As part of the brand’s transformation journey, Bata India, the most iconic and trusted footwear brand, has taken a significant leap in its transformation journey with a ₹300 million investment in its Batanagar factory, reinforcing its commitment to manufacturing excellence & global competitiveness.

At the helm of this investment is the installation of the state-of-the-art PUDIP (Polyurethane Direct Injection Process) & IM EVA machines used for manufacturing Floatz & Bata Industrial footwear. These next-generation systems feature robotic spraying, automated roughening arms, and mould handling processes that raise the bar on product consistency, precision, and production efficiency.

“This investment reflects our deep commitment to modernising our manufacturing and leading with quality,” said Anjan Kundu, Head – Supply Chain Management, Bata India Ltd.

Kundu adds, “We are bringing back the glory to Batanagar as part of our transformation journey, which is rooted in a deep commitment to quality, innovation, and customer experience. By investing in advanced machines at Batanagar, we are ensuring that Bata continues to lead, adapt, and serve as a benchmark for footwear manufacturing in India. This expansion not only strengthens our operations but also sets new standards for the industry.”

The factory follows comprehensive Safety Management systems to ensure the highest standards of health & safety protocols for a safe working environment for all employees. The Batanagar factory is a symbol of industrial transformation for not just West Bengal but for India. Thomas Bata’s historic visit in the 1930s catalyzed the creation of the exclusive township of Batanagar, an essential turning point for the state’s industrial landscape. Bata’s factory units revolutionized the region’s capabilities, supporting Bengal’s evolution into an export hub and a center of shoemaking excellence.

Approximately 130 new stores opened in the past year, with over 50% located in smaller towns, bringing global styles and comfort technology to ‘Bharat.’ With more than 500+ stores, Bata India is also rapidly expanding its Franchise network across smaller towns and cities to democratize fashion, providing entrepreneurial opportunities for many. Bata continues to support communities through its Bata Children’s Program, empowering underserved children across India with access to education, mentorship, and footwear—symbolising the brand’s ongoing commitment to inclusive growth and positive social impact.

With a sharpened focus on quality, sustainability, and innovation, Bata India is redefining what it means to be a heritage brand ready for the future—boldly stepping forward to ‘Shoe the World’ from India.

News Credits- FASHION BUSINESS

Indian apparel retailer Trent (TREN.NS) posted its slowest quarterly profit growth in at least 10 on Wednesday, as muted urban demand and early monsoons hit in-store shopping.

The Tata group company, which owns the popular affordable fashion chain “Zudio”, reported a net profit of 4.3 billion rupees ($49.03 million), up 9.5% from a year ago.

Trent’s first-quarter consolidated revenue grew 19%, its slowest since the quarter ended March, 2021, further fueling concerns among analysts that the company’s operating performance is set to slow down from its peak even as valuations remain firm.

The company’s Zudio-led focus on young adults who regularly open their wallets for trendy but affordable styles has yielded a compounded annual revenue growth rate of more than 35% in the past five years.

The growth led to more than a five-fold rise in Trent’s stock value from 2023 to 2024 and drove its inclusion in the benchmark Nifty 50 index last year.

Trent attributed the quarter’s slowdown to a high base of growth last year, a prolonged weakness in urban demand amid high living costs, supply chain disruptions in certain areas, and an early monsoon curbing in-store shopping.

Its first-quarter same store sales grew in “low single digits”, compared to a “double-digit” percentage growth last year, Trent said.

However, its earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) margin improved to 11.4% from 10.6% a year ago, benefiting from better merchandise sourcing and investments in automation.

Analysts pinned their hopes of Trent’s next phase of growth to its ongoing expansion in smaller Indian cities, where the adoption of fashion trends is slower than metros, but growing fast.

($1 = 87.6950 Indian rupees)

News Credits- Reuters

LONDON  – Caught between rising costs from tariffs and belt-tightening consumers, big retailers are clashing with the producers of consumer brands such as Nivea-maker Beiersdorf (BEIG.DE) and brewer Heineken (HEIN.AS) as they look to avoid sticker shock that could hurt sales.

The disputes – which have dented some brands’ sales – underscore the challenge for consumer goods makers and sellers, with inflation and tariffs pushing up input costs and price spikes in commodities such as coffee.

While pricing talks have never been easy, tariffs are escalating already high food inflation since the pandemic, making grocery bills more contentious and political as consumers grapple with a cost-of-living crisis.

“We all should be very well aware of consumer budgets,” Frans Muller, CEO of supermarket company Ahold Delhaize (AD.AS) which owns U.S. chains Food Lion, Hannaford, and Stop & Shop, told Reuters on Wednesday.

He said conversations with consumer goods companies over pricing were “tight,” adding that the industry’s focus was on increasing sales volumes rather than increasing revenue by hiking prices.

“That is the wrong way of supporting customers and the wrong way of growing the business itself.”

Ahold has in-house teams that track commodity, energy, and labour costs, and own-brand products it can compare with to establish whether price increases demanded by consumer brands are justified or not, Muller said.

