Weekly Digest - Bata World News

World Digest
Bata World Digest July 17, 2015
Weekly Digest
News from around Bata World
AT A GLANCE
Eid Wholesale Collection
Launched with Fashion
Show in Pakistan
BCP Bangladesh Boosts
Health of Disadvantaged
Children
Chilean Execs Weigh In
on Copa America Win
Bata Retail Race: Quarterly Winners in Kenya
The largest Bata store in Africa, known as MBK, has matched its stature by
amassing the highest number of points in the first quarter of the Bata Retail Race
in the region.
Q & A with Faviola Alvarez
Hundreds Honored at
Bata Bangladesh Long
Service Awards
New E-Commerce and Famous
Brands Offices for Bata India
Two Great Years of Bata
World News
Special Initiatives for South
American Tournament
Reach Fans and Employees
Thomas G. Bata Meets
Interchange Staff and
Management Trainees in
India
World Digest
Bata World Digest July 17, 2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
The largest Bata store in
Africa, known as MBK,
has matched its stature
by amassing the highest
number of points in the
first quarter of the Bata
Retail Race in the region.
STORE
BATA Group
Bata Retail Race: Quarterly
Winners in Kenya
To counter intense competition from
other stores, the store manager, Julius
Githaiga, challenges his team in a daily
morning meeting to work together to
achieve the synergy that matters at
the end of the day. As Nairobi’s go-to
store, the team ensures it puts
forward the perfect image of Bata.
Meticulous presentation, merchandise
arrangement, a customer experience
to “wow” and the good performance
that comes with doing the right things.
To keep tabs on the race, Githaiga has
downloaded the Bata Retail Race app
and keeps his team constantly up on
the latest, encouraging them to make
that “extra little push.”
MBK, which opened in January, has a
total of 24 team members. A chat with
one, Doris Thuku, revealed that the
competition has trickled down to the
sales staff. With the introduction of
the race, she has realized important
aspects that she has to nurture so as
to grow the business. For instance,
she has to keep her category in tiptop condition, fully implement her 5
Steps training, and pamper those she
serves to ensure she converts as
many customers walking into the
store as possible. The “passion to
serve” has been boosted for the whole
team.
Retail and marketing manager Zil
Hasnain is happy with MBK’s
performance and the impact that the
Bata Retail Race is having on the
entire company.
“It is not so much about the
competition; it is about the stores’
performance and the universal
goals of the company. This race
provides the necessary motivation
to realizing what is required of us:
customer experience which
translates into sales.”
At MBK, everyone knows very well that
victory is not assured, with other
stores breathing down their necks,
only a few points behind. They are
determined to put in more effort to
maintain their momentum. Kenya is a
racing nation and this race will be tight
right to the finish line!
World Digest
Bata World Digest July 17, 2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
The Bata World News
team caught up with
Faviola Alvarez,
merchandising manager
at Bata Bolivia, who
shared her insights into
the role.
INTERVIEWS
BATA Group
Q & A with Faviola Alvarez
How long have you been
with Bata Bolivia, and what
do you appreciate most
about the company?
I have been with Bata Bolivia nine
years, since July 17, 2006. Bata is a
company that allows for your growth,
and not just in your professional life.
Also as a human, it gives you the
opportunity to show how much you
are capable of doing, and it very much
takes into account the commitment
and effort you put into each one of
your assignments.
What was your path to
becoming a merchandising
manager?
I started working as a visual
merchandiser; after that I worked as a
distributor for the children's category;
the next step was purchasing. Initially I
worked as a sports buyer, for almost
three years, and after that, I was a
ladies buyer. All of these steps
brought me to my current role as
merchandising manager.
What do you enjoy most
about your current position?
It is a mix of everything. On one
side it is all about trends, picking
the most commercial collection for
our market, in terms of colors,
designs, etc. And on the other side
is the analytical part, which is also
very interesting: reading historic
sales, looking for a better margin,
and making decisions in order to
improve sales.
What is your top priority at
work this summer?
Our first priority is offering our
customers the best option in terms of
trend and price. Trying to meet
demand and gain an advantage on
our competitors through a good
collection.
Which trend was important
in Bolivia last quarter?
