Wal-Mart Plans To Boost Presence In China, Hire 150,000 more

Wal-Mart Plans To Boost Presence In China, Hire 150,000 more

Retailer Plans To Open 20 More Stores In China In ’06

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Wal-Mart expects to hire up to 150,000 employees in China over the next five years — five times its current work force there — as it expands its number of stores.

Wal-Mart has targeted China, which has long been a major supplier of its products, as a key region for its international store growth.

Wal-Mart now has 56 stores in China with about 30,000 employees. It plans to open 20 more stores this year.

The news comes less than a week after world’s largest retailer moved to expand in another fast-growing region — Central America — by taking a majority stake in a local retail chain that it first bought into last September.

Wal-Mart took over Central American Retail Holding Co., also known as CARHCO, for an undisclosed price.