Exporters to meet Int'l Wal-Mart

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)