Metro C&C opens third B2B centre in Hyderabad; plans network in 35 cities

The first Metro Cash & Carry hypermarket in India, which until now had 2 stores operating in Bangalore, opened its third store on November 30, 2006 in Moosapet area of Hyderabad.

 Metro Cash and Carry is a wholesale hypermarket chain operating across Europe. It is the largest division of German retail giant METRO AG.

Metro Cash & Carry is different to other large retail chains such as Billa and Carrefour in that its stores are primarily destined to wholesale customers, not retail. The cash-and-carry concept is based around self-service and bulk buying. To be able to shop at Metro, customers need a card which shows they are eligible to buy in wholesale and are therefore professionals in a certain field, such as gastronomy, crafts, own business, etc.

Spread over an area of 7 acre, the Rs 67 crore B2B distribution centre in Hyderabad occupies a selling space of 100,000 sq ft including a 20,000 sq ft temperature-controlled space to handle perishables, such as vegetables, fruits, dairy, meat and fish. The centre stocks a range of 18,000 products, 98% of which are sourced locally. Hyderabad centre is slated to achieve an annual turnover of Rs 300 crore. The centre has already registered about 75,000 small and medium retailers, traders and other institutional businesses as its customers.

While, the retail chain is planning to expand its operations across the country in 35 cities having population of more than one million, its Kolkata and Mumbai distribution centres, presently under construction, would be ready for opening by mid 2007. Discussions are also in progress for acquisition of land at Chennai, Ghaziabad, Delhi, Gurgaon, Pune, Coimbatore, Vijayawada and Viskhapatnam. Each of the distribution centre, excluding the cost of land, requires an investment of about Rs 65 crore.