Bharti to invest Rs 800 crore annually on retail

In spite of offers for fresh tie-ups, Bharti Group appears set to go solo in the retail business and expand the footprint of its EasyDay stores through fresh investments, estimated at Rs 700-800 crore annually. Bharti Enterprises and Walmart, which called off their six-year-old relationship last month, are in the final stages of ending their joint venture for wholesale cash-and-carry operations. The partners had set up 20 wholesale stores under the Best Price brand while Bharti handled the front-end operations through the Easy Day chain. This is indeed a big move of the company that can offer a fresh paradigm for new business activities for the signage players engaging in in-shop displays, designs and related activities.