Bata > Bata Shoe Organisation

The Bata Shoe Organisation (BSO) is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and retailers of footwear. Activities are carried out in 50 countries on virtually every continent. More than 40,000 people around the world of many races and nationalities are employed. Every day, about 1 million customers are being served throughout its 4,600 retail stores worldwide.

Brief history

Founded in Czech Republic in 1894, Bata was one of the world’s first global manufacturers. Already by the 1930s the company operated in Switzerland, Germany, England, France, Yugoslavia, Poland, India and Holland. This expansion continued and by 1960, Bata employed 42,000 employees, owned thousands of company stores and many factories.

The foundation of this success was a strong commitment to research and development.



Bata Industrials was founded in the 1970s as a result of a market call for footwear for professionals. Since then, Bata Industrials has evolved into a designer, producer and marketer of safety footwear and hosiery, exclusively to professional end user markets.

Today Bata Industrials is one of world’s largest manufacturers of this type of footwear and the only one that is truly a global player. In Europe, the company is widely acclaimed for collections like the BS2000 and The Natural. With offices The Netherlands, Chile, Mexico, South Africa, Kenya, India, China, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, Bata Industrials serves industries in virtually every continent.

Lifetime Achievement Award

The son of Bata’s founder, Tomas J. Bata (1914-2008), was the recipient of the first Lifetime Achievement Award of 2007 for his accomplishments as a responsible capitalist. He won this award thanks to his special degree of social responsibility, and dedication to the Bata family business, contributing to the company’s worldwide reputation. 

Certificate “The First Lifetime Award for Responsible Capitalism 2007”