Bata World Digest September 18, 2015

World Digest
Bata World Digest September 18, 2015
Weekly Digest
News from around Bata World
AT A GLANCE
Indian Consumer
Research Crowns Bata
“Most Trusted” and
“Most Attractive”
BCP Uganda Make
Marathon Effort for
Sanyu Babies Home
Bata Best Sellers:
Switzerland's Iconic
Ballerina Has It All
Q & A with Rafael Salardi
Following his appointment earlier this year as Bata Peru's first human resources
manager, Bata World News interviewed Rafael Salardi to learn his opinions
regarding his role, and to hear about the projects he is currently working on.
Bata Club Program Launched in
Indonesia
Bata Retail Race: Pit
Stop with a District
Manager in Pakistan
Bata Club and New Technology
Hand in Hand in Pakistan
Serving the Community:
An Interview with Lisha
Pithamber
Visit of Justo Fuentes to
Toronto Gives Teams
Valuable Insight
We Are Bata People:
Hansi Manila Sends In a
Selfie
World Digest
Bata World Digest September 18,
2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
Following his
appointment earlier this
year as Bata Peru's first
human resources
manager, Bata World
News interviewed Rafael
Salardi to learn his
opinions regarding his
role, and to hear about
the projects he is
currently working on.
INTERVIEWS
BATA Group
Q & A with Rafael Salardi
How did you become human
resources manager at Bata
Peru?
I joined the company seven months
ago as HR Manager.
What are your main
responsibilities?
I am responsible for all HR processes,
such as recruiting and selection,
onboarding, training, compensation
and benefits, payroll, etc. I am also the
local Bata Children's Program
coordinator.
In your opinion, what
qualities are necessary to be
a good human resources
manager?
I believe that it is a combination of
experience and knowledge of the HR
function, involvement in the business,
passion and the right attitude. A good
HR manager has to have a broad
knowledge of all aspects of HR
management, be close to the business
in order to propose ideas and make
decisions that add value, be
passionate about their job and, of
course, the most important aspect is
to always have a positive attitude with
people.
What is the best piece of
advice you have been given
about your job?
Get to know the people and the
business.
One of the Bata Core Values
is “Improving Lives.” How
are you able to achieve this
in your role?
I believe that "improving lives" is
precisely one of the key objectives of
human resources. Everything we do at
HR is done focusing on people. Trying
to make a contribution every day, no
matter how small or how big that
contribution actually is, we always
keep in mind that it has to add value
to people and to the business.
How do you collaborate with
your colleagues both in Peru
and abroad?
Through open communication and
the right advisory on HR topics. I see
my colleagues in Peru as my internal
clients and therefore I have to always
be available to provide them with a
quality service. In the case of my
colleagues abroad, we have been very
lucky to get to know each other
personally in a couple of regional
meetings we have attended. It really
makes a difference to put a face to a
name or a voice. We have created
Whatsapp groups for Latam HR and
Latam BCP so we are connected all
the time, coordinating actions, sharing
ideas and best practices.
What is the most
challenging aspect of your
role, and how do you deal
with it?
World Digest
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
Q & A with Rafael Salardi
The most challenging aspect of my
role is to demonstrate and
communicate to people what HR is all
about. I am the first HR manager in
the company after more than 70
years, so people have very little idea
about how HR can contribute to the
organization. There is a lot to be done,
it's a step by step process.
Are there any projects that
you have been involved in
that have been particularly
important to you?
I have recently been involved in the
new BataMe project as a champion for
the Latam region. I am happy to be
involved in the deployment of a great
digital platform that will change and
improve the way we work and
communicate across the company.
What qualities do you think
set Bata apart from its
competitors?
Our history, our legacy. We are
pioneers in this business, and we have
to take advantage of that in the
market. Not all competitors can
proudly say that they "make great
shoes accessible to everyone."
For generations, Bata people
have come from diverse
backgrounds and traveled
around the world. What is
your favorite food, either
from your home country or
abroad?
I like all kinds of food: Chinese,
Japanese, Thai, Italian, Cuban, etc., but
perhaps my favorite is the Peruvian
ceviche.
Bata World Digest September 18,
2015
World Digest
Bata World Digest September 18,
2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
Bata Indonesia began
implementing its inhouse Bata Club
program in May this
year, in order to provide
additional benefits to its
current customers, and
attract new shoppers
through special offers
and incentives.
