Walmart to expand footprint in UP, open 6 new stores

Walmart India, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Walmart Inc., plans to expand its footprint in Uttar Pradesh by opening six more 'Best Price' modern wholesale stores in the state, a senior company official said on Monday. The places where the brick-and-mortar stores are proposed to be set up include Varanasi, Moradabad, Gorakhpur, Allahabad, Kanpur and Aligarh, Walmart India Vice President (Projects) Vijeet Shekhawat said here.

"Talks are on with the Uttar Pradesh government to open new stores in the state and we expect to get the approval soon," he said. The new stores will be in addition to the four existing stores the company operates in the state -- two in Agra and one each in Meerut and Lucknow.

It also has a fulfilment centre in Lucknow to cater to business needs of underserved small businesses such as kiranas/resellers, offices and institutions besides hotels, restaurants and caterers. Announcing a range of indigenous products for Diwali festive season, Shekhawat said over 95 per cent items in the food and non-food categories would be sourced from domestic market and MSME supplier partners.