Walmart Inc. is exploring options for its Asda unit including an initial public offering after plans to combine the business with J Sainsbury Plc to create the U.K.’s largest supermarket chain collapsed, according to people familiar with the matter.
U.K. antitrust regulators’ decision to block the 7.3 billion-pound ($9.4 billion) deal threw up a roadblock to the world’s largest retailer as it moves to reshape its international operations. Walmart was aiming to focus on faster-growing markets than Britain, where a shift to online shopping and the rise of discounters Aldi and Lidl are making life difficult for traditional supermarket chains.
