North Star, Bubblegummers on the way back

Durban, KZN, SA (08 May 2023) – Bata South Africa, which for years has been reliant on its locally-made school shoes, industrial footwear and canvas shoes, is planning to distribute a number of other Bata brands to grow its business.
Bata makes over 5 million pairs a year of Toughees, Bata Industrials, Safari and Tomy Takkies at its Loskop plant outside Estcourt.

The new brands include the children’s Bubblegummers range, North Star sneakers, Power athletic footwear, the outdoor Weinbrenner range, and the comfort-focused Comfit line.
Bubblegummers, North Star and Power were all distributed here previously, and North Star in particular had a long pedigree in SA.

“The focus now is on vigorous expansion and distribution of some of Bata’s global labels in addition to existing local manufacturing,” said country manager, Michael Wyatt. “We’re well underway in executing the first steps of our 2023 to 2027 strategy and are introducing new collections of select international sneaker, comfort and outdoor categories to the local market.”

“Harnessing the power of partnerships will be a key focus as Bata SA plugs into this global Bata strategy for growth. New retail negotiations are at an advanced stage.
“Having closed our own branded retail stores in South Africa several years ago, we currently retail through major chains including Ackermans, Pep, Jet, Edgars, Mr Price, and Shoe City, as well as select wholesale distributors and e-commerce platforms Zando, Superbalist and Takealot.  The focus now is on adding shelf space within South Africa’s leading retail chains.

“As a global retailer, we can provide African customers with products, brands, and insights from around the world that serve as unique selling points and opportunities for mutual growth. Our intention is not to simply sell our brand wholesale, but rather to establish long-term partnerships with retailers and offer them exclusive, distinctive products.”

Bata is also investing in its back-end systems, logistics, marketing and human capital, launching a new enterprise resource planning system, an African warehouse management system and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform in support of its expansion model.
With 21 manufacturing sites worldwide, the Bata Group sells 150 million pairs of shoes each year, has a retail network of over 5,300 stores across more than 70 countries, and employs 32,000 people globally.