Indian Retailer

Walmart Stores, the world’s largest retailer, is keen to expand in China and India, chairman S Robson Walton said in Kuala Lumpur.

"Internationally, we’re focusing on larger markets," Mr Walton told delegates at a Forbes Global CEO Conference in the Malaysian capital on Wednesday. “China is a big opportunity for us. We're just getting started in India, where we see great opportunity over the long term,� he said, without giving details on its expansion plans.

Walmart, which competes with France’s Carrefour SA in China, is accelerating expansion in Asia that Walton expects will lead the global economic recovery. China’s retail sales rose 15.4% in August from a year earlier, the biggest gain this year after accounting for seasonal distortions, according to the Chinese statistics bureau on September 11.

Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart operates at about 630 locations in China, India and Japan, according to its web site. About 24% of Walmart’s net sales came from its international division in the quarter ended July 31, the company reported last month. Walmart sees opportunities in the healthcare business, Mr Walton said, without giving details.