Normally in Bolivia, we try to have a
big core collection, with basic articles,
most of which are best sellers. We
also play with a few lines in order to
show trends in our stores. Last
quarter we had a slice of the "Ethnic”
trend, and for sure it did really well –
we had articles that sold 42 percent of
stock in four weeks.
And which upcoming trends
are you focused on?
For the last two quarters of 2015, we
are presenting the "Jungle” trend in
our stores, which contains fabrics and
details in animal print. And the "Glam
Rock” trend, which contains black
shoes with stud and diamond details.
Another trend will be "Color." We will
highlight royal blue, with handbags
presented in our stores to match
everything from flats to dress shoes.
World Digest
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
Q & A with Faviola Alvarez
Part of Bata’s mission is: “We
help people to look and feel
good, by continuously
focusing on product quality,
innovation and value.” How
does that apply to what you
do?
merchandising manager also needs
experience, and to know about our
business, because many times a day,
we have to respond to doubts and
make decisions in order to find a
better solution, for the company and
for the buyer. We also need to have a
strong ability to motivate.
We do our best in order to have good
materials and good fit in our stores.
This characteristic of the shoe is
incredibly important: If the fit is bad,
even if the shoe is good, we will not
sell. For sure our desire is that the
costumer has the best shopping
experience in our store, feeling good
about our product, and with the
certainty that they will come back for
more.
For the Radio Bata World
playlist, what is your all-time
favorite song?
What sets Bata apart from
competitors in Bolivia?
Retail in Bolivia is not completely
developed. We are the biggest shoe
company across the country, but we
know that this is not enough to
maintain our customers. Because of
this, we are working on sales service,
and giving our clients the experience
of paying the best price for the best
shoe.
What does it take to be a
good merchandising
manager?
I think that you learn every day, which
is the best way to guide a buying
team. For sure, each one of the
buyers is as different as the product
categories. Each buyer has
weaknesses and strengths, and a
merchandising manager needs to
know the composition of the team. A
It’s an oldie: the name of it is
"Fantasy," by Earth, Wind and Fire.
Bata World Digest July 17, 2015
World Digest
Bata World Digest July 17, 2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
Bata India recently
inaugurated its new ecommerce and famous
brands offices in
Guragon, near New
Delhi.
CORPORATE
BATA Group
New E-Commerce and
Famous Brands Offices for
Bata India
The new office has been designed on
an open-space format, to offer
employees a comfortable
environment for sharing thoughts,
ideas and opinions. The office creates
an aesthetically pleasing ambience,
with great attention to detail regarding
the ceiling, flooring, lighting and
fixtures. Divided into two floors, the
space is allocated to e-commerce,
wholesale and loyalty on one floor,
and famous brands on the other.
The e-commerce space has a
dedicated area for product display,
with a separate corner for the photo
shoot area. With the increasing
demand for Bata offerings across
online retailing channels, the ecommerce team is aiming to triple the
business in the coming year.
The team has recently expanded to
bring in people with expertise across
the content, merchandising and
business development areas. The
content team will be focused on
creating engaging consumer content,
while the merchandising and business
development teams will work on
creating an appealing product
portfolio, thereby generating higher
business volume and revenues,
through multiple business alliances.
To keep up with the new era of
connected consumers, Bata India has
also released its official mobile app.
The merchandising team will soon
launch exclusive product lines which
will only be available online, on the
websites of Bata India and other
leading players.
The famous brands area is a uniquely
designed pop-up concept, featuring all
brand stores for display and previews.
Brands like Naturalizer, Footin and
Hush Puppies will be able to showcase
their latest collections using the highquality displays.
The Caterpillar pop-up shop has been
carefully created to display the
merchandise with an innovative store
concept, imitating the look and feel of
how the store itself will look, when it is
completed near the end of the year.
The team is also working on the Batabranded collection, and will soon roll
out the Bata brand showroom in the
office.
Rajeev Gopalakrishnan, Group
managing director of South Asia,
commented: “The new office looks
great, with independent pop-up
stores of different famous brands.
It gives us a great opportunity to
create a dummy store every time a
new campaign or collection is
launched. The team is already
working on the Bata brand store,
which will soon be launched in the
same office.”
