New Delhi, April 15: French retail giant, Carrefour
on Wednesday held meetings with over 600 suppliers here as part of
its plans to open its first cash and carry store in India.
The company, which had earlier said it planned to open
its stores in India by mid-2009 has now extended it to end of
this year or early next year.
"This meeting had three objectives: to introduce
Carrefour Group and its project in India, to return on the
concept of the cash-and-carry store and to present the working
specifications and the mode of collaboration with suppliers,"
the company said in a statement.
Carrefour India Managing Director Herve Clec`h said the
meet was intended as a way of building relations and opening
business opportunities for suppliers in the company`s global
sourcing network.
"Every market we enter, we work closely with local
producers, farmers, agricultural cooperatives and
manufacturers. In most Carrefour stores, around 90 per cent of
the sold items are locally sourced. This concentration on
domestic sourcing allows us to make valuable contribution to
the development of the local economy," Clec’h said.
The first cash and carry outlet would be set up in the
Delhi NCR region, Carrefour added.
The company, which has 15,000 stores across 33 countries,
had in 2007 announced its plan to enter India
through the cash and carry wholesale concept and had stated it
was looking at opening its first cash and carry store in India
by mid-2009.
In an interview last year, the
France-headquartered company had said that it is in talks with
some Indian retail players for forming a joint venture company
to operate its Indian business.
Bureau Report
