Bharti Wal-Mart, a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and US retail giant Wal-Mart intends to go ahead with its cash and carry stores launch, despite the current market instability.

The retailer plans to open 15 carry-and-carry centers in various states in seven years and employ 5,000 people.

Recently, the company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Punjab government to jointly establish the Bharti Wal-Mart Skill Centre (BWSC) for providing training on technical skills regarding modern retail and allied sectors like logistics, supply chain and other support services.

According to the company, the BWSC being set up in Amritsar would certainly act as a medium to promote economic and social development of local communities by giving technical training and certification on modern retail and its allied sectors.

The joint venture, which is for wholesale cash-and-carry and back-end supply chain management operations in India, will occupy 50,000 to 100,000 square feet area and sell a wide range of fruits and vegetables, groceries, footwear, clothing and other general merchandise.

The joint venture is scheduled to open its first store in Punjab in the first quarter of the next financial year. The company is at present in the process of building stores in Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana.