【英语阅读】经济学人 | 零售商纷纷撤离商业街之际，宜家为何反其道而行之？

Schumpeter
熊彼特
A topsy-turvy world
翻转的世界

topsy-turvy adj.乱七八糟的,颠三倒四的,混乱的 adv.颠倒地,混乱地 n.乱七八糟,极其混乱

As retailers abandon the high street, why is IKEA moving in?
零售商纷纷撤离商业街之际，宜家为何反其道而行之？

retailers 零售商

Tottenham court road is a little-loved street of furniture stores in central London, made even more drab by boarded-up shops and sale signs plastered across the windows. But since October a new type of outlet has brought in some Lewis Carroll-like magical realism. Through vast glass windows, passers-by gaze in on a kitchen so tall it looks like part of Wonderland. Inside are no tills; indeed nothing is sold there. It belongs to ikea, a Swedish furniture retailer, which also seems topsy-turvy; ikea is famously a staple of suburbia.
位于伦敦市中心的托特纳姆法院路（Tottenham Court road）的家具一条街生意本就冷清，封门闭户的店铺和贴满橱窗的减价招牌更是让这里了无生气。但自去年10 月以来，一种新型门店给这里带来了几分刘易斯·卡罗尔式的魔幻现实主义色彩。路人透过大片的玻璃橱窗凝视店内的厨房。这厨房的天花板如此之高，宛如爱丽丝仙境的一部分。店内没有收银台，实际上里面什么都不卖。这家店是瑞典家具零售商宜家开的，这一点更让人觉得错乱——众所周知宜家是郊区的标配。

furniture n.家具;设备;储藏物
drab by 单调的
boarded-up 用木板封闭的
plastered adj.醉醺醺的;涂得厚厚的 v.使平;粘贴;掩饰
outlet n.出口,排放孔;电源插座;发泄的方法;批发商店
realism n.现实主义;实在论
gaze vi.凝视;注视 n.凝视;注视
Wonderland n.奇境,仙境,非常奇妙的地方
tills n.现金出纳机
indeed adv.的确;实在;真正地;甚至
staple n.主要产品;订书钉;主题;主食 adj.主要的;常用的;纺织纤维的 vt.把…分级;钉住
suburbia n.郊区;郊区居民

It may seem as if Alice has stepped through the looking-glass. But there is method in the madness. As other retailers are driven off the high street, partly because of competition from big-box stores like ikea, the company is heading into the heart of London, Paris and New York as part of an expansion into 30 city centres. It is not only examining where it puts its shops. Though ikea woke up late to the importance of e-commerce, it is using the shock as an opportunity to rethink its business model; the internet will become more central to its future. Many of its competitors still see digital commerce as just one retail channel among many. They are making a big mistake. Unless they face reality, more will join the ranks of struggling retailers such as Sears, jcPenney and Macy’s in America, and Debenhams in Britain—especially if consumer spending turns down.
这情境就好像爱丽丝穿过镜子看到的奇境。但在这看似一片荒诞之中实则有战术设计。一定程度上由于宜家等仓储式商店带来的竞争，其他零售商正被迫撤离主要商业街。而与此同时，宜家正在进军伦敦、巴黎和纽约的中心地带，这是它向30 个城市中心扩张计划的一部分。宜家可不仅仅只在门店选址上做功课。尽管它很晚才意识到电子商务的重要性，但它正把由此带来的冲击变成契机，重新思考自己的商业模式；在它的未来中互联网将变得更加重要。宜家的许多竞争对手仍然仅仅将数字商务视为众多零售渠道中的一个，这可是在犯大错了。如果还不面对现实，它们中就会有更多公司堕入美国的西尔斯、JC 彭尼和梅西百货，以及英国的Debenhams 等苦苦支撑的零售商之列——尤其是如果消费者支出下跌的话。

stepped through 跨过
looking-glass adj.正好相反的;完全颠倒的 n.镜子
madness n.疯狂;愚蠢的行为
driven off 赶走,击退
heading into 前往,走向
woke up 醒来
ecommerce n.电子商务
commerce n.贸易;商业;商务
struggling adj.奋斗的;努力的;苦斗的 v.努力;斗争;竞争

Retailing is not an industry prone to reinvention. Far from it. As Mark Pilkington, a former lingerie executive, explains in a new book, “Retail Therapy”, its two great innovations happened long ago, when shops grew into supermarkets, department stores and malls, and when merchandise moved out from behind the counter. The big stores became vast distribution systems, benefiting from oodles of capital and high barriers to entry. Meanwhile, customers bought the merchandise and walked out with it; the retailer saw little reason to engage with them beyond advertising and pretending to listen to their complaints.
零售业不是一个易于发生重塑的行业。甚至是非常不容易。正如女性内衣公司前高管马克·皮尔金顿（Mark Pilkington）在其新书《零售疗法》（Retail Therapy）中所言，零售业的两次重大创新发生在很久以前：商店发展成超市、百货公司和购物中心；商品从柜台后面挪出来。受益于丰厚的资金和高准入壁垒，大型商店变成了巨大的分销系统。而另一方面，顾客买完东西就走人，因此，除了做广告和假装倾听顾客的抱怨之外，零售商认为没什么必要与顾客密切互动。

reinvention 重塑
lingerie n.女性用贴身内衣裤
malls n.商场,购物广场;步行商业区
merchandise n.商品;货物 vt.买卖;推销 vi.经商
distribution systems 分销系统
oodles n.大量,许多
barriers n.障碍;栅栏;篱笆墙
Meanwhile adv.同时,其间 n.其间,其时
engage vt.吸引,占用;使参加;雇佣;使订婚;预定 vi.从事;参与;答应;保证;交战
advertising n.广告;广告业 adj.广告的;广告业的 v.公告;为…做广告
complaints n.抱怨;诉苦;疾病;委屈

