France – Bata's World — World of Bata

Bata shoes were on sale on the French market in 1924. Tomas Bata gained a strong position here in March 1930 by founding an affiliated company in Strasbourg, soon to be followed by the opening of a Bata-owned store; the sales network quickly expanded throughout the country. In 1932, a factory was opened in Hellocourt, followed by factories opened in Vernon and Neuvic. Leather and rubber shoes were the main products; Bata business activities also included a power plant, brickworks, tannery, engineering works and other plants. In addition to factories located in Hellocourt, Vernon and Neuvic, smaller subsidiary plants were later on established on a temporary basis in the municipalities of Fénétrange, Chȃteau –Salins, Réchicourt-le-Chȃteau, Maizières-lès-Vic, Dieuze, Gelucourt, Nébing, Val-de-Bride, Baccarat, Louviers. Besides, the Bata company’s business comprised shoe factories in Bordeaux, Limoux, Toulouse, Carcassonne during a particular period of time. Bata’s business in the country included stores, factories and several affiliated companies. Headquarters for the French colonies and overseas territories were situated in France as well. The company’s business continued to develop in the second half of the 20^th century, when Bata companies based in France occupied an important place in the global Bata Shoe Organisation.

From 1924 onwards, the regional office in Paris was in charge of the sale of Bata shoes in France.
On 28 February 1930, Tomas Bata founded the affiliated company “Société anonyme française Bata”, Strasbourg, with a capital of 1 million francs.
In May 1930, the first French Bata store was opened in Strasbourg.
In February 1931, newspapers reported that the Bata regional office in Paris was transformed into a joint-stock company named “Scarpa”.
In the course of 1931, a number of corporate stores were opened in France: Colmar, Thionville, Metz, Mulhouse, Besançon, Nancy, Tourcoing, Lille, Valenciennes, Arras, Boulogne, Roubaix, Douai, and others.
In the middle of 1931, newspapers reported that Bata shoes in Paris were on sale in the sales network of the Pillot company.
In 1931, there were several dozen Bata stores in France and, in the following years, their number increased as follows: 57 (in 1932) – 80 (in 1933) – 135 (in 1934) – 167 (October 1935) – 225 (December 1935); in the months following the autumn of 1935, a strong trend towards opening of more and more stores emerged – between January and March 1936, two hundred new stores were opened, but, at that time, the newly adopted law “lex Bata” came into effect, which limited the operation of Bata stores; in 1939, there were 256 stores operating in France; in 1938, 750 people were employed in French stores.
In 1937, the company Compagnie d’assurances Atlas, Paris, was established, with a capital of 100,000 francs (a subsidiary branch of the Bata company Atlas, Prague).
In 1939, the company Bata S. A. had 3,600 employees in France (production, trade).
At the beginning of 1940, the Bata companies in France comprised: Bata S. A.; Manuca; Marbot, Neuvic; Atlas; two real estate companies.
In 1941, a new company was founded, namely Bata, S. A., Paris.
In accordance with the statutes issued on 11 August 1941, the company Bata S. A., Paris (Chaussures Bata S. A.) comprised two departments: Bata France – Nord (registered office in Vernon), Bata France – Sud (based in Neuvic sur l’Isle); the company ceased to exist on 19 December 1963 (after being incorporated into the Bata S. A. company Strasbourg).
In 1947, the Industrial School of Technology of the Bata company in Vernon was opened; in 1949, the Bata Footwear Centre in Hellocourt began to operate; in 1957, it was transformed into the Bata Education and Training Centre, which was educating several dozen young people around 1975; in 1968, a vocational training centre for adults started to operate in Hellocourt.
In 1949, the Bata company settled in Paris – bought the network of Phit-Eesi stores – 12 stores in Paris.
In 1953, the Bata company had 250-260 stores in France (among them 12 in Paris).
1962 – the following companies based on the French territory were included in the list of historically existing Bata companies:
- Bata S.A. (France)
- Bata S.A. Paris (France)
- Atlex S.A. (France; formerly known as “Atlas S.A.”)
- L. Marbot & Cie. S.A. (France)
- Les Manufactures de St. Marcel (France)
- Société Immobilière de Saint-Marcel S.A. (France)
- Les Consommateurs de Bataville S.A. (France)
- Les Economats de St. Marcel S.A.R.L. (France)
- Economats Marbot S.A. (France)
- Abaprix S.A. (France)
- Phit-Eesi S.A. (France)
- Société Immobilière du Port de Vernon (France)

