WAL-MART gives more flesh to Indian plans

February 21, 2008 |

Planet Retail 21 Feb 2008

As it announced the outlines of its Indian plans yesterday, Wal-Mart said that its arrival will not hurt the small players in the industry. "Our goal is to work with India's existing supply chain infrastructure and improve efficiency to minimise wastage and maximise value for farmers and manufacturers as well as retailers," Wal-Mart Vice Chairman Michael Duke said in a statement. "We can help cut the waste, not the middlemen who can play a very important part in the entire supply chain."

As it increases its ties with India, Wal-Mart said it is also looking to outsource some of its information technology work to Indian companies. It didn't say which companies it plans to use. "As we deepen our relationship with India, it only made sense that we take advantage of the 24-hour development cycle that India offers," Duke said. "We expect India to clearly be a key strategic partner in this area, given its impressive IT capability," the statement cited Wal-Mart Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Rollin Ford as saying. Duke and Ford are in India on a "routine business visit" to get a "first-hand understanding" of the progress of the venture with Bharti, the statement said. The venture is expected to open 10 to 15 cash-and-carry facilities and employ approximately 5,000 people over the next seven years, according to the statement. The first store is to be opened by December this year.

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