Bata India, the country's biggest footwear manufacturer & retailer, has reported an increase of more than 5 per cent in its net profit for the third quarter of current year.

The footwear giant said that its net profit jumped 5.3 per cent to Rs 32.04 crore in the three months to September 30, against a net profit of Rs 30.42 crore in the corresponding period of last year.

Net sales jumped 14.5 per cent year-on-year to settle at Rs 423.54 crore during the three months under review.

Rajeev Gopalakrishnan, managing director of Bata India group, said that it was the consistent growth in retail and non-retail operations that allowed the company to report a successful quarter.

Speaking on the topic, Gopalakrishnan added, "We will continue our focus to expand the retail outlets and improve the merchandise with newer and better designs to provide the Indian consumers the best in footwear."

During the quarter under review, the footwear company opened 33 new stores, all of which are based on the new large format and are above 3,000 square feet. In addition, the company launched three select standalone stores for the Hush Puppies brand plus one shop-in-shop.

Bata also launched a new premium range of comfy footwear brand for women, called Sundrops, which targets women in their mid-thirties, who value comfort as well as style.