IndiaRetailBiz

Indian shoppers, who are waiting with bated breath to shop at Walmart stores in India, may not be in for much luck as the world’s largest retailer could in all likelihood decide not to use the Wal*Mart brand name for its front-end retail stores in the country.

Wal-Mart has tied up with the country’s telecom giant Bharti Enterprises to foray into India for wholesale cash and carry retail and for back-end, logistics support for front-end retail.

“Three-fourths of our international business earnings are under 52 local brands across the globe. We want to be seen as local retailers serving the needs of the local people in an area,” said Mike T Duke, vice chairman, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., while speaking to media persons in New Delhi.

Rajan Bharti Mittal, Joint Managing Director, Bharti Enterprises, however, was non committal in the matter, who refused to confirm as to whether the stores would carry the Wal-Mart brand name.

“The final rollout plans of the retail and cash and carry stores would be made in April, and brand names for the retail and cash and carry stores would be announced then,” said Mittal.

Wal-Mart’s hesitation in using its own name may be due to its apprehensions of political backlash from the Left and all those including small traders who are opposed to entry of foreigners and big corporates in retail. Even, ruling UPA’s chair person Sonia Gandhi, consequent to signing of agreement between Wal-Mart and Bharti, had desired to study the impact of big corporates in retail on livelihood security of small traders.

Wal-Mart, which currently operates 3,121 store outside the U.S., across 13 countries, earned $90.6 billion in revenues from international operations for the year ended January 31, 2008.

Wal-Mart, which recorded quarterly sales of $106.269 billion in the fourth quarter ending January, 2008, has for the first time in its history topped the figure of $100 billion in a quarter.