Bata India Q1 results: Net loss at Rs 101 cr as sales hit by lockdown

NEW DELHI: Shoemaker Bata India Ltd on Friday reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 100.88 crore for the first quarter ended June 2020 as sales were hit by the coronavirus-related lockdowns.

The company had posted a net profit of Rs 100.97 crore in the April-June quarter a year ago, Bata India said in a BSE filing.

Its revenue from operations was down 84.69 per cent to Rs 135.07 crore during the quarter under review as against Rs 882.75 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal.

“Results in the first quarter of FY 2020-21 were severely impacted because of disruptions caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” said Bata.

Its revenue from operations for the quarter was “lower by 85 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year due to the lockdown in April and May followed by a graded unlocking across the country and, consequently, the company incurred a loss after tax of Rs 101 crore as against profit after tax of Rs 100 crore in the corresponding period last year.”

Bata India's total expenses were at Rs 321.85 crore as against Rs 743.81 crore, down 56.72 per cent.

Commenting on the results, Bata India CEO Sandeep Kataria said: “It was an unprecedented quarter in Bata India's history. During the quarter, we had low sales and no production due to lockdown mandated by the government due to the pandemic.”

Bata's stores started opening up in a graded fashion, but running operations was a challenge due to frequent lockdowns and restrictions mandated by local administration across the country.

“We re-started our operations keeping the safety of our customers and employees in mind and in line with government and our global standards. The results have to be viewed in this context,” he said.

It has responded by focusing on the recovery of the business through agile portfolio expansion, scaling up digital presence on e-commerce platforms and introducing two new hyper-local channels Bata Chat Shop for shopping over WhatsApp and ‘Bata Stores on Wheels' mobile kiosks that allow customers to shop at their doorstep.

“In addition, we have increased our focus on franchise store rollout and extending our reach to multi-brand outlets to get even closer to our customers. We are hopeful that the improvement in the sale will continue and get a further boost with the festivities in the coming quarter,” he said.

Besides, the company is taking cost control measures and to increase efficiency.

“The company is focusing on controlling its costs-related to retail stores, factories, rentals and operations and driving efficiencies in its value chain. The impact of cost-saving exercise is visible in these results. Multiple work streams have been put into place to look at all cost-lines and come out of the pandemic fighting fit,” it said.

Shares of Bata India Ltd on Friday settled at Rs 1,258.40 apiece on the BSE, down 0.43 per cent from the previous close.