Indian footwear retailer Bata India is planning major expansion across India.

Bata India plans to open 100 new stores this year on top of the more than 1358 currently operating in over 500 Indian cities. The company is also refreshing its store layouts to enhance shopping, it says.

“Bata has witnessed constant growth over the years, which endorses our strong understanding of the consumer needs and lifestyle,” said MD Rajeev Gopalakrishnan.

“We have been relentlessly working on improving our product offerings through constant research and development. The footwear collection has vastly improved over the years and we have launched contemporary and fashionable designs. The new designs have helped us in constantly growing our customer base while meeting the changing lifestyle needs of our loyal customers.”

A few months ago, it opened its largest store, spanning 20,000 sqft and offering an extensive range of footwear and accessories, at Viviana Mall in Thane.

Its third quarter earnings rose 17.3 per cent to Rs37.6 crore on the back of 14.3 per cent turnover growth.