Wal-mart to Russia

Over the course of the next two years, Wal-mart will be expanding into the booming Russian market.The lack of competitors coupled with what Wal-mart CEO H. Lee Scott termed as a 'growing consumer nation' may provide them all the reasons to make their entry sooner than later.

Wal-Mart may team with a local partner to open Russian stores, Juan Figuereo, vice president for international mergers and acquisitions, said last February. The company was among potential partners with which X5, Russia's largest supermarket company, would consider allying in a joint venture if it were to seek to expand in Russia, CEO Lev Khasis said in March.

The obstacles waiting for the consumer giant are not new.A country known for it's corruption, high-level red tape as well as expensive real-estate, Russia provides challenges to Wal-mart that it has previously seen in India.But for what is turning out to be an emerging market phenomenon, the more you take on- the better you get at it!