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 The world's largest retailer said it would open the stores over four
to five years.
The company already has 20 Indian wholesale outlets. They sell goods
to small shopkeepers, who dominate the nation's $500 billion retail
market, rather than directly to consumers. Wal-Mart has no retail
stores in India.
Wal-Mart's growth in India has been stunted by an internal bribery
probe, uncertainty over regulations on foreign investment in the
country, and in October, the severing of a partnership with New
Delhi-based Bharti Enterprises aimed at opening retail stores.
Full foreign ownership of wholesale, or "cash-and-carry", stores is
allowed in India and has not generated any political opposition.
Wal-Mart has been operating under the wholesale format in India
since 2006.
Globally, Wal-Mart operates 359 wholesale stores, compared with
5,633 retail outlets, according to its most recent annual report.
In 2013, Wal-Mart did not open a single wholesale outlet in India
despite plans to open eight during the year.
"We are evaluating and reinforcing procedures and programs relating
to all compliance areas, including licensing and permits, food
safety, and responsible sourcing, among others," Scott Price,
Wal-Mart's Asia chief executive, said in a statement announcing the
rollout.
A company executive in India said the first new outlets among the 50
would open soon in western and southern India, including the states
of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
The executive, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized
to speak to the media, said Wal-Mart would start the online business
on a wholesale basis and sell goods to traders on a "very small"
scale.
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India does not allow foreign retailers to sell goods online directly
to consumers.
Wal-Mart named a new India head in December and said then that its
focus in the country would be on opening wholesale stores and
building its supply chain.
The company's desire to enter India with supermarkets has been
met with fierce opposition from small shopkeepers and political
parties.
Sources at Wal-Mart have said they are waiting until after national
elections in May before applying to operate retail stores in India
in case a new government overturns a rule allowing direct investment
in supermarkets.
On Monday, the political party expected to lead India's next
government said it would bar foreign supermarkets.
Shares of Wal-Mart were up 0.8 percent at $77.93 in afternoon
trading.
(Additional reporting by Clare Baldwin in Hong Kong and Phil Wahba
in New York; editing by Tony Munroe, Alison Williams and Lisa Von Ahn)
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