On the other side of the equation are the brands, facing higher costs that are squeezing margins.

Beiersdorf CEO Vincent Warnery said on Wednesday that retailers in key markets, including Germany and France, had pushed back strongly in price talks last quarter, not only refusing price increases but asking for price reductions, and pulling products from shelves.

Beiersdorf eventually agreed to a 2.6% rise, Warnery said, but delistings of some products by retailers knocked two percentage points off its sales growth in Europe in the second quarter.

“There will be a lot of price changes pushed forward by consumer brands, some will be accepted by retailers and some will not,” said Bobby Gibbs, a Dallas-based partner at Oliver Wyman who advises retailers and consumer goods firms.

Manufacturers will find it easier to push higher prices through on products where there is brand loyalty and fewer strong private label alternatives, Gibbs said.

Reuters’ global tariff tracker shows at least 102 out of nearly 300 companies monitored by the tracker have announced price hikes in response to the trade war, with about 41 of them in the consumer sector.

As well as tariffs, other factors like the cost of capital and labour, and commodity prices in the case of coffee and chocolate, are pushing prices up on certain products, Gibbs said.

Trump has said the tariffs counter persistent U.S. trade imbalances and declining U.S. manufacturing power, and that the moves will bring jobs and investment to the nation.

MORE PRICE HIKES AHEAD

More price hikes are planned, particularly in the U.S.

Tide detergent maker Procter & Gamble (PG.N) last week said it was raising prices on about a quarter of its products in the U.S. by a mid-single-digit percentage as part of efforts to mitigate the cost of higher tariffs on imported goods. That will affect pricing at Walmart (WMT.N) Target (TGT.N) and other stores.

As talks heat up, more retailers could pull branded products temporarily as a negotiating tactic, as Ahold’s Albert Heijn chain did this year in a dispute over price hikes by coffee roaster JDE Peet’s.

Dutch brewer Heineken (HEIN.AS), opens new tab last week said its beer sales were dented by a price dispute with European retailers.

“Many retailers are getting more sophisticated in how they can measure product switching … so they’re willing to be bolder on delistings because they’re able to protect sales and margin more than they would have in the past,” said Gibbs.

In Europe, retailers are joining forces to increase their clout in pricing talks. Carrefour (CARR.PA) said last month it had created a new European buying alliance called Concordis, along with rival group Coopérative U, and is in advanced discussions with other European retailers to expand the alliance.

Supermarkets are developing more own-brand alternatives to big-name brands. Ahold has introduced 300 new own-brand products this year in its U.S. chains, and sales growth in those has outpaced the rest of the store, it said.

Big brands have taken note, with P&G’s Chief Financial Officer Andre Schulten saying last week that retailers have been implementing “more aggressive pricing” on own-brand products.

“We see some level of pressure to drive trade down because of price promotional behaviour,” he said, referring to consumers swapping to lower-priced products, adding the market would remain “volatile and challenging”.

Author Credits- Helen Reid
Reuters

Bengaluru: Amazon India on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) to boost exports from micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in India. Through this collaboration, Amazon and FIEO will establish a dedicated ecommerce export task force to jointly develop a policy and infrastructure roadmap that supports seller enablement and drives awareness about ecommerce export opportunities among MSMEs across India, Amazon said in a statement.

This partnership will help build capacities of small businesses across India and manufacturers. This collaboration is an important step in Amazon’s progress towards its goal of enabling $80 billion in cumulative ecommerce exports from India by 2030.

As part of the MoU, Amazon and FIEO will conduct capacity-building sessions for exporters across key export strength categories like home linen & decor, health & personal care, apparel, toys among others. The initiative will create networks of offline local communities to support sellers across their export journey. FIEO will nominate high-potential sellers and manufacturers from export-relevant categories such as handicrafts, home textiles, wellness products, and packaged foods, and Amazon will assist these businesses by guiding them through onboarding, compliance, and scaling their operations in international marketplaces, the statement added.

News Credits- DECCAN HERALD

E-commerce retailer Temu has announced that it will introduce a convenient pick-up and drop-off (PUDO) service with Austrian Post this year and will expand the service into new markets including Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria.

Commenting on the partnership, which began in 2023, an Austrian Post spokesperson said, “We’re pleased to bring our PUDO service to more Temu customers. Beyond providing reliable and flexible delivery services in Austria, we look forward to expanding our collaboration into other regions.”

Local-to-local model

Temu recently began inviting local sellers in Austria, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the UK onto its platform and enabling local warehouse fulfillment. The company expects up to 80% of sales will come from this local-to-local model, bringing customers a wider selection, faster deliveries and supporting local businesses. European sellers will also gain opportunities to reach global markets.

“Reliable and flexible logistics are key to the consumer experience,” said a Temu spokesperson. “By partnering with Austrian Post, we are enhancing our fulfillment capabilities in Eurasia and providing more delivery options for our customers.”

Author Credits- HAZEL KING
Parcel and postal technology INTERNATIONAL