German wholesale retailer Metro, which entered India in 2003, is planning to consolidate its hold over the market amid the impending entry of giants like Wal-Mart by going in for smaller stores.

"The next year will be a period consolidation for Metro in India," said a senior company official who requested that he should not be identified. "A lot depends on the performance of all the stores in India. In terms of investments, 2013 will be cold and it's going to be a consolidation phase." After this, the firm is looking to open five or six stores every year.

The firm has also revisited its real estate strategy by trimming its average large format store size to half. In the initial phase, it opened stores with average retail space of 100,000 sq ft in built-up area. In the new format Metro is looking at opening stores with an average space of 50,000-55,000 sq ft.