Tesco is poised to step up its global expansion by opening its first stores in Russia, it was claimed today.

Britain’s biggest supermarket is reported to have met with at least three property agents in the country to try to identify potential sites.

Jeff Kershaw, senior director at the Moscow office of CB Richard Ellis, the commercial real-estate giant, told Bloomberg that the supermarket was looking for ways to enter the market.

Tesco is also believed to be considering potential franchise partners.

A move to the former Soviet Union would represent another dramatic step forward in Tesco’s international plans.

Sir Terry Leahy, the Tesco chief executive, told The Times last year that half of Tesco’s turnover would be generated overseas within five to ten years.

The company operates in 13 countries outside of the UK and opened its first stores in the United States in November.

Sir Terry refused to rule out either Russia or India five months ago, stating: “We keep looking at everywhere.”

A Tesco spokesman refused to comment today on reports that the company was actively looking at sites in Russia.

The Russian economy grew by 8.1 per cent last year and the average wage rose by 16.2 per cent.

Analysts believe that the booming economy will create a buoyant environment for the world’s big supermarkets.

UBS said this month that it believed supermarkets and superstores would account for 45 per cent of Russian food retailing by the end of 2009, up from less than a third in 2006.

Metro, of Germany, Carrefour, of France, and X5, of Russia, are the biggest players in the market.

Tesco is believed to have missed sales targets at its Fresh & Easy stores in the US, where it is investing $1 billion (£500 million) over the next five years.

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