World Digest
Bata World Digest July 17, 2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
On June 25, at the Army
Golf Club in Dhaka, Bata
Bangladesh proudly
presented Long Service
Awards to 363
recipients, including
management and
workers, who have
dedicated 25 years of
their working lives to the
service of the company.
CORPORATE
BATA Group
Hundreds Honored at Bata
Bangladesh Long Service
Awards
The recipients received their awards
from Rajeev Gopalakrishnan, Group
managing director of South Asia;
Chitpan Kanhasiri, company manager
of Bata Bangladesh; Sohail Aslam,
finance director, and other senior
company managers, in front of a large
crowd of around 1,000 attendees.
The special ceremony was also
witnessed by all company managers,
along with their partners. The
recipients were presented with a
certificate, personally signed by
Thomas G. Bata, a crest, a dinner set
and a saree. After the presentations,
there was a gala dinner for all present.
In addition, three recipients were
honored posthumously.
During his address, Gopalakrishnan
stated: “I congratulate all my 363
colleagues who have completed 25
years in the organization. On behalf
of the entire Bata Group
management, I thank them for
their loyalty and dedication in
contributing to the growth of the
organization for the past 25 years.
We are all proud of you.
He added: “I also take this opportunity
to thank the families of the recipients
who have silently but wholeheartedly
supported their endeavor. I will be
completing 25 years next year, and
during these years I have seen good
times and not so good ones in the
Group. However, by dint of our
determination and grit, we have been
able to cross the hurdles. This has
been possible thanks to contributions
from each one of you. I am sure Bata
Bangladesh will keep up the spirit,
going higher and higher.”
Kanhasiri also congratulated those
receiving awards, commenting: “I am
proud to hand over the awards to my
colleagues, and thank them and their
families for their outstanding
contribution to the company over the
past 25 years. I also call upon the new
generation to emulate the values and
virtues that have helped these people
to travel so far within the company.”
Aslam, who was one of those receiving
an award, thanked Bata for having
nurtured him in his career with the
company. He stated: “On behalf of all
the recipients, I express my gratitude
to the management of Bata
Bangladesh, and I am honored to
receive this award. I wish to see more
and more people enhancing their
careers with the Group.”
The management of Bata Bangladesh
also gave special thanks to the 40
volunteers who worked hard to make
the event a success.
World Digest
Bata World Digest July 17, 2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
As Bata World News
celebrates the
completion of its second
year, we take a look
back at this success
story.
CORPORATE
BATA Group
Two Great Years of Bata
World News
BWN carries on an extraordinary
lineage. Bata already had its own
press when it was based in the
original town of Zlin, and the whole
collection of these newspapers has
been digitized in the Czech state
archives. When Bata expanded,
companies then started their own
local newsletters in places such as
Kenya, India, the Netherlands and
France.
But BWN has gone beyond its
ancestors to allow, much more quickly
and easily than ever, the sharing of
ideas, projects and identity among all
Bata people.
“We started this project in 2013 to be
a tool useful to everyone across the
organization, and the structure of
Bata World News has continued to
develop since then. Even outsiders
look up articles – I’m asked about my
BWN interview sometimes,”
commented Davide Zornetta, Group
director of human resources.
“And when I visit Bata companies
around the world, people are already
familiar with projects I bring up. If I
mention a new store in Zambia, they
will say in South Africa, ‘Oh yes, I read
about it in Bata World News.’”
What has been the most-read article
over the past two years? One about
Bata’s truly unique heritage: the
innovative “elevator office” used at Zlin
headquarters in 1930s
Czechoslovakia. Over 5,000 different
users have clicked on this article.
Other popular topics have been the
Bata Awards, executive interviews,
announcements from the CEO and
product launches.
BWN has grown to be Bata’s main
portal for binding the Group
together and keeping employees
up-to-date and inspired by the
latest goings-on around the Bata
world. Bata is again at the forefront
of company communications.
