Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 14:29:24
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 156.40 2.32%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 432.80 1.12%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,456.05 1.07%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 278.85 2.88%
  1. State Bank Of India share price
  2. 758.30 3.30%
Business News/ Companies / Wal-Mart to open software development center in Bangalore
BackBack

Wal-Mart to open software development center in Bangalore

Wal-Mart to open software development center in Bangalore

A Wal- Mart store. Photo: BloombergPremium

A Wal- Mart store. Photo: Bloomberg

Bangalore: Retail giant Wal-Mart’s new social media arm, WalmartLabs, will open a software development center in Bangalore by the end of this year, a company executive said on Wednesday.

Wal-Mart entered into a retail joint venture with Bharti Enterprises in August 2007 and currently operates 8 stores in the country, as it awaits a potential change in regulations to allow foreign firms to own supermarkets.

A Wal- Mart store. Photo: Bloomberg

India allows 51% foreign direct investment (FDI) in single-brand retail but global retailers such as Wal-Mart and Tesco have long sought greater access to a fast-growing retail sector dominated by mom-and-pop operators.

WalmartLabs, which is looking to hire about 100 people for the new office, is a product of the Arkansas-based company’s acquisition of Kosmix, a California-based data mining firm, which was co-founded by Rajaraman.

The new venture will develop applications to provide customers with the exact location of a certain item in the company’s sprawling stores and detailed product comparisons - a feature typically found only on online shopping web sites.

WalmartLabs currently has one software development center in San Bruno, California, which employs about 100 people, Rajaraman said.

Wal-Mart has recently forayed into social media in its attempt to exploit the window into consumer tastes and preferences provided by social media outlets such as Facebook.

The company joined hands with Facebook in October and launched My Local Walmart, a page that lets the retailer’s roughly nine million Facebook fans follow what is happening at stores in their neighborhoods.

Keep up with latest news/ views on the livemint Facebook page

Follow livemint on Twitter for latest news / views / full coverage

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Corporate news and Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
More Less
Published: 09 Nov 2011, 06:01 PM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App

Chat with MintGenie