Wal-Mart might go for rentals in India

Wal-Mart and Bharti Enterprises is likely to adopt a rental model of business for its operations as opposed to its usual ownership policy across the world. The JV companies are looking at both possibilities such as long-leasing as well as
rentals. The companies are holding talks with some leading commercial developers to sign up as anchor tenants in malls, where as in the US, most Wal-Mart stores are standalone stores.

Meanwhile, Bharti-Wal-Mart has started acquiring real estate space for its ambitious retail venture in the country. According to sources, the company has
taken close to 1.5 lakh square feet of retail space spread across various parts of the country. These are Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Chandigarh, among others. Sunil Mittal is leveraging group company Bharti Realty to tie up real estate.