Bata Shoes

Bata Shoes ( _cs. Baťa or "Baťovy závody") is a large, family owned shoe company. It is currently headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and operates 4 business units worldwide – Bata Europe, Bata Asia Pacific-Africa, Bata Latin America and Bata North America. It has retail presence in over 50 countries, production facilities in 26 countries. In its history the company has sold 14 billion pairs of shoes.

Foundation, Tomáš Baťa

The company was founded in 1894 in Zlín (then Austro-Hungarian Empire, today the Czech Republic) by Tomáš Baťa (pron. toh-mahsh bah-tyah) whose family had been cobblers for generations. A large order from the army, military shoes and rising demand for them, during World War I started rapid growth and small manufacture turned into modern industrial concern, one of the first mass producers of shoes.

Tomáš Baťa was recognised for his social conscience, establishing housing, cinemas and advancement programmes for his employees. The phrase "work collectively, live individually" is one of his sayings. Baťa recognised the potential of large-scale production, and was often called the "Henry Ford of Eastern Europe". He saw technology as a means of progress, and wanted to make the shoes as cheaply as possible so that the greatest number of people could access them.

In 1932 Tomáš died in a plane crash at the Zlín airport (attempting to take-off under bad weather conditions) and his half-brother Jan Antonín Baťa became head of the company.

At the time of Tomáš' death, the Baťa company employed 16,560 people, maintained 1,645 shops and 25 enterprises. Most of what Tomáš had build was centralized in Bohemia-Moravia (15,770 employees, 1,500 shops, 25 enterprises) and Slovakia ( 250 employees and 2 enterprises). The total international contribution to the Baťa organization at the time of Tomas' death consisted of 20 international enterprises, 132 shops, and 790 employees.

Jan Antonín Baťa

Under Jan Antonín Baťa the company grew quickly, continued its expansion throughout Europe, North America, Asia, and North Africa. Zlín accommodated the largest part of the company, with manufacturing and headquarters.

Apart from shoes, Baťa also diversified into other areas (tyres, toys, plastic fibres, etc.).

Thirties and forties

Jan Baťa expanded the Bohemian and Moravian part of the business, more than doubling its size to 38,000 employees, 2,200 shops, and 70 enterprises. In Slovakia, he grew the business from 250 employees to 12,340 and 8 enterprises.

In the face of a worldwide depression, Jan Baťa (through his vision and skill) expanded the company more than sixfolds its original size throughout Czechoslovakia and the world. From the time of his brother's death in 1932 to 1942, he grew the Baťa organization to 105,770 employees.

During the 1930s imports from Czechoslovakia ultimately became too expensive due to the economic crisis in Europe at the time. Jan Antonín also established subsidiaries in several foreign countries (for example in Brazil, Britain and Canada).

Bata-villes

Company policy was to set up villages around the factories for the workers and to supply schools and welfare.

These villages include Batadorp in the Netherlands, Baťovany (present-day Partizánske) and Svit in Slovakia, Baťov (nowadays Bahňák, part of Otrokovice) in the Czech Republic, Borovo-Bata (nowadays Borovo Naselje, part of Vukovar in Croatia then in Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Bataville in Lorraine, France, Batawa in Canada, East Tilbury [ [http://www.thurrock-community.org.uk/batamemories/homepage.html Bata Reminiscence and Resource Centre] ] in Essex, England, Batapur in Pakistan and Batanagar and Bataganj in India.

The company which established itself in India in 1931 started manufacturing shoes there, in Batanagar, in 1936.

In 1922, the first Bata shop abroad opened in the Netherlands, in 1933, construction began on the Bata shoe factory in Best, in the Dutch province of Brabant, at the intersection of the railway tracks leading to Eindhoven and the Wilhelmina Canal located nearby. There was an abundance of inexpensive and hard-working labourers in the Brabant countryside.

The British "Bata-ville" in East Tilbury inspired the documentary "".

During World War II

After Germany occupied the rest of pre-war Czechoslovakia (15 March 1939) Jan Antonín Baťa, who left the country with his family after a brief time in jail after the Nazi occupation, tried to save as much as possible, subduing to the plans of Germans as well as supporting financially the Czechoslovak Government-in-Exile led by Edvard Beneš.

