Retailers giant

The group issued a statement on Monday that the group will close 29 Swiss stores, which confirmed that the measure was due to competition in online sales and the strength of the Swiss franc, and encouraged local consumers to buy Bata in neighboring countries.

Through the press release, the group said, "the influence of e-commerce and retailers are flooding into saturated Swiss shoes.

And Swiss consumers changed their shopping habits and chose to buy shoes in France, Italy and Germany, which hindered the continued operation and development of Bata stores in Switzerland.

In the end, the group decided to close 29 Swiss stores.

This measure will cause 175 employees to lose their jobs, but it will not affect the 30 operators of the group at the headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The group said that Swiss management departments have informed employees of the company and put forward a series of solutions, including helping 40 employees and apprentices to reemployment with other retailers.

Bata emphasizes that brands can still be sold through e-commerce in Switzerland, and will also be sold through other retailers.

But the press release did not mention the specific date for the closure of Swiss stores.

The Swiss Trade Union condemned the "massive layoffs" and the closure plan ended in July.

As one of the largest footwear retailers in the world, Bata has 5000 stores in over 70 countries and has more than 30 thousand employees.

Bata's stores in France are now in bankruptcy and will be bought by consortia of 7 retailers, especially CoURir and Etam.

Last Thursday, we got the news through a consortium spokesperson and senior management of the group.