Bata is back! |11 November 2014

Many of us, especially of the older generation, will remember the Bata Shoe Box which was once situated in Victoria.

After the shop closed down, many Seychellois had surely remained nostalgic of the family-owned global footwear and fashion accessory manufacturer and retailer, which has its headquarters located in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The good news and talk of the town yesterday was that “Bata is back” as friends and family members called or texted each other, inviting them to visit the new shop situated in the Grocer’s Supermarket owned by the Ramani Group.

Even though a ‘Bata’ sign board is yet to be visible at the front of the supermarket, the shoe corner attracted a large number of clients as it opened its doors yesterday morning. Witnessing the preparations for the opening of the shop on Sunday while doing their usual shopping, some customers had even bought their new pair of shoes there and then!

Nor was there any pomp and ceremony with official speeches for the opening yesterday. This was done in a practical and natural way as customers filled the shop since 9am.

Promising that the sign board will be coming up shortly and that the shop will be decorated with advertising posters, the director of Grocer’s, Krish Venkat, has confirmed that even without it, sales have been going on very well.

“We really cannot complain. In less than 45 minutes we have sold 40 pairs of shoes,” he commented.

The seemingly happily established clientele seem to not only have been attracted by the brand and quality and variety it carries, but also by the really attractive prizes. You can get a pair of slippers for R89 and a pair of shoes for as low as R149.

Mr Venkat further explained the reasons for the spontaneous shoe rush by the demand for quality shoes:

“There was a serious gap for quality shoes in Seychelles. Either they were not up to standard or were too expensive. With Bata we guarantee quality and safe foot wear with good service.”

Mr Venkat concluded that for the first few weeks the shop will be functioning on a trial basis before a new consignment of shoes arrives in time for the festive season. Other brands will be also added in the future.

“Bata is for the moment our only supplier.  We want to be satisfied that our customers are happy with Bata first and then we will move on to other brands including sports ones like Nike and Adidas,” he said.

Founded in 1894 Bata has a retail presence in over 70 countries, with production factories in 26 of them.

Customers at the shoe corner shortly after it opened its doors yesterday morning