CORPORATE
BATA Group
Bata Club Program
Launched in Indonesia
The new program uses a cardless
system, with customers' mobile
telephone numbers acting as their
identification.
customer traffic into stores, improve
the percentage of loyal customers,
raise brand loyalty and increase
company sales.
Points are awarded based on
customer purchases, and these are
divided into three tiers, A, B and C.
The scheme is currently operational in
125 stores across the country, and
this number will soon be increasing to
include more of the company's sales
outlets.
Carlos Garces, company manager
of Bata Indonesia, commented: “I
believe Bata Club will be of great
business potential in the future,
and we will continue to focus on
providing the best customer service
for our loyal customers.”
The company is also actively seeking
to expand its customer database,
working with other companies and
shopping malls in the country, in
order to add to the 15,000 members
currently signed up to the program.
Benefits of the scheme include points
rewards and birthday specials, as well
as themed events on days such as
Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and
Father's Day, along with special
Christmas and Eid promotions.
The aim of the program is to increase
World Digest
Bata World Digest September 18,
2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
It is very important for
any business to know
about customer
requirements and
preferences, and to
monitor this information
closely.
CORPORATE
BATA Group
Bata Club and New
Technology Hand in Hand
in Pakistan
It is generally considered that
acquiring a new customer costs five to
10 times more than doing business
with existing ones, and loyal
customers spend 60 percent more
than new customers.
In light of the above, Bata Pakistan has
introduced a web-based loyalty
program application, integrated with
POS, which records, in real time, all
customer transactions through the
customer's mobile number. The
customer is rewarded with points
worth 5 percent of their purchase
value, and each point is worth 1
Pakistani rupee. The simplicity of this
setup is a key feature, as it makes the
system much more appealing to those
that use it.
Muhammad Qayyum, company
manager of Bata Pakistan stated: “I
shall quote the saying of Sam
Walton, founder of Walmart, who
said: 'There is only one boss. The
customer. And he can fire
everybody in the company from the
chairman on down, simply by
spending his money somewhere
else.'”
Customer convenience has been
management's top priority since
offering Bata Club membership to its
valued customers. Customers can not
only register while making a purchase
at a store, but can also join the Bata
Club simply by sending an SMS with
their name to a designated number. In
reply, an automated confirmation
message is shared with the customer.
These loyalty transactions are then
translated into a business intelligent
report with help of a CRM dashboard.
World Digest
Bata World Digest September 18,
2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
The Bata World News
team talked to Abdur
Rauf Aslam, district
manager at Bata
Pakistan, about how the
Bata Retail Race is going
in his district.
STORE
BATA Group
Bata Retail Race: Pit Stop
with a District Manager in
Pakistan
How did you first learn
about the Bata Retail Race?
I learned about Bata Retail Race
during our Annual Sales Conference
held at Batapur, Lahore. A special
session was organized by our Bata
Retail Race coordinator to launch the
race. All the district managers were
informed in detail about the rules and
regulations of the race and the
rewards and recognitions for the
winners. I considered this contest an
opportunity to unleash my potential
and show my achievements.
Tell us about your district.
My district is situated in the eastern
part of Central Punjab, about 130
kilometers from Lahore. It consists of
five major towns of the province, i.e.,
Sialkot – which is internationally
renowned for sports goods and
surgical equipment – Wazirabad,
Gujrat, Narowal and Shakargarh.
There are 17 stores in my district.
Most of them are Family Concept, as
they target suburban and rural
customers. However, there are also
three City Concept stores in the heart
of major towns, which mainly target
urban customers with “contemporary
lifestyle” buying patterns.
launched at stores, which acted as the
biggest pull factor for customers. We
arranged very attractive sales displays,
promoting new over old prices, to
ensure maximum footfall and
conversion rates.
You were the topperforming district manager
in Bata Pakistan in the first
week of September. How did
you accomplish this?
And last but not least, it was purely
made possible due to the relentless
efforts of my team, who understood
the importance of winning in this
contest. The business trend was quite
encouraging, and everyone was
confident that this was our week and
we could go beyond our weekly
targets by doing a few things right. So
everyone worked as a team in the
right direction to produce these
excellent results.
