How Bathu sneakers grew turnover 73% in 2020
Qualified accountant and Bathu founder Theo Baloyi takes us through how his company saw big growth during lockdown.
Bathu founder Theo Baloyi at one of his stores.
Streetwear culture in South Africa is fronted by brands such as Loixon Kulca and Grade Africa that have cemented themselves over the years. However, footwear is only recently getting as much attention as clothing.
Sneaker collections are often celebrated and marketed for international brands such as Nike, Adidas and Puma, but there was a big gap in the market for a local competitor. Bathu has nicely placed itself in this market. Starting in 2015 it now has 15 flagship stores around the country. Bathu means “shoes” in township slang and was founded by Theo Baloyi, a qualified accountant.
For him, it just made sense to start.
‘African sneaker’
During his time working abroad, Baloyi noticed in his business research and development there was no flagship African sneaker brand, so he forged ahead to build one.
“I didn’t just want to make a shoe that is African I wanted it to be very creative, something modern, something with colour,” he said.
The sneakers are known exactly for that, vibrant colours that are distinctive, particularly the lines on the bottom of the show are unique.
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Baloyi also wanted to make shoes that complemented the Happy Socks brand. The sneakers are see-through to complement the colourful design of the socks.
One of its signature editions, the Mesh design is one of the reasons this came about. The colours have different meanings and for the seasons. Baloyi adds they are “happy shoes that pop with colour” and the lines at the bottom don’t necessarily have a defiant meaning.
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50% plus turnover for Bathu
From a business perspective and numbers, the founder says turnover growth has been around 50% a year. “Year on year, we are growing between 50 and 70%.”
Last year during the start of Covid-19, Baloyi says they saw 73% growth from the previous financial year.
This growth has been contributed to growing local demand, the quality of the sneakers and the opening of stores across the country. At a time with many people shop online, South African buyers are still very much still into retail stores and walking into a shop to see for themselves.
Working with famous celebrities has helped put Bathu out there, with well-known partnerships with Somizi Mhlongo, Khanyi Mbau and Lerato Kgyaganyo. It’s a direction that exceeded their expectations.
“The brand focuses on walking your journey. Working with artists and the talent comes from their journey and their passion points,” he says.
In every market, the business has a target audience. Baloyi says for Bathu they want to “accommodate everyone on their journey to greatness” and having that “cool factor”.
Lastly, on his competitors such as the Drip deal with Cassper Nyovest, Balyoi wishes the founder, Lekau Sehoana, all the best.
“We are so happy they are joining the narrative we have been trying to push of African sneaker brands and African footwear. We can both strive in the same direction. Europe has so many sneaker brands, similar to South America. The sky is so big, that each and everyone can fly. So the same can be said in Africa, for Bathu, Drip and many others.”