We know that more and more Bata
people are visiting the BWN website,
where two new articles are published
daily in English and Spanish, and
eagerly await the digest in their email
inboxes on Fridays. Not only that,
direct participation in the project
keeps growing: BWN articles and
images are being shared on a host of
social media, and the team
appreciates the news sent in by each
and every Bata company around the
world. With this collaborative effort
and dedicated team, the future of
BWN is bright.
World Digest
Bata World Digest July 17, 2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
This year’s Copa
America, the main
international football
tournament for national
teams in South America,
was held in Chile from
June 11 to July 4,
captivating millions of
fans and the general
public alike.
CORPORATE
BATA Group
Special Initiatives for South
American Tournament
Reach Fans and Employees
Power put together a collection of
football shoes in the colors of the
most popular teams: Argentina, Brazil
and Chile. These shoes will be
available in stores in Chile until the
football fever dies down.
The brand supported the sale of this
collection by developing special
artwork for use in stores, social media
and elsewhere. The visuals translate
the lines of the shoes’ upper design
into works of art that reflect the
tournament's energy and excitement.
The result is a colorful masterpiece
that has grabbed consumers'
attention and encouraged team pride.
Power also developed a contest on
social media for the occasion,
targeting Latin American consumers.
A pair of Power Copa America shoes
was given away to a qualified
contestant who happened to come
from Chile, just as the Chilean team
took home gold.
Bata Chile also rode the wave of Copa
America enthusiasm by holding a
contest. It rolled out a “Soccer Selfies”
contest for its employees, asking them
to encourage the Chilean team
through photos. Did they ever!
Chilean “Batinos,” as they call
themselves, snapped photos of
themselves in stores, at games and
with their families. Employees
participated from stores, distribution
centers and offices all over the
country.
A jury then made a selection of the
selfies that best reflected the fan
spirit. The No. 1 prize went to a Bata
store located in southern Temuco,
whose entry communicated powerful
energy.
The store manager, César Contreras,
said the contest was very entertaining.
"Besides being enthusiastic about the
fate of Chile in the Copa, we joined
together as a group, we agreed on fan
hats, and we planned the photo in
detail," he said. As the team cheered,
they included in the shot a photo of
the model Carolina "Pampita"
Ardohain, the face of Bata Chile in
2015, making it look as though she
was part of the group.
When the national team won,
everyone certainly felt their cheering
had paid off.
Paula Moreno, Bata Chile’s human
resources manager, commented, "This
kind of initiative reinforces a good
atmosphere on teams and aligns us
with the general feeling of unity
through competitive sports."
World Digest
Bata World Digest July 17, 2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
Bata Pakistan’s latest Eid
wholesale collection was
recently unveiled in an
unprecedented event
for dealers.
MARKET TRENDS
BATA Group
Eid Wholesale Collection
Launched with Fashion
Show in Pakistan
On June 6, top 100 dealers,
wholesalers and participants of the
Dealers' Support Program from all
over Pakistan attended the collection
launch at the Royal Palm Golf and
Country Club in Lahore.
For the first time, the wholesale
department organized a fashion show
to display the collection, and this
approach was much appreciated by
attendees. The latest shoe designs
were exciting to look at and instantly
caused a bit of a stir in the market.
In previous years, such collections
were displayed on tables, limiting the
ability of onlookers to appreciate the
shoes. This year’s glamorous fashion
show set a precedent for how
customers can be engaged on an
aesthetic level. On the catwalk, the
models did full justice to the brand
and its stylish products.
Shoe catalogues were also distributed
to customers who enjoyed the show
and took keen interest in the
collection.
This innovative marketing strategy
paid off, and Bata Pakistan’s
management team congratulated the
wholesale team on the new initiative.
Company manager Muhammad
Qayyum commented, “It is the first
time in the history of the wholesale
shoe business in Pakistan that a
fashion show has been organized
to launch a new shoe line, and I am
sure it will help us carry our
upcoming Eid business beyond
expectations.”
World Digest
Bata World Digest July 17, 2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
The Bata Children’s
Program (BCP)
Bangladesh recently lent
a helping hand in an
important health
campaign in the country
called “Vitamin A Plus.”
BCP / SUSTAINABILITY
BATA Group
BCP Bangladesh Boosts
Health of Disadvantaged
Children
Upwards of 15 Bata employees
volunteered with BCP Bangladesh for
a daylong Vitamin A Plus program.
