Catherwood LibraryILR School

Wal-Mart Stores moved closer Monday to cracking open one of the last and potentially most lucrative frontiers for giant Western retailers, announcing a joint venture with an Indian partner. Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer, plans to open "hundreds" of Wal-Mart- branded superstores across India in five years starting in 2007, working with Bharti Enterprises, a company that runs the leading Indian cellphone operator. The deal would be the first large- scale entry into the booming Indian market by a foreign multibrand retailer.