Thank you for your interest in Big and Tall Associates (BATA). The following should give you an overview of our organization.

BATA is a cooperative trade association of retailers who specialize in the sale of Big and Tall men’s apparel. The association has been in existence since 1972, and it currently has approximately 91 domestic and international members, operating approximately 220 stores. BATA enjoys the enviable and well-deserved worldwide reputation as the home of the finest Big and Tall stores in existence anywhere.

When Big and Tall Associates was founded, its main purpose was to improve the purchasing power of the membership, as well as assuring the availability of correctly sized, fashionable, quality merchandise at competitive prices. Those continue to be the goals today. We believe that there is no other organization (in either Big & Tall or regular sizes) which has operated as effectively or as long as the relationship between BATA and our cooperating vendors.

Membership in the Association is handled by the Board of Directors and a Membership Committee. Currently, the criteria for membership are:

1. The applicant must have been in the Big and Tall business for 2 years.
2. The applicant must not be considered a “discounter” or “off-price” store, must not be publicly owned and must be an actual “brick and mortar” operation.
3. The applicant should be known as credit-worthy.
4. An initiation fee of $1,000.00 and dues of $250.00 each calendar year thereafter.

BATA produces two buying shows per year in conjunction with the Chicago Collective at the Merchandise Mart in downtown Chicago. Retail members are required to attend each in order to maintain eligibility for travel allowances and/or patronage distributions. Our affiliation with the Collective has proven to be a major step forward for all parties involved and we anticipate that it will continue for many years to come.

No pressure is ever brought to bear on any member to buy any of the lines offered by BATA. The burden rests with BATA and our merchandising team (made up of volunteers from the membership of BATA) to put together offerings which are so strong and so advantageous that the members are eager to buy them freely and in depth.

In addition to the benefits of membership, new members take on certain responsibilities. They include attending each show for at least 2 full buying days and attending the Mid-Show Merchandise Meeting. BATA members are expected to respond to requests for information from the BATA office regarding special requests from other retailers, surveys, and other requests for input. Members are asked to complete a semi-annual “report card” on each BATA vendor’s performance during the preceding season. BATA retailers are also asked to approve an annual accounting of their purchases from each of our vendors. That accounting is the basis for members’ patronage dividends.