The team was in charge of a
vaccination center in the Mazar
slum near Tongi. Over eight hours,
the volunteers helped hundreds of
children take vitamin A and
communicated a health message to all
the children’s parents about balanced
nutrition at every age.
The ministry said the incidence of
blindness has dropped significantly in
Bangladesh since the Vitamin A Plus
campaign was first implemented.
Records show that 3.76 percent of
children were affected by blindness
due to vitamin A deficiency in 1982,
but currently that number is only 0.04
percent.
Health workers and volunteers
administered the vitamin A capsules
at 100,000 health centers as well as
20,000 mobile centers set up for this
purpose around the country.
Representatives of the health ministry
expressed their heartfelt thanks to
BCP for its active participation. One of
the enthusiastic volunteers, Sadia
Afroz Shimu, responded, “We loved
the opportunity we were given to
participate in this program and would
gladly come back and volunteer
again!”
World Digest
Bata World Digest July 17, 2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
Wherever they live
around the world,
Chileans all celebrated
on July 4 when, for the
first time in a long
tournament history,
their football team
finally took home the
Copa America.
CORPORATE
BATA Group
Chilean Execs Weigh In on
Copa America Win
Justo Fuentes, Group managing
director of Latam; Hernan Vizcaya,
Group managing director of Africa;
Carlos Casanello, Bata Industrials and
institutions manager for Asia and
Africa; and Marcos Canovas, Bata
brand leader, all described themselves
as La Roja fans, if not fanatics.
BWN: Do you normally
follow the Copa America?
Are you a big fan of the
sport?
Fuentes: Yes, I am a soccer fanatic. As
you probably know, in all Latin
American countries the most popular
sport is soccer. Copa America and the
World Cup are really important events
for all Latam people that many people
follow with a passion.
Vizcaya: I am a big fan of football, and
I followed the Copa America too. I
downloaded an app on my mobile to
know the precise details of all the
matches and performances.
Casanello: Yes, I am a big football fan.
I normally follow all the most
important championships in the
world. Copa America and, of course,
the Champions League, Premier
League, La Liga in Spain, Chilean Cup,
etc. And also I am following the Dutch
League. I am lucky because the local
team here in Eindhoven, called PSV,
will play the Champions League this
year.
Canovas: Yes, I like football a lot, and I
normally follow Copa America.
BWN: Did you watch the
finals? What was the
highlight of the game for
you?
Fuentes: Yes, of course. The highlight
for me is this: teamwork is the most
important aspect to be winners.
Acting as a unified team is more
important than individual talented
people acting alone. Teams with clear
strategy and objectives win the battle.
It really was an honest battle, played
at a very high level due to the
participation of the best soccer
players in the world.
Vizcaya: I couldn't watch the finals
because I was flying at the time. I
traveled on Saturday, July 4 from
South Africa to Chile. But as soon as I
arrived I turned on my mobile and
checked WhatsApp to see the result,
and was good news for me. I had the
chance to see the highlights, and for
me the best was Alexis Sanchez’s
penalty execution. He shot the ball like
a master.
Casanello: Yes, I watched the final.
Tough game. Argentina have a long
history with plenty of cups, and one of
the best players in the world, and also
they were finalists in the most recent
World Cup. But I said to a lot of my
friends: "It's now or never." Chile has
been playing well for a long time, with
a good generation of players and one
good coach. We were at home, and
45,000 people were supporting the
team. But I must say something: We
were saved at the last minute of
World Digest
Bata World Digest July 17, 2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
Chilean Execs Weigh In on Copa America Win
regulation time, at 91 minutes. [Lionel]
Messi started an attack – he passed
the ball to [Ezequiel] Lavezzi, center to
[Gonzalo] Higuain, and this player
missed the goal by 30 centimeters. It
was a real save for Chile. After that I
said, “Now we have everything to win.
The planets are aligned for us.”
Canovas: Yes, I saw the final, and the
highlight was the penalty shootout:
the tension was extreme. Full time
finished 0-0, and then each team did
five kicks from the penalty mark. Chile
came out ahead 4-1!
