Baťa to close Czech shoe factory, ending traditional footwear production in Europe

One hundred and fifty years after the birth of Tomáš Baťa, the footwear brand bearing his name is facing a major turning point. Baťa has officially announced that it will close its factory in Dolní Němčí in the Slovácko region next year. The move will thereby bring traditional footwear production in Europe to an end after many decades. While the curtain is falling on traditional shoemaking under the Baťa brand in Europe, the company continues to produce footwear elsewhere in the world. It currently manufactures in 12 countries, with the bulk of production having shifted primarily to Asia and Africa.