Metro Cash & Carry to open four wholesale hypermarkets in Japan

German commerce multinational Metro will open four cash and carry wholesale markets in Japan. This was announced yesterday in Tokyo by Marubeni, Metro's joint venture partner.

The first market is scheduled to start trading at the end of this year, with three more opening their doors in 2003. All of these will be in the metropolitan Tokyo area. They will above all serve the large network of Japanese small and medium size wholesalers.

In Tokyo's English-language daily Japan Times, a Marubeni spokesman says that the country's market could bear some 40 to 50 additional Metro cash and carry markets.

UNI Commerce will discuss cooperation in organising Metro's new wholesale hypermarkets with its Japanese affiliates and Germany's large commerce union Ver.di, in connection with the Commercial Workers' Summit in Sydney, Australia in April.