Exporters to meet Int'l Wal-Mart

JAKARTA (JP): A delegation from the Wal-Mart International retail chain wants to meet Indonesian producers exporting to the U.S. before Saturday.

The two-day "Wal-Mart and Indonesia Vendor Partner Meeting" will take place in the convention hall of the Jakarta Fair Grounds in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

Bobby L. Martin, Wal-Mart's president, is leading the delegation. The retail chain aims to market Indonesian products in the U.S.

The invitation was made on Tuesday by Winardi Setiaputra, the director of PT Multipolar Perkasa, which has a franchise agreement with the mammoth chain.

Indonesia's first Wal-Mart will open in August in West Jakarta. The outlet will be the newest of the chain's 3,000 outlets in seven countries, Winardi said.

So far Wal-Mart sources US$185 million worth of goods in Indonesia. The amount is only 0.4 percent of the $40 billion the company spends on non-American products.

"What is good about Wal-Mart is that it aims to help small- scale producers," Winardi claimed.

Seventy percent of the merchandise sold at its Jakarta outlet will be made locally, Winardi said. (anr)