In 1968, the factories in Hellocourt, Neuvic and Vernon supplied 5 million pairs of shoes for export (i.e. 14 % of French exports), they produced 2,800,000 pairs for the internal market.
In 1969, within a reorganization (Bata – France Group), two component parts were separated from the rest: Bata Moussey S. A. (Hellocourt) and Bata – Détail – France (Paris); in 1969, sales in the corporate stores peaked – 10,746,049 pairs.
In March 1971, the Etablissements Jean-Jacques Chabrat shoe factory in Bordeaux holding 220 employees was acquired; in November 1973, the production and employees were transferred to the affiliated company Marbot in Neuvic; in December 1973, the factory ceased its operations.
In 1979, the Bata company produced 10 million pairs of shoes in its three factories (Hellocourt-Moussey, Vernon, Neuvic); the company exported 4 million pairs of shoes, i.e. 7.6% of France’s exports.
In 1979, the Bata company had 1,900 employees in the sales division.
In 1980, the Bata sales network had 416 stores in France, out of which 358 corporate stores; in 1987, the sales network comprised 457 stores.
Within a sales reorganization, Bata established a branch of Multichauss S. A. in 1986; in 1988, products were sold in 78 discount supermarkets.
In 1986, the Bata company acquired the Myrys company (production and sale of shoes) as well as the Heyraud company (sale of shoes).
In 1995, the Heyraud company (a network of 55 stores) was sold.
In 1996, the business in the Myrys company (shoe factories in Limoux, Toulouse, Carcassonne, a network comprised of 227 stores) was being reduced, in 1998, this company was sold.
In 1997, the Bata company had 263 stores with 1,188 employees.

