Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, is expected to set up its first Sam's Club in Guiyang city, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province in 2004. 
 
Representatives of Wal-Mart China Co., Ltd, signed a contract with officials of Guiyang Thursday to set up the store, which willbe located downtown in the underground shopping center of the People's Square.

Kang Bin, a representative of Wal-Mart, said that Guiyang wouldbe the 16th or the 17th city to open a Sam's Club, a warehouse shopping club with a membership system where food accounts for 60 percent of the goods.

Wal-Mart has established 31 stores in China since the first Sam's Club opened in the southern city of Shenzhen on Aug. 12, 1996.

Sam's Club, named after Wal-Mart founder and retail giant Sam Walton, offers exceptional value on name-brand merchandise at member-only prices for both business and personal use.

Since the first Sam's Club was founded in the United States in 1983, it has opened more than 500 chainstores across the world.
 
(Xinhua October 31, 2003)