Retail therapy

Walmart's Flipkart buy could be a high-risk strategy

After over a decade of trying, the world’s largest retailer has finally gained a toe-hold in the Indian retail market for $16 billion. Viewed from Walmart’s global revenues of $500 billion, this appears to be a small price to pay for a 55 per cent market share in a fast-growing online retail market — more so when rival Amazon has had a six-year head start, and now accounts for the remaining market share. True, this purchase gives Walmart a running start, and it has the deep pockets to compete against an equally cash-rich rival where Flipkart was running out of