Three factors mainly contributed to
this accomplishment. First, after
summer vacations, private and public
schools opened at different dates this
year – usually they open
simultaneously – so we had a good
chunk of school business in this week
as well. Good in-store promotions, ontime supplies from the head office
and regrouping of non-repeat articles
among the stores were icing on the
cake.
Secondly, a very attractive “up to 70
percent off” sales campaign was also
How are your store teams
involved in the Bata Retail
Race?
The Bata Retail Race has been the
hottest topic amongst my team
since it started. Everyone has
World Digest
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
Bata Retail Race: Pit Stop with a District Manager in Pakistan
downloaded the app, and people
anxiously wait for the latest
rankings to be updated about the
positions of their store and that of
their counterparts.
What activities are being
carried out to make the Bata
Retail Race successful in
Pakistan?
Every district manager is on his toes to
make Canada a go, so the competition
is quite escalated. We are frequently
conducting store managers meetings
to keep the passion of winning alive by
appreciating good performers and
boosting others. The company also
frequently acknowledges wellperforming store managers by
awarding them with Bata Retail Race
pins, discount vouchers, Special
Bonus Week dinners and certificates,
which motivates them and also
creates excitement in others to
perform better.
Have you earned extra
points through the Special
Bonus Weeks?
Yes, I earned 100 extra points in a
Special Bonus Week because
everyone downloaded the Bata Retail
Race app – I sent pictures of store
teams showing the app on their
mobile phones.
What is the most exciting
part of the Bata Retail Race
for you as a district
manager?
This is the Bata Retail Race which has
enabled me today to be known by my
Bata colleagues worldwide. I attribute
this honor solely to this contest, which
highlighted my work and my
achievement all over the globe. So this
acknowledgement is the most exciting
part for me.
Bata World Digest September 18,
2015
World Digest
Bata World Digest September 18,
2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
Along with her work in
the finance department
of Bata South Africa,
Lisha Pithamber (far
right in photo) is a
dedicated Bata
Children's Program
(BCP) volunteer in the
country.
INTERVIEWS
BATA Group
Serving the Community: An
Interview with Lisha
Pithamber
How did you get involved
with the Bata Children’s
Program?
From the moment I joined Bata 19
months ago, I witnessed the amazing
BCP activities that were done to uplift
the lives of underprivileged and
orphaned children through the Bata
Children’s Program in South Africa. I
was therefore very determined to
ensure that I was an integral part of
implementing these changes in the
lives of these children.
What do you enjoy about
being a BCP coordinator?
The ability to be able to make a
difference, where it will ultimately
positively impact on the lives of our
children. To be able to give little
children a strong foundation on which
to build their future. Encouraging the
volunteers that every effort of theirs,
no matter how small it may seem at
first, can bring about positive changes.
In what ways have you seen
BCP in South Africa develop?
We have an awesome and dedicated
team of 40 to 50 volunteers from our
Pinetown and Loskop offices, whose
endless commitment and enthusiasm
is evident in the growing structure and
support that our BCP projects have
received thus far. Notable projects
have successfully been implemented
in education, health and mentorship.
We choose projects that are
sustainable and have a long-term
impact on the lives of the children.
Is there a BCP initiative that
is most dear to you? Can you
tell us about your
experience with it?
Yes, BCP’s visit to St Mary’s hospital in
Marianhill. On arrival at the hospital
the volunteers were welcomed
wholeheartedly by the nurses in
charge of the children’s ward. The
ward consisted of sick and injured
children, many of whom were
orphans. Our team of compassionate
volunteers worked together, ensuring
that every child was given a soft toy
and a balloon.
What have you learnt
through volunteering with
BCP?
Volunteering with BCP South Africa
has surely helped in building
teamwork, togetherness,
companionship and sociability
amongst its volunteers, and uniting
people from diverse backgrounds to
work together toward common goals.
What upcoming BCP
initiative are you looking
forward to?
The Qhubekani Preschool in Loskop,
which was built in August 2014 by BCP
South Africa to accommodate 60
children from two to six years old. As
part of our ongoing contributions to
this preschool, we are in the process
of providing a sustainable kitchen,
World Digest
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
Serving the Community: An Interview with Lisha Pithamber
canteen and toilet facility. These
improvements will ensure that the
children are exposed to a healthy,
hygienic and safe environment.
What would you say to
encourage an employee to
participate in BCP?
