Wal-Mart will not “accelerate” openings of Marketside, the store format developed in response to Tesco’s Fresh & Easy US chain.

Wal-Mart Stores vice-chairman Eduardo Castro-Wright said: “The test we’ve had in Phoenix, we’re pleased with. Given the current economic conditions we are not accelerating the effort until we have better data to make a decision.”

At present there are four Marketside stores. Tesco has 120 Fresh & Easy stores in the US, but they have suffered during the downturn.

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