(Reuters) - The Brazilian unit of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. <WMT.N> has decided to integrate its physical retail and e-commerce activities, as well as expand its so-called online marketplace operations, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.
Together with an ongoing campaign to revamp its stores and introduce more regional and in-house brands, the new initiatives should cost about 1.5 billion reais ($464 million) over the next four years, Walmart Brasil said.
Online marketplaces are an increasingly popular e-commerce format, in which websites offers products from third-party retailers, rather than just the company hosting the site.
(Reporting by Gram SlatteryEditing by Chizu Nomiyama)
