Carrefour may seal JV deal in India soon - FT

PARIS, Nov 26 (Reuters) French supermarket group Carrefour could sign a joint venture deal in India soon, its chief executive said in a newspaper interview.

''Negotiations are well on track,'' Jose Luis Duran told the Financial Times. ''We are talking to two or three different candidates ... we should be able to sign a joint venture in the coming months.'' Duran also confirmed that Carrefour was following German-based Metro Group into the Indian cash-and-carry market.

''There are two strategies in parallel, based on cash-and-carry and hypermarkets. We are starting from now to build up. To be realistic, I think the first cash-and-carry stores should open in 2009,'' REUTERS SLD BST1235