terence Tan, and stars of the month were
Jason Tan and Mohammad Syzawan. The
winning store was Ang Mo Kio Outlet, in the
north of Singapore.
Pierluigi Pontecorvo, company manager
of Bata Singapore, commented:
“Customer service is the pillar of our
business, and I strongly regard all our
colleagues at store level as the most
important people in our organization.
They are the ones that will decide if our
customers return to our stores or leave
with a frown. This initiative is to reward
and motivate our colleagues with the
passion to serve.”
WEEKL Y
DIGEST
CORPORATE
Bata Mexico and Employees Celebrate 25 Years
Together
Bata Mexico recently feted
five members of the team
who have been working for
the company for 25
continuous years.
In December, these employees each
escorted a proud family member to a
dinner at a traditional Mexican restaurant,
Antigua Hacienda de Tlalpan, in Mexico
City. They were joined by company
manager Luis Pinto, finance director Carlos
Gómez and HR manager Santiago Pazos.
The managers presented each long-serving
employee with a certificate signed by
Thomas G. Bata along with a Swiss watch
and crystal trophy.
Pinto remarked, "We express our
enormous gratitude for the contributions
made by these employees, their
dedication and loyalty to the Bata Shoe
Organization and our deepest respect for
their careers."
This year, five Bata people reached the
quarter-century milestone in Mexico. All of
them are family men with grandchildren,
and they explained to Bata World News
their loyalty to the company.
Javier Badillo participates every year in
company-organized soccer tournaments. “I
have had great satisfaction in my career as
production supervisor, and I am very
grateful to Bata for the opportunity,” he
said.
Román Mario Velázquez, label machine
operator, commented, “Working here, I feel
at home: happy, satisfied and grateful for
the opportunity to belong to this company
that has given me so much.”
Vicente Bernal, sign maker, participates in
various company programs, including the
Bata Children’s Program and soccer
tournaments. “During all these years that
I´ve been in Bata, I have always felt
supported and my work welcomed,” he
said.
Jaime Sánchez, IT manager, commented,
“Working for Bata has always made me feel
good. I am delighted with my performance
within the company, and I take each day as
a new challenge.”
Finally, Simeón Cruz, chief of molds,
summed up his 25 years: “It has been very
satisfactory working all these years in Bata.
It is a pleasant feeling because I do training
every day, and my job has given me the
opportunity to meet people from other
countries. I am happy and very grateful to
the company and all my colleagues.”
WEEKL Y
DIGEST
INTERVIEWS
We Are Bata People: Prakash Joshi Sends In a
Selfie
At the Power office in
Toronto, Canada, they don't
just talk the talk. Fitness is
a real priority, and every
day the team does a short
workout together. Prakash
Joshi filled in Bata World
News about their Fitness
Challenge.
How do you fit into the
Bata world?
I have been working for Power Athletics
Ltd. since June 1997. Currently I am the
finance director.
Who is in your selfie?
Shiv Chatterjee, global brand manager; Jim
Russell, director of the Bata Innovation Lab;
me; Trung Tran, intermediate designer; and
Ethan Lee, junior designer.
What does it show?
What is the story?
In this photo we are doing the usual boxing
cardio routine as part of our “Fitness
Challenge.” Every day at 3 p.m. we all
gather in the front lobby, play a song out
loud and exercise for five minutes. I am in
charge of reminding everyone that it’s time
to do our daily workout! After the exercises,
we are back to our desks with more energy
and ready to work even harder. If we want
to inspire everyone to be active and to have
a fitness-oriented lifestyle, we should be
the first ones to practice it. That’s what we
are doing in the picture. This is also the
perfect opportunity to spend time with
each other and to strengthen our
teamwork.
What do you like most
about your job?
I enjoy working in a multicultural
environment with team members of
diverse ages. I like the constant challenge
of making the most of our limited
resources. Finally, I am really looking
forward to taking Power to the next level of
global brand building.
Want to send in your Bata selfie? Just
email a few photos you take of yourself,
alone or with colleagues, to
[email protected]. Show off your creativity!
Photos must be horizontal, and be sure to
use the largest file size allowed on your
camera or phone.
WEEKL Y
DIGEST
MARKET TRENDS
New Footin Website Is a Big Step Forward
Footin recently launched its
new website, featuring
increased functionality and
a clean and simple design
allowing it to showcase its
products and promotions.
The new site also includes a
news section that highlights
trending topics and fashion
news from around the
globe.
The new website is part of a number of
initiatives from the regional office in order
to provide constant and more efficient
channels of communication with target
consumers.
One of the main features of the website is
that it is e-commerce ready, which will
ultimately allow Footin to be an omnichannel business, and remain up-to-date
with major market trends. The website is
managed locally, giving more control of the
content, and allowing it to work in tandem
with local marketing activities, as well as
interacting with online news.
Patricio Alegria, Footin regional
development manager, commented: “One
of the keys of our business is to be where
our consumers are, and this applies from
strategic store locations to the correct
online presence. Today, close to 50
percent of our shoppers' purchasing
decisions are influenced by online
enquiries, and more than 50 percent visit
a store after doing a quick search on their
mobile phone. This is why the new
website is fully responsive, and can adapt
and resize according to the different size
of device being used to view the page.”
Footin hopes that the new browsing
experience will increase customer
interaction, both online and offline,
allowing cross-platform communication,
from the Facebook fan page to its