Hellocourt

On 23 October 1931, Tomas Bata purchased 487 hectares of land for 1.6 million francs: Hellocourt Castle and land in the cadastre of the municipalities of Moussey, Maizières-lès-Vic, Réchicourt-le-Chȃteau.
On 26 January 1932, a permit for the construction of a factory was approved, on 7 April 1932, the surveying of the construction site was carried out.
On 2 May 1932, the construction of the foundations for the factory began and, by the end of July, two single-floor halls had been completed, where 12 Bata employees from Czechoslovakia installed machinery transported from Zlín.
On 29 August 1932, the pilot production was started; in one of the two halls, one hundred male and female workers were trained for the production of shoes under the leadership of Bata experts from Czechoslovakia; around 20 September, the standard production of footwear was already running.
In December 1932, leather, felt and also rubber shoes were produced in the factory.
In 1933, the corporate weekly magazine Bataville, Avis et échos was published for the first time, the publication of this magazine ended in July 1983. The Bataville magazine was replaced by the Batapresse magazine published from October 1983 to July 1996; in 1933, the corporate magazine Vendeur intended for shop assistants was published.
In 1933, buildings were constructed on the factory premises and in its surroundings in the architectural style inspired by Bata’s Zlín in Czechoslovakia; in the construction department of the Bata company in Zlín, projects for construction in Hellocourt were created; that year, a typical Bata factory building comprised of five floors was built here; similarly, in 1933, 12 residential houses were built for employees.
In December 1932, the company had 244 employees; in the following years, their number increased: 1,520 (December 1934) – 2,009 (December 1936) – 2,530 (December 1939).
In 1934, 2,571,400 pairs of shoes were produced in the factory; 4,306,600 pairs and 3,284,900 pairs in 1936 and 1939 respectively.
In October 1935, the factory premises comprised the following facilities: One five-floor building (leather shoe production, offices), two ground floor halls (rubber shoe production), three other buildings (warehouses, etc.); at the end of 1935, a second five-floor building was completed; in February 1936, the construction of two more five-floor buildings began.
In 1934, the residential area comprised 22 houses for 82 families; 40 houses for 128 families at the end of 1935. That year, new accommodation facilities for unmarried employees (the so-called hostels for unmarried employees) were opened – one for men, two for women; in 1935, the residential area had a total of 965 inhabitants; in August 1938, the colony comprised 276 apartments and 7 dormitories for unmarried employees, a total of 920 employees lived here.
In 1935, two-thirds of employees commuted from 35 surrounding villages, a third of the factory’s employees was living in the adjacent residential area; from 1936, postal services were available there, and, from 1937, school education was provided for children aged 6-8 years.
In 1939, at the beginning of the war, the French army mobilized 1,482 employees of the factory in Hellocourt (out of a total of 2,729).
By 31 January 1940, there were 1,536 employees in Hellocourt, by the end of May 1940, the number of employees was 1,438.
In November 1940, the factory was taken over by the German army.
On 1 August 1945, production resumed in Hellocourt – the first workshop with 255 employees; by the end of 1945, 4 workshops with 1,013 workers were in operation there.
In September 1946, 1,100 employees worked in Hellocourt, their number rose to 2,000 in 1954.
By 1946, a cinema for 320 spectators had been built for the inhabitants of Hellocourt, classes were offered to 200 schoolchildren in four classrooms; in 1954, a new school building was opened; and there was a chapel here in Hellocourt, replaced by a new church building constructed between 1962 and 1966; in 1967, a parish was established.
Between 1954 and 1965, the company built new housing in the residential area (about 30 apartments); in addition, since 1955, the company had been providing loans for the construction of houses whose owners were the residents; between 1962 and 1975, the company provided loans of almost 3 million francs, and, by then, 59 houses had been built.
In 1962, the factory in Hellocourt-Moussey produced 3,257,236 pairs, and, by 1968, the production had risen to 3,677,833 pairs; the production peaked in 1970 – 4,650,640 pairs.
Between 1964 and 1966, the factory in Hellocourt-Moussey established subsidiary workshops in the surrounding villages for manufacturing of shoe parts; the first one in Fénétrange was opened in August 1964; in 1971, 50 people were employed here, production ended in August 1982; another branch in Chȃteau – Salins was in operation from August 1966, had two workshops with 90 employees and closed in August 1984.
In the period from 1970 to 1972, a large modern central warehouse with a capacity of 2 million pairs of shoes was built in Hellocourt; in 1979, a chemical plant was built in Hellocourt.
In the period from 1976-1977, the company constructed two large multi-floor buildings (32 apartments) for rental housing; at the turn of the 1980s, the appearance of the original residential area built in the 1930s changed significantly – 17 houses were modified (1978-1979), and 30 houses were demolished (1980-1981).
In 1983, 4,234,820 pairs of shoes were produced in Hellocourt-Moussey, in 1991, the production amounted to 3,400,000 pairs; between 1983 and 1986, the number of employees here was around 1,800, in the following years (1988 – 1991), the number of employees was around 1,600.
In 1988, the factory in Hellocourt-Moussey established subsidiary sewing workshops in nearby municipalities: Réchicourt-le-Chȃteau, Maizières-lès-Vic, Dieuze, Gelucourt, Nébing, Val-de-Bride, Baccarat; between 1993 and 1994, production ended here.
On 23 December 2001, the factory in Hellocourt was closed.
In 2001, the property of the company comprised 75 housing facilities (158 apartments); the residential area was sold to SNC Résidence Les Jardins.

Other production sectors in Hellocourt

Between 1933 and 1934, a power plant was built in Hellocourt.
In 1934, a joiner’s workshop was in operation and operated here until 1992.
In October 1935 a brickworks was built, it was shut down in 1975.
In 1934, a construction department was in operation, in September 1935, 100 bricklayers were employed here.
In 1951, a tannery was put into operation, 15 employees worked there, their number rose to 45 in 1957. This building was used until 1959; in 1958, the construction of a new modern tannery was completed, with 50 employees working there in 1971. In 1983, the tannery supplied leather to factories in Hellocourt, Vernon and Neuvic; the operation here was terminated in August 1996.
In 1974, a cardboard factory with 15 employees was in operation here.
In 1975, a machine workshop was in operation here.
Between 1931 and 2003, the enterprise was also running an agricultural farm (cattle and horse breeding).