BWN: Where were you when
the Chilean team won?
Fuentes: I was at home watching the
match with my little son Benjamin.
Vizcaya: On the plane.
Casanello: I was in the hotel where I
live in Eindhoven, Netherlands. I
started warming up – "previa" – three
hours before the game. That’s when I
took the photo above.
Canovas: I was lucky because I arrived
in Chile the same day as the match,
and I saw the match with family and
friends at our home. I had gone to
Chile to pick up my family to come to
Prague, where we are relocating.
BWN: How did you celebrate
Chile’s win?
Fuentes: We celebrated Chile’s first
Copa America title by honking in the
streets – very, very happily.
Vizcaya: I was alone at that time, and
the way to feel the victory was reading
the news and watching videos of the
match: the penalties and the
celebration afterward in my country.
Casanello: I was alone in the room,
but connected through Skype with my
families in Chile. When Chile kicked
the last penalty, I started jumping and
shouting very loudly. That was at
approximately 1 a.m. Dutch time. I
think I woke up the entire hotel! But
really it was a great sensation and lots
of happiness. The next day I wore my
official red Chilean shirt walking
downtown for two hours. I was really
proud to wear this shirt, and I received
a lot of congratulations from Dutch
and foreign people who also watched
the game the previous night.
Canovas: We had a great celebration
at home with music.
BWN: What was the best
thing about this victory?
Fuentes: It is an important message
that, with huge sacrifice, you can get
victories. The Chilean team has many
players from poor backgrounds who
couple their talent with highly
disciplined work. Young generations
can learn now that you can be
winners if you work hard.
Vizcaya: For me the victory was the
consequence of teamwork, planning
and being convinced that you can win.
Casanello: It’s the first time winning
this cup in its 99 years of history, and
we have a good generation of players
that can also win the Confederation
Cup. After a bad year, this kind of
victory is generating some positivism
across the entire country – 17 million
people are happy with this victory.
Canovas: The best thing is that Copa
America is a very old championship,
and this is the first time Chile has won.
It was special to see all the people
celebrating, all together, without any
problems, just as one united nation.
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World Digest
Bata World Digest July 17, 2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
As part of his recent visit
to India in June, Thomas
G. Bata met with Bata
India's new
management trainees,
along with staff taking
part in the Bata
Interchange program in
India.
CORPORATE
BATA Group
Thomas G. Bata Meets
Interchange Staff and
Management Trainees in India
Bata India has hired its first set of
management trainees from a range of
renowned business schools and
design institutes, and these trainees
are now attending a carefully
designed induction program for 6
months, before beginning their
management roles in earnest within
the organization.
Mr. Bata, along with Rajeev
Gopalakrishnan, Group managing
director of South Asia, spent time with
the management trainees at Bata
India's retail training academy. The
interactive session primarily revolved
around stores, buying mechanisms
and innovative digital-selling and
promotion concepts that can be
implemented within the organization.
The trainees also talked about their
own individual experiences with the
brand, and what changes they would
like to bring to the organization in the
future.
Gopalakrishnan commented: “The
management trainees were delighted
to meet Mr. Bata during his visit. It was
a great opportunity for them to meet
and interact with him at this early
stage in their career.”
Mr. Bata also met the current Bata
Interchange program staff for a
working lunch during his visit. The
program offers Bata staff the
opportunity to work in a different
company for a period of six months,
to gain experience and to learn new
ideas. Currently attending the
program in India are: Piyachat
Boonluea, shoeline builder from
Thailand; Lee Guang Rong Robin,
district manager from Singapore;
Sifiso Berry Hlongwane, ABU
supervisor from South Africa and
Jorge Sanchez, men’s category buyer
from Peru.
During the lunch meeting, Mr. Bata
discussed with them the opportunities
within each country and the growth of
e-commerce. The team also shared
their learnings from the program in
India and the best practices from each
business area, which they will take
back and implement in their
respective countries.
Gopalakrishnan added: “The
interchange program is a great way
to learn and exchange knowledge
and best practices within countries.
The interchange employees were
pleased to meet Mr. Bata during his
last visit to the country. It was a
fantastic platform for them to
share their experiences and
takeaways from Bata India.”