Instagram and Twitter accounts.
WEEKL Y
DIGEST
BCP / SUSTAINABILITY
BCP China Teaches Children about Chinese
Zodiac
In preparation for the
Chinese New Year, eight
volunteers from the Bata
Children’s Program (BCP)
China organized an activity
with a Chinese zodiac
theme in Guangzhou, to
teach children about the
origins of the zodiac
through storytelling and
relevant hands-on
activities.
The children were excited to learn the
origins of zodiac, and they asked questions
with interest as they listened to the stories.
The volunteers taught them how to make
lanterns, and to use red paper to cut out
patterns of the Chinese zodiac. The
children then decorated the lanterns with
drawings and by cutting designs into the
paper.
During the activity, which provided valuable
understanding of an important part of
traditional Chinese culture, BCP China also
donated books and bags to the children,
rounding off a truly memorable and
educational day.
Carol He, a first-time BCP volunteer,
commented: “A warm smile is the
universal language of kindness, and
children give the warmest smiles. It
always gives me enough courage to go
ahead. I feel very happy with these
children.”
WEEKL Y
DIGEST
PRODUCT
Bata Best Sellers: Style and Comfort with
Thailand's Classic Pump
For over eight years, Bata
Thailand's Classic Pump has
been a favorite with Thai
women for both office and
university wear. Its simple
elegance, competitive price
and high level of comfort
makes it a natural choice
for a variety of situations.
First launched in 2008, the Classic Pump is
available in black, and has an insole that
massages the wearer's feet thanks to its
bubble design. It is sold in both City and
Family stores as it is popular with both
rural and urban customers alike. This can
also be seen from the sales, with 35,000
pairs being sold every year.
The shoe is made from PU and is available
in three different heights, to provide a
perfect fit for any occasion. With a retail
price of just 499 Thai baht, it is also
affordable for everyone in its target group.
Naruporn Potivongsajarn, merchandising
manager of Bata Thailand, commented:
"This is a popular shoe for university
students and officers: comfortable and
easy to wear every day. It has served
customers for over eight years, and we
always repeat production of these pumps,
to keep up with customer demand."
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
WEEKL Y
DIGEST
CORPORATE
Bata Shoe Museum’s New Exhibition Displays
Rare Arctic Footwear
On Feb. 10, the Bata Shoe
Museum opened its newest
exhibition, “Art &
Innovation: Traditional
Arctic Footwear from the
Bata Shoe Museum
Collection.” Drawing from
the museum’s extensive
circumpolar holdings and
building on information
gathered during museumfunded research trips to
Arctic nations, the
exhibition offers rare
examples of footwear,
clothing and tools from the
From inventive technologies skillfully used
to ensure survival and comfort to intricate
decorative techniques used to proclaim
cultural identity, the incredible range of
circumpolar attire featured is a stunning
testament to the art and technology of
dress found in the Arctic.
At the top of the world, the Arctic spans
over 14 million square kilometers. The
landscapes of this circumpolar expanse
may seem harsh and inhospitable, yet the
region is home to over 40 distinct cultural
groups. These communities have thrived
for centuries by creating sophisticated
clothing that has allowed them to embrace
the unique opportunities and surmount the
challenges of living in the Arctic.
The circumpolar collection of the Bata Shoe
Museum in Toronto, Canada is the result of
the vision of founder Sonja Bata, the
fieldwork of several adventurous scholars
and the generosity of makers from across
the Arctic. From the 1970s to the 1990s, the
Bata Shoe Museum Foundation supported
research trips to the Arctic with two
important objectives: to collect examples of
footwear and clothing and to learn directly
from makers about the ways in which Arctic
footwear and clothing is produced and
worn.
“When I founded the Bata Shoe Museum,
my vision was to establish a global center
of knowledge on the history of footwear
and shoemaking,” Mrs. Bata said. “I was
particularly determined, in our fastchanging world, to contribute to the
documentation of indigenous shoe
patterns and designs. I wanted to
understand how this footwear was made
by local craftspeople, what the locally
available materials were and how their
patterns and decorative treatments
reflected local cultures and customs.
“As a Canadian institution, we funded field
research trips to the Canadian Arctic, but
we also selected several diverse
circumpolar regions and sent field
researchers to Greenland, Alaska, eastern
and western Siberia and Sápmi, the Sami
homeland. Every one of these shoes has a
story to tell.”
The objects in the exhibition were collected
in the field directly from the makers and
wearers, who shared their knowledge with
museum researchers through interviews
and demonstrations. The exhibit’s guest
curators, University of Manitoba professors
Jill Oakes and Rick Riewe, conducted the
majority of these field trips and, through
their efforts, have helped the museum
amass an extraordinarily rich and diverse
Arctic collection.
“Living, traveling on the land and working
with Inuit in the field, we were introduced
to the meaning and importance of
traditional clothing, footwear and tools,”
said Jill Oakes and Rick Riewe. “As one
hunter in Arviat explained, his skin clothing
was more important than his skidoo or
gun. Our research focuses on facilitating
the sharing of northern peoples’ stories
that their clothing tell and documenting
diversity throughout the circumpolar
region.”
The opening of “Art & Innovation” coincides
with the Bata Shoe Museum’s yearlong
celebration of its 20th anniversary, once
again showcasing the museum’s role as a
world‐renowned cultural institution
dedicated to exploring the role of footwear
in society. This beautiful and extraordinary
exhibition is semi‐permanent.

weekly digest - Bata World News

Transcription

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