Bata Uganda, a footwear store, has closed its operations in Jinja City where it had maintained a presence and a considerable market share for more than 30 years.
The brand, which is a household name among school-going children and corporates, had for the past two months maintained low stock and sometimes empty shelves at its premises on Main Street.
It is not yet clear if the company will in the near
future consider operating a new store. Daily Monitor, could not
immediately establish the reasons for closure.
However, in August
2006, Bata closed its factory in Kampala due to inefficient machinery
and an unbearable energy crisis, fueling uncertainty about whether it
intended to retain presence in the country.
Mr Paul Jacubec, the
managing director at that time, confirmed the closure of the
manufacturing plant, saying they were now a trading company and not into
manufacturing.
The company has since been importing shoes and related products from Kenya, where it has its Africa regional office, and China.
Following
the closure of the plant, almost all equipment had been relocated to
Nairobi with the company marinating stores and outlets in different
parts of the country.
Efforts to get a comment from Bata Uganda were futile as our telephone calls went unanswered and messages were not replied.
By press time, however, local estate brokers had told Daily Monitor that the former Bata shop had been put on the market.
Bata Corporation was once touted as the world’s leading shoemaker by volume, with a retail presence of more than 5,300 shops in more than 70 countries and production facilities in 18 countries.
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