Wal-Mart poised for major China expansion

Wal-Mart Stores plans to hire 150,000 people in China over the next five years, five times the number it currently employs there, as it prepares for a major store expansion.

Joe Hatfield, chief executive of Wal-Mart Asia, who has worked at the world's biggest retailer for more than 30 years and was its first employee in China in 1994, said today the company plans to open 20 stores in the country this year and is racing to train more staff so that it can speed up growth.

- REUTERS