Metro Cash & Carry chief executive Eckhard Cordes has said that India, along with China and Russia, will be one of the top three markets for the German company in the coming years. Metro plans to open 50 cash and carry stores by 2015 in India, matching the pace of the company’s expansion in China, the world’s fastest-growing major economy.

“Our target of 50 stores by 2015 won’t be the end, we definitely see a potential of a three-digit number for our stores here,” said Cordes, without specifying the actual target or the time-frame. “I think the market potential for cash and carry business in India, if you do it right, is huge.”