An episode: A Baťa-owned Lockheed plane was flown out of Czechoslovakia 2 days before the Nazi occupation. The plane made it to Britain where it was dismantled and shipped to Canada. [" [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3901/is_200202/ai_n9038463 Shining stars] ", Air Classics, February 2002]

Foreign factories were separated from mother company and ownership of plants in Czech lands was transferred to one member of the family.

Jan Antonín Baťa stayed in the Americas from 1939-1940, but as America entered the war, he felt it would be safer for his co-workers and their families back in occupied Czechoslovakia if he left the United States.

At the moment he left the protection of the United States, the British placed him on the "black list". It is believed that the communist influence on the Beneš' exile government was behind this. The official reason for this was Mr. Baťa's inability to pay a demand by the British government amounting to 250,000 pounds sterling (a huge sum of money at the time). The United Kingdom insisted on the huge bail because Mr. Baťa was the owner of largest industrial concern in occupied Czechoslovakia, located in enemy territory and employing more than 40,000 Czechs and Slovaks.

During the war, Jan Baťa helped hundreds of Jewish families to escape from Czechoslovakia, sending them all over the world throughout the Baťa organization and beyond the Nazis' reach. During the war, among other patriotic deeds, Jan Baťa devised a plan to save more than 100,000 of his countrymen from Nazi concentration camps by setting up plans for a Czech/Slovak infrastructure buildout plan for a highway and aqueduct system. This frustrated the Nazi decrees that took unemployed Czechs and Slovaks to concentration camps in Germany and elsewhere. The road and aqueduct system envisioned by Mr. Baťa was based on his book entitled "Building a nation of 40,000,000" (circa 1938).

During the war Jan Baťa was also the largest contributor to the Czech cause prior to Munich and after. Even though he disagreed with the pro-soviet politics of Edvard Beneš and Jan Masaryk, he gave monetary support to them during the war. More than 250 pilots were trained by Jan Baťa's organization in preparation for the German invasion, many of whom served as pilots or airmen in the RAF. [ [http://batastory.net/stopa/batovci-v-radach-royal-air-force RAF Pilots Trained By Jan Baťa's organization] ]

After the war

Communist Czechoslovakia

After the war Jan Antonín Baťa attempted (unsuccessfully) to purge his name of the accusations against him.

Members of the family started to sue one another over ownership of the company; mutual hatred among branches of the family lasted for decades.

In 1945 the company was nationalised as a part of large scale nationalisation program in Czechoslovakia.

In spite of incredible odds and a political climate that had put the machinery in motion to nationalize all large businesses, Jan Baťa fought against the 64 crimes that the communists had accused him of. And in fact, the jury at the time, composed mostly of socialists and communists found Jan A. Baťa innocent of all 64 charges. The verdict enraged the communist judge, who immediately added two new charges, declared Jan Baťa guilty, then used the guilty finding as a reason to confiscate all Baťa properties in Czechoslovakia and sentenced Mr. Baťa to 15 years of hard labor in absentia.

After the communist party took all power (1948) it tried to suppress all memory of Tomáš and Jan A. Baťa. Baťas were portrayed as ruthless capitalists, exploiting workers in pursuit of higher profit (see Svatopluk Turek). The company was renamed to "Svit" and Zlín to "Gottwaldov" (after the leader of communist party). The Svit factory concentrated on the domestic market. During the following decades its ability to compete and its technological infrastructure declined due to under-investment and weak management.

Canada

Bata Shoes' former headquarters in North York was designed in the 1960s by architect John Parkin. It was demolished in 2008 to be replaced by a cultural centre, museum, and park [" [http://www.uer.ca/locations/show.asp?locid=24546 Bata Shoes Headquarters] ", Urban Exploration Resource] after being denied historical status. The Bata family and the company have founded Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, supported Trent University, where the "Thomas J. Bata Library" bears Bata's name and Tomáš Baťa University in Zlín.

The organisations abroad became "Bata Shoe Company" and were led by Thomas J. Bata (Tomáš Baťa Junior), son of Tomáš Baťa. In 1960 the headquarters were moved to Toronto, Canada and the company grew significantly. Since 2002 it has been led by Thomas G. Bata, grandson of Tomáš Baťa.

