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FDI in Cash & Carry Wholesale Trading/Wholesale Trading in India

FDI in Wholesale Trading is allowed 100% under Automatic Route Subject to some Conditions. 

Meaning of Wholesale Trading/ Cash and Carry Wholesale Trading 

Cash & Carry Wholesale trading/Wholesale trading, would mean sale of goods/merchandise to retailers, industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users or to other wholesalers and related subordinated service providers. Wholesale trading would, accordingly, imply sales for the purpose of trade, business and profession, as opposed to sales for the purpose of personal consumption. The yardstick to determine whether the sale is wholesale or not would be the type of customers to whom the sale is made and not the size and volume of sales. Wholesale trading would include resale, processing and thereafter sale, bulk imports with ex-port/ex-bonded warehouse business sales and B2B e-Commerce

2. Guidelines for Cash & Carry Wholesale Trading/Wholesale Trading (WT)

(a) For undertaking WT, requisite licenses/registration/ permits, as specified under the relevant Acts/Regulations/Rules/Orders of the State Government/Government Body/Government Authority/Local Self-Government Body under that State Government should be obtained.

(b) Except in case of sales to Government, sales made by the wholesaler would be considered as ‘cash & carry wholesale trading/wholesale trading’ with valid business customers, only when WT are made to the following entities:

(I) Entities holding sales tax/ VAT registration/service tax/excise duty registration; or

(II) Entities holding trade licenses i.e. a license/registration certificate/membership certificate/registration under Shops and Establishment Act, issued by a Government Authority/Government Body/Local Self-Government Authority, reflecting that the entity/person holding the license/ registration certificate/ membership certificate, as the case may be, is itself/ himself/herself engaged in a business involving commercial activity; or

(III) Entities holding permits/license etc. for undertaking retail trade (like tehbazari and similar license for hawkers) from Government Authorities/Local Self Government Bodies; or

(IV) Institutions having certificate of incorporation or registration as a society or registration as public trust for their self consumption.

Note: An entity, to whom WT is made, may fulfill any one of the 4 conditions

(c) Full records indicating all the details of such sales like name of entity, kind of entity, registration/license/permit etc. number, amount of sale etc. should be maintained on a day to day basis.

(d) WT of goods would be permitted among companies of the same group. However, such WT to group companies taken together should not exceed 25% of the total turnover of the wholesale venture.

(e) WT can be undertaken as per normal business practice, including extending credit facilities subject to applicable regulations.

(f) A wholesale/cash & carry trader can undertake retail trading, subject to the conditions as applicable. An entity undertaking wholesale/cash and carry as well as retail business will be mandated to maintain separate books of accounts for these two arms of the business and duly audited by the statutory auditors. Conditions of the FDI policy for wholesale/cash and carry business and for retail business have to be separately complied with by the respective business arms.