And then there was Tesco...

Till a few weeks before Walmart's high-profile exit from its partnership with Bharti, officials in the commerce ministry consistently told journalists that the US chain was a sure-fire foreign entrant to multi-brand retailing in India along with the British chain Tesco. Now that Walmart has retreated and its entry as a stand-alone retailer is in doubt, attention has focused on British chain Tesco. Commerce ministry officials who oversee retail policy continue to insist that it is a sure bet for front-end retailing soon. This despite the fact that Tesco has been present in India in a sourcing and technology tie-up with the Tata group for some years but there are no signs of its front-end stores yet. Interestingly, Udyog Bhavan also maintains that the French chain Carrefour's proposal may take time.....