I would urge an employee to join the
program, because the biggest reward
in life is the ultimate satisfaction
achieved from spreading smiles
across children’s innocent faces, or in
the joy, happiness and gratitude they
express after receiving a simple
gesture of a hug, a tender touch or a
smile from a BCP volunteer.
Bata World Digest September 18,
2015
World Digest
Bata World Digest September 18,
2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
In August, Justo Fuentes,
Group managing
director for Latin
America, visited Toronto
to review strategic plans
with Power Athletics and
Bata Innovation Lab.
CORPORATE
BATA Group
Visit of Justo Fuentes to
Toronto Gives Teams
Valuable Insight
Fuentes began with a review of
Power's team structure and
processes. Following this, numerous
topics were covered, and key
challenges were identified. Possible
strategies for overcoming these
challenges were also discussed, as
well as how to excel and further
strengthen the brand image.
Southeast Asia, are facing a challenge
from competitors regarding price and
value, and also as a result of negative
exchange rate variations, and Fuentes
underlined the need for Power to
assist these countries in meeting the
new pricing targets, while ensuring
quality standards are not
compromised.
There then followed a review of
Power's business plan for the next
three years, which focuses on helping
its sister companies to maximize sales
and profits. In addition, Fuentes shed
light on finding key points that will
create a unique identity for Power in
the mind of consumers.
He also highlighted the possibility of
strong expansion into the African
markets where Power has brand
equity, indicating that the focus
should be not only on retail but also
on distribution, where Power can
compete with other brands and
establish a solid market presence.
Fuentes appreciated the efforts that
are being made not only by the Power
team in Toronto and Latin America,
but also by the various regions, such
as South Asia, whose bold initiative to
launch Power stores will help to
improve the image of the Power
brand.
A visit then followed to the new Bata
Innovation Lab office, where Fuentes
provided insight into the Latin
American market in order to help
identify new opportunities. He
assisted in the review of current and
future projects to ensure they are
aligned with the needs of Latin
American consumers, thus securing
successful commercial launches in the
Many countries, especially in
region.
He was also instrumental in devising a
strategy for the transfer of product
design and development to regional
SIC teams, and offered his input
regarding areas in which the Lab can
improve in the future, allowing it to
serve the Bata Shoe organization in an
even more valuable way.
The trip concluded with a visit to the
retail market to identify how key
Canadian retailers are managing to
stay relevant and competitive in
today’s evolving global market.
Fuentes commented: "During my
visit, I was impressed by the
dedication and professionalism of
both teams, as well as the
contribution they offer the BSO.
More Bata executives should visit
Toronto.”
World Digest
Bata World Digest September 18,
2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
Bata India was yet again
rewarded with a coveted
position in brand
rankings published by
the Trust Research
Advisory committee on
Sept. 8.
CORPORATE
BATA Group
Indian Consumer Research
Crowns Bata “Most Trusted”
and “Most Attractive”
TRA is a brand intelligence and data
insights advisory committee dedicated
to understanding and analyzing
stakeholder behavior through two
globally acclaimed matrices of brand
trust and attractiveness. This year’s
TRA study involved 15,000 hours of
fieldwork, covering 2,312 consumerinfluencers across 16 cities in India
and generating 5 million data points.
The top 1,000 brands were listed in
this year’s report, chosen from among
17,000.
Bata India was named 11th most
trusted brand and 14th most
attractive brand, among the likes of
Samsung, LG, Sony, Tata, Dell, Honda,
Nokia, Bajaj, Godrej, Maruti Suzuki,
Pepsi and Apple. It was a vast
improvement over 2014, when Bata
ranked 145th.
Rajeev Gopalakrishnan, Group
managing director of South Asia, said,
“It is a great pride and honor to be
recognized as one of the most trusted
and attractive brands in 2015 by the
Trust Research Advisory. It’s
motivating to see the hard work done
over the years being appreciated in
the industry with these awards and
acknowledgements.”
World Digest
Bata World Digest September 18,
2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
On August 8, volunteers
from the Bata Children's
Program (BCP) Uganda
teamed up with other
members of the
Volunteers for Sanyu
Babies Home in a
marathon run to raise
money for the Sanyu
Babies Home.
BCP / SUSTAINABILITY
BATA Group
BCP Uganda Make
Marathon Effort for Sanyu
Babies Home
The Sanyu Babies Home is a voluntary
organization that cares for abandoned
children in the region, providing
24-hour care to around 50 babies and
children.
inside the allocated time, despite the
hilly terrain. Finance director Eunice
Mutunga also showed her fitness,
completing the race without any sign
of fatigue.