Vernon

At the end of 1935, through two real estate companies, land was purchased in the municipality of Saint-Marcel in the vicinity of Vernon.
On 23 March 1936, a subsidiary company “La société Manufactures de caoutchouc de Saint-Marcel” (=Manuca) was established in Saint-Marcel; rubber toys and carpets were produced in the building of a small starch factory.
On 11 January 1939, the company was renamed “Les Manufactures de Saint-Marcel”, Vernon.
At the beginning of 1939, the production of knitwear and hosiery was added to the existing range of rubber products; in the spring of 1939, machinery and the production of gas masks were transferred here from the Bata factory in Czechoslovakia (Napajedla).
Between 1936 and 1938, a standard Bata-style production hall (80 x 20 meters) as well as 8 residential buildings were built here. There was also an airport there.
In 1940, as a result of war events, the rubber department from Hellocourt was transferred here.
In the period from 1941 to 1944, the product range (rubber, textile and others) was focused on the needs of the German occupation army and navy; in 1941, a production workshop was established in Louviers near Vernon; the number of employees increased: 294 (in 1940) – 582 (in 1941) – 880 (in 1942) – 749 (in 1943).
Between 1941 and 1942, the production programme was expanded to include production of machinery.
In the post-war period, the production of rubber shoes and socks was being developed.
Between 1977 and 1983, the number of employees went down from 1,235 to 638.
1980 – Products of the local machinery manufacturing plants found wide application, 200 machines were used in 40 countries.
In 1983, 1,911,245 pairs of shoes were produced in Vernon; the total turnover of the enterprise amounted to 163,225,854 francs; out of which the production of footwear – 88,979,187 francs, production of machines – 29,612,640 francs, production of stockings – 28,698,014 francs.
Between 1986 and 1989, the number of employees decreased from 466 to 387.
In 1991, the factory had 147 employees, production ended here.

Neuvic

In August 1939, the Marbot shoe factory in Neuvic was purchased for 1,350,000 francs; in October, the Bata company brought here numerous machinery from its buildings in England and Norway, as well as machines transferred from Hellocourt; in November, the factory was put into operation.
On 17 November 1939, the company was renamed “Société anonyme L. Marbot et Cie”.
In the spring of 1940, many of Bata’s employees from Hellocourt, from where the transport of machinery and raw materials continued, found a safe refuge in Neuvic; as a result of the war and occupation, the number of employees increased here: 283 (1940) – 1,200 (1944).
In 1943, the company had 765 employees, out of which 762 working in production and 3 working in sales; the factory produced leather (4 workshops) and rubber shoes (6 workshops), a total of 538,000 pairs.
In the post-war period (after the evacuated employees returned to Hellocourt), the number of employees in Neuvic was 800; in the 1950s, the annual production amounted to more than over 1 million pairs of shoes.
In the period from 1963 to 1965, the number of employees increased by one hundred to 1,627; in 1965, 5 million pairs of shoes were produced here.
In 1965, a new modern production building was put up.
Between the 1960s and the 1980s, the factory had the following numbers of employees: 1,627 (in 1965) – 1,879 (in 1972) – 1,305 (in 1981).
In 1983, the factory produced 2,948,878 pairs of shoes.
At the turn of the 1990s, the factory had the following numbers of employees: 793 (in 1987) – 140 (in 1992); in 1992, production amounted to 230,000 pairs of shoes.

Sources:

Z. Pokluda – J. Herman – M. Balaban, Baťa na všech kontinentech, Zlín 2020, ISBN 978-80-7454-928-1
Alain Gatti, Chausser les hommes qui vont pieds nus, Metz 2004, ISBN 2-87692-619-9
Martin Jemelka – Ondřej Ševeček, Tovární města Baťova koncernu, Praha 2016, ISBN 978-80-200-2635-4
Bata, The Bata Shoe Organisation, 1978
Thomas J. Bata, Remmembered, Zlín 2016, ISBN 978-80-7473-398-7
Jaroslav Pospíšil – Hana Pospíšilová, Rub a líc baťovských sporů, Zlín 2012, ISBN 978-80-7473-037-5
Jaroslav Pospíšil, Světla a stíny v životě Baťova ředitele Ing. Františka Maloty, Zlín 2011, ISBN 978-80-87497-26-5
Notre client, notre maître, Bata S. A., 1960
Antonin Cekota, Bata, créateur génial, Paris, S. A. des chaussures Bata, 1968
Henri Schwab, Jeunesse, au travail! Ouvrage d´orientation professionnelle édité par les usines Bata, Hellocourt, Bata S. A., 1937