Bata was founded in 1894 in the town of Zlín in present-day Czech Republic, at that time part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The company was founded by Tomás Bata (real name Tomáš Baťa), from a family of shoemakers. The company was inspired by the Henry Ford business model. During World War I it became one of the main footwear manufacturers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the First World War and with the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire began its expansion in Europe, North America and North Africa. In 1931, the Bataville (Lorraine) site was opened in France, stopping its operations in January 2002. In 1932, Tomáš Baťa dies in a plane crash and his son, Thomas J. Bata (1914-2008) becomes the new company leader. In 1939 the factory is requisitioned by the Nazis and later, in 1945, it is nationalized by the state of Czechoslovakia. Determined to move forward, Thomas J. Bata founded a new company in Canada in 1946: Bata Shoe Organization. The company has continued to survive and has expanded throughout the world, opening more factories, especially in India. The Bata family are generous donors, especially in Canada, where they founded several projects such as the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto and the Bata Library at the University of Trent. In Peñaflor (Chile), 30 kilometers south of Santiago, there is the Thomas Bata Sports Club in honor of Thomas Bata, which has branches in the disciplines of basketball, soccer and roller hockey.
Marcas
Bata (Baťa en la República Checa)
Bata Comfit (Calzado confort)
Ambassador (calzado masculino)
North Star (calzado urbano)
Weinbrenner (Calzado urbano)
Marie Claire (calzado femenino)
Aquarella (calzado femenino)
Aquarella Kids (calzado infantil)
SunDrops (calzado femenino)
Bubblegummers (calzado infantil)
Baby Bubbles (calzado infantil)
Safari (desert shoes)
Power (calzado deportivo)
Patapata (sandalias)
Toughees (calzado escolar)
Verlon (calzado escolar)
Teener (calzado escolar)
Bata Industrials (calzado de seguridad)
Tommy Takkies (calzado juvenil)
British Knights (calzado juvenil)
Footin (calzado juvenil)
Urbano (calzado hombre)
Pata Pata (flip flops)
Sandak (flip flops)
Sparks (flip flops)