Seiyu to link into Wal-Mart's IT systems

Japanese retailer Seiyu, which is 37 percent owned by Wal-Mart, is to invest around US$160 million to link all of its stores into Wal-Mart's computerised inventory, sales and purchasing systems, in an effort to pass cost savings onto its customers. 230 stores are expected to be running the system by the end of the year, with all of Seiyu's 400 Japanese outlets hooked up by 2007.