Present

After the global economic changes in 1990s the company closed almost all its manufacturing factories in developed countries (USA, France, United Kingdom) this caused the elimination of thousands of jobs and it stayed only in retail business there. In developing countries still run manufacturing, for example in Zimbabwe's third city of Gweru, it is the biggest shoe manufacturers in Southern Africa outside of South Africa.

The company is currently headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, with 4 business units:
* Bata Europe, Lausanne
* Bata Asia Pacific-Africa, Singapore
* Bata Latin America, Mexico City
* Bata North America, Toronto Current shoe brands are:
* Bata (Baťa in former Czechoslovakia)
* Bata Premium (handcrafted dress shoes)
* Bata Industrials (safety footwear)
* Bubblegummers (children's)
* Power (sports shoes and boots)
* Marie Claire (women's)

According to Bata, in 2007 the company serves 1 million customers per day, employs over 40,000 people, operates 4,600 retail stores, manages a retail presence in over 50 countries and runs 40 production facilities across 26 countries [low cost labor] .

Czechoslovakia after 1989

After the "Velvet Revolution" in November 1989, Thomas J. Baťa arrived as soon as December 1989. He was warmly welcomed by the population remembering his father and uncle.

The Czechoslovak government offered him investments into the ailing Svit. Since companies "nationalised" before 1948 were not returned to original owners, the state went on to own Svit and "privatized" it during voucher privatization. Its low ability to compete in the free market led to decline and in 2000 Svit went bankrupt.

Nowadays, Baťa a.s. (the official name of the Czech subsidiary) is mainly a trading business. Apart from shoe stores, it also runs a small production facility in Dolní Němčí, a shoe museum in Zlín and Baťa Foundation ("Nadace Tomáše Bati"), which supports cultural and educational projects. The main street in Zlín and its university are both named after Tomáš Baťa.

Timeline

Tomáš Baťa

* 1894 – The T. & A. Baťa, T. & A. Baťa Shoe Company "(T. & A. Baťa obuvní společnost)" registered in Zlín, Austria-Hungary by Tomáš, Anna and Antonín Baťa
* 1895 – first business crises, Tomáš takes over company's control, Antonín leaves for the army, Anna gets married
* 1897 – the "Baťovka", the first fabric shoe, introduced and with it production mechanization, first machine from Germany
* 1900 – first factory building constructed
* 1904 – Tomáš' first jourey to the USA
* 1905 – 2,200 pairs per day produced by 250 employees, in two shifts, sales department founded
* 1906 – second factory building constructed, first of the "new type"
* 1908 – Antonín dies, Tomáš takes full company's control
* 1909 – first export sales, first sales agencies in Germany, the Balkans and the Middle East; 3,400 pairs per day produced
* 1911 – Tomáš' second journey to the USA
* 1914 – World War I breaks out, large orders by the Austro-Hungarian army for military shoes
* 1917 – World War I large scale orders contributed to company's exponential growth; 2 million pairs per year sold, 10,000 produced daily by 5,000 employees, advanced production equipment imported from Germany; "Baťa community" around factory with shops, housing, schools and hospitals
* 1918 – second crises of the company, massive losses, non-paid deliveries for the state (Austria-Hungary, the newly founded Czechoslovakia doesn't recognize the debt); production down to 1,700 pairs daily
* 1919 – Tomáš' third journey to the USA, getting acquainted with Henry Ford's mass production
* 1922 – currencies devalued due to World War I, consumer purchasing power at an all time low, Baťa cuts shoe prices by 50% to attract customers and to expand into 160 company shops throughout Czechoslovakia
* 1923 – employee profit & loss sharing introduced
* 1925 – the "Baťa system" organizes operations in autonomous workshops; the "Baťa School of Work" "(Baťova škola práce)" founded, education and practical training to future Baťa managers; 563 company shops throughout Czechoslovakia
* 1927 – assembly line production introduced
* 1929 – customs tariffs introduced in the world, Baťa builds factories in Switzerland (Mohlin), Germany (Ottmuth), England (East Tilbury), France (Hellocourt), Yugoslavia (Borovo), Poland (Chelmek), Holland (Best), the USA (Belcamp) and India (Batanagar); the "House of Baťa's service" "(Dům Baťovy služby)" opens in Prague, replacing older premises
* 1930 – 100,000 pairs produced daily; five-day, 40 hours week introduced
* 1931 – Baťa a.s. founded, replacing the former "T. a A. Baťa"; by the early 1930s, Baťa becomes the world's leading footwear exporter