The event was not only a fund raiser
but also a team building exercise for
all BCP Uganda volunteers, who
showed their solidarity through their
kind personal contributions that were
topped up by company donations, in
order to provide funds for renovations
and medical expenses for the Sanyu
Babies Home.
The race was watched by a motivated
team of Bata employees, all dressed in
Bata-branded shirts and shoes,
amidst a large crowd, and the event
also enjoyed good media coverage.
The race, run over five and 10
kilometers, was started by the bishop
of the Namirembe diocese, after the
participants had been taken through
some light aerobic exercises. The BCP
Uganda volunteers committed their
personal time and their own money,
as well as sacrificing their sleep, in
order to be part of the event.
Ncube applauded the volunteers
for the team spirit that drove their
passionate contribution. He
commented: “This is the attitude
that will steer this nation to greater
heights, when we consider that
these little abandoned, innocent
children will be our future leaders
and future customers.”
Stephan Ncube, company manager of
Bata Uganda, showed considerable
stamina by completing the entire race
BCP Uganda volunteers took great
pleasure from the event, and plan to
BCP Uganda volunteers also assisted
participants by dispensing the glucose
that they had donated for the day.
engage in similar sporting activities to
build a united and motivated Bata
Uganda team for the future.
World Digest
Bata World Digest September 18,
2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
Several years ago, Bata
Switzerland introduced a
last that was clearly a
winner: the Iconic
Ballerina.
PRODUCT
BATA Group
Bata Best Sellers:
Switzerland's Iconic
Ballerina Has It All
The shoe is produced in Spain and
was presented to customers first in
plain leather, then in suede. This
season quite a wide range of women,
from 25 to 45 years old, are finding
the current iteration in quilted leather
with a patent black toecap just right
for them.
through the online shop.
Contributing to its success, the Iconic
Ballerina is available in all the season’s
trendy colors: Bordeaux, blue, taupe,
grey, beige and, of course, black. Also
importantly, assorted leather bags in
different sizes and colors are part of
the complementary collection.
With a leather upper and insole, a
tunit sole and textile lining, the Iconic
Ballerina is indeed hard to beat in
terms of comfort. Just as key, the fit is
perfect.
“Customers are just delighted
about our Iconic Ballerina. It’s a
great shoe at an affordable price!”
Alain Groelly, commercial director
of Bata Switzerland, enthused.
In fact, he says the price-quality
relationship is the best in the country.
These leather items are going for
59.90 Swiss francs and are available in
all Swiss Bata stores as well as
“This is the most fantastic shoe for
everyone: design, comfort, quality,”
added Delphine Panissod, district
manager for the French part of Bata
Switzerland. “Our customers, from the
youngest to the oldest, just love it!”
The company sold 5,920 pairs last
year, but it has already outdone itself
with sales of 6,026 pairs so far this
year, placing several reorders. The
Iconic Ballerina is without a doubt
Bata Switzerland’s hottest best seller
this early autumn.
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
World Digest
Bata World Digest September 18,
2015
Weekly Digest News from around Bata World
Hansi Manila works at a
special Bata store,
located on the ground
floor of Bata India's
head office in Gurgaon.
INTERVIEWS
BATA Group
We Are Bata People: Hansi
Manila Sends In a Selfie
How do you fit into the Bata
world?
I am a sales executive at the store,
and my job is primarily to make the
store experience for the customer
delightful at every step.
Who is in your selfie?
The selfie is of my very own team!
From left to right: me, Rishi Pal,
Chandan Singh, Anand Mandal,
Tarpan Singh, Chandar Singh, Nandan
Lal, Sushant Pramanik, and two of our
colleagues.
What does the selfie show?
What is the story behind it?
The selfie was taken at the Bata Sector
17 City store, right after our morning
drill session, which instilled high
motivation in all of us as a team to
serve the best to our customers. The
signs we are making in the selfie are
simple indications of the thrill post the
session.
What do you like most about
your job?
I love meeting and interacting with
new people. Through my job at Bata
India, I feel I have been empowered
with the responsibility of extending
the best and the most comfortable
shoes to our consumers, who show
their trust in us with their loyalty.
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.