Fruitnet 2 Mar 10 

Rising food costs are putting pressure on the Indian government to open up the country's retail sector

India may be on the brink of opening up its tightly regulated retail sector as the pressure of rising food prices mounts.

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Feb. 16, 2010 - The Walmart Foundation and CARE today launched the Peru Agricultural Economic Development Initiative, which seeks to help 2,300 small-scale farmers in Peru. The program is expected to increase participants' incomes by 30 percent and create more than 300 new jobs in the region.

Planet Retail 3 Mar 2010

Indian retail/wholesale joint venture Bharti Wal-Wart has stated that it is positive that the Indian government will allow Foreign Direct Investment in the retail sector, given the "progressive" nature of the current government.

The Packer 02/25/2010

Middlemen can play a big part in promoting sustainability in the food system, said Richard Schneiders, recently retired chief executive officer of Houston-based Sysco Corporation.

McKinsey, February 2010

Thailand's modern grocery sector - composed primarily of hypermarket, "cash and carry," and convenience store formats - continues to grow, but market saturation, changing consumer behaviors, and new regulations will intensify the battle for share of wallet across all channels.

Planet Retail 9 Feb 2010

Wal-Mart's Indian operation, Bharti Wal-Mart, is working with 116 private label suppliers in India, focusing on small local suppliers. In an interview with Images Retail, Bharti Wal-Mart Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Arti Singh, said: "In India, we are working with about 116 private brand suppliers, 70% of whom are SMEs. We are a strong supporter of SMEs as a sustainable business model and this is in keeping with our philosophy of 'Saving Money to Live Better'."

Planet Retail 9 Feb 2010

Wal-Mart's Indian operation, Bharti Wal-Mart, is working with 116 private label suppliers in India, focusing on small local suppliers. In an interview with Images Retail, Bharti Wal-Mart Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Arti Singh, said: "In India, we are working with about 116 private brand suppliers, 70% of whom are SMEs. We are a strong supporter of SMEs as a sustainable business model and this is in keeping with our philosophy of 'Saving Money to Live Better'."

Planet Retail weekly bulletin 20 Jan 10

The Russian Parliament has approved a law which it hopes will make pricing more predictable and transparent; boost competition in the retail sector; limit retailers' monopolistic behaviour; and make relations between retailers and suppliers more transparent. The law, which has been five years in the making, will be enforced from February 2010.

Planet Retail 20 Jan 2010

Tesco is to open its first cash & carry outlet in India this year, Communications Director, Greg Sage said. Tesco already has a presence in India through its franchise agreement with Trent, the retail arm of the Tata Group, which operates stores in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Chennai. "We see a huge opportunity for future growth in India," he added.

Planet Retail 20 Jan 2010

Bharti Wal-Mart has reportedly opened its first Agricultural Co-operative Centre in Sirhind, Punjab. The centre aims to build an aggregating, handling, packaging and delivering system of fresh produce to Best Price and Bharti Retail's EasyDay stores. This initiative is part of Bharti Wal-Mart's Direct Farm Programme in partnership with 100 small and marginal farmers near Ludhiana, Punjab. The farmers will be paid for their produce within 24 hours post delivery. All legalities including APMC tax will be fully complied with.