Jan Antonín Baťa

* 1932 – after Tomáš Baťa's plane crash his half-brother Jan Antonín Baťa becomes head of the company; at this time the company continues the diversification into the production of tires, aircraft, bicycles, machineries; the "House of Baťa's service" "(Dům Baťovy služby)" opens in Brno
* 1939 – Baťa operates 63 companies in various industries with footwear remaining the core business with 60 million pairs sold per year in over 30 countries; the Baťa family leaves to the USA after Nazi occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia; Jan Antonín Baťa "subdues" to the plans of Nazis to save the business, on the other hand supports the exile government of Edvard Beneš and the Czechoslovak armed forces in Britain, he saves a large number of countrymen, including Jews by using the Baťa worldwide network
* 1942 – Tomáš J. Baťa (Thomas J. Bata) starts to operate from Batawa, near Toronto, Canada. Instead of leading the Canadian subsidiary.
* 1945 – all Baťa companies in Eastern Europe "nationalized" by communist or pro-communist governments, the company starts rebuilding itself from the remaining entities outside Eastern Europe;
* 1947 - Jan Antonín Baťa accused by the Czechoslovak communists of various "crimes" and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in absentia and all of his properties in Czechoslovakia are confiscated
* 1946 - Two decades of litigation ensue – members of the Bata family begin to sue one another over ownership of the international subsidiaries of Bata. In spite of conflicting decisions has never been fully resolved
* 1960s – company's headquarters relocated to Toronto by Thomas J. Bata, further expansions through new factories in local markets
* 1970s – private labels created: Bubblegummers, Power, Marie Claire, North Star
* 1980s – Bata develops retailing: Bata city stores, large format stores and sport concept stores
* 1989 – Thomas J. Bata visits Czechoslovakia to check and negotiate on the restitution possibilities, sets up his team to do the work, later on buys some of the leftovers of the former company from the state and founds "Baťa a.s.", now as Czech retail subsidiary
* 1990s – Bata enters the high-price segment: Bata Premium collection.
* 1995 – partnerships in Eastern Europe, Bata stores in Russia, Poland, Croatia, Slovenia
* 1999 – Bata concentrates on design, marketing and distribution, manufacturing moves to low-cost countries and subsidiaries
* 2001 – Thomas G. Bata, Tomáš' grandson becomes the Group's chairman, restructures the business into regional "4 meaningful business units"
* 2002 – Bata Shoe innovation Centres for shoe development introduced worldwide
* 2004 – in China, Bata procurement centre in Guanzhou opens, distribution partnership for the opening of Bata retail stores established
* 2006 – a township construction began to modernize the Batanagar factory complex (near Calcutta, to be completed by 2011, with 2500 housing for employees, a hospital, a school, an IT park, a hotel and residential flats along the riverside); Branded Business Division founded to consolidate all the branded business activities
* 2007 - communist verdict against Jan A. Bata overturned
* 2008 - Tomáš J. Baťa (Thomas J. Bata Jr.) died just 16 days short of his 94th birthday

Note

The company was one of the 1986 FIFA World Cup official sponsors.

References

ee also

*Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto

External links

* [http://www.bata.com/ Baťa International] Worldwide portal of Baťa Shoes
** [http://www.batabd.com/ Baťa Bangladesh]
** [http://www.bata.cz/ Baťa a.s., Czech operation of Baťa Shoes] (in Czech)
** [http://www.bataindia.com/ Baťa India]
** [http://www.batathailand.com/ Baťa Thailand]
* [http://www.batamemories.org.uk/ Baťa Memories] history of Baťa community in Essex, UK
* "Baťa-ville – We are not afraid of the future": [http://www.somewhere.org.uk/bata-ville/ somewhere.org.uk/bata-ville] / [http://www.bata-ville.com bata-ville.com] , Somewhere, 2007 United Kingdom "Against the backdrop of economic regeneration, former employees of two now closed UK Baťa factories are led on a unique journey through Baťa's legacy and across a changing Europe."