E-commerce has upended this arrangement. Strip out items that are not widely bought online, such as cars, fuel and meals, and the internet’s share of total retail sales last year rose above 17% in Britain, 16% in America and 15% in Germany, according to the Centre for Retail Research, a British consultancy. Above 15%, says Mr Pilkington, is the point at which legacy retailers, with their high cost of stores and staff, struggle to survive, posing huge risks to jobs, the commercial-property business, lenders and investors.
电子商务颠覆了这一固有模式。根据英国咨询公司零售研究中心（Centre for Retail Research）的数据，除去汽车、燃料和餐点等网购还不普遍的商品，去年英国的网络销售额在零售总额中所占的份额已经上升到17%以上，在美国和德国这一数字分别为16%和15%。皮尔金顿指出，传统零售商的店铺和员工成本高，这一比例一旦超过15%它们就会陷入生存困境，给就业、商业地产行业、贷款机构和投资者带来巨大风险。

Strip out 拿走所有东西剔除剥除
fuel n.燃料;刺激因素;食物 vt.给…提供燃料;刺激,煽动;推动
meals n.膳食;谷类 v.进餐
according to 根据,按照;取决于;据…所说
consultancy n.咨询公司;顾问工作
legacy n.遗产;遗留问题;后遗症
struggle to 奋斗,竞争
commercial-property n.商业地产,商用不动产
investors n.投资者,投资人

Not bearing such costs or capacity constraints, e-retailers can offer a wider range of goods, at better prices, with a more personalised, data-driven service. E-commerce also changes the distribution system. Retailing used to be cash-and-carry, with shoppers taking their merchandise home with them. Now they often travel by different routes, unencumbered by shopping bags. So in addition to sales, retailers have to factor in delivery. That is where ikea is devoting lots of attention.
电子零售商不受此类成本或服务能力的限制，因而能以更优惠的价格、更个性化、数字驱动的服务来提供更多种类的商品。电子商务还改变了分销系统。过去零售业是一手交钱一手交货，顾客要自己把买到的商品拎回家。现在，顾客有各种不同的购物渠道，也不再需要自己受累拎购物袋。因此，除了销售，零售商还必须考虑送货。而送货正是宜家高度关注的环节。

capacity n.能力容量;资格;地位;生产力
constraints n.约束;限制;约束条件
e-retailers 电子零售商
personalised 个性化
cash-and-carry adj.付现自运的 adv.付现自运地 n.付现自运批发店
unencumbered adj.没有阻碍的;没有负担的;不受妨碍的
delivery n.交付;分娩;递送

Though Tolga Öncü, ikea’s head of retail, explains this with a wad of Swedish snus, or smokeless tobacco, beneath his upper lip, he appears more excited than nervous about the transition. The company’s strong brand and balance-sheet give it freedom to have a “test-and-fail” approach, rather than “being in a panic to do something”, he says. It has three big tasks ahead: redefining sales measures, logistics and the whole concept of the store.
宜家的零售主管托尔加·恩居（Tolga Öncü）谈及此事时，上嘴唇下塞着一团瑞典湿鼻烟（即无烟烟草）。不过，他对于这一转变更多显现出兴奋而非焦虑。他表示，宜家强大的品牌和资产负债表使它有资本采用“试错法”，而不是“慌不择路”。宜家往后有三大任务：重新定义销售衡量方式、物流，以及门店的整个概念。

snus n.鼻烟
tobacco n.烟草,烟叶;烟草制品;抽烟
balance-sheet 资产负债表
measures n.措施;层组 v.测量
logistics n.后勤;后勤学物流
concept n.观念,概念

Start with sales measures in stores. These will remain crucial; online sales make up at most 10% of the total, and stores are still the best way of attracting customers. But the idea that ikea’s success can be measured only by how much it sells per square foot is outdated. As it ships more of its products to people’s homes, it has to bear in mind online purchases, delivery and assembly. In 2017 ikea bought TaskRabbit, a gig-economy startup that can spare customers the grief of assembling furniture with an Allen key and a wordless instruction manual. Logistics is another factor. As people shop online, they demand speedy delivery. Part of this comes via ikea’s stand-alone warehouses. But Mr Öncü says its large suburban stores, which are within easy reach of densely populated areas, can also “double up” as part of the logistics network, shortening delivery times.
先说门店的销售衡量方式。这将一如既往地至关重要。网上销售额最多占总销售额的10%，门店仍然是吸引顾客的最佳手段。但是，那种只通过每平方英尺销售额来衡量宜家成功与否的想法已经过时了。随着宜家将更多商品送至千家万户，它必须时刻考虑到网购、送货和组装。2017 年，宜家收购了 TaskRabbit，这家零工经济创业公司可以为客户消除使用内六角扳手和参照无文字安装手册来组装家具的烦恼。物流是另一个要考虑的因素。网购顾客要求尽快送货。这些货物一部分通过宜家专门的仓库发出。但是恩居表示，宜家位于郊区的大型门店距离人口密集区很近，也可“兼作”物流网的一部分，从而缩短交货时间。

crucial adj.重要的;决定性的;定局的;决断的
customers n.客户,顾客
outdated adj.过时的;旧式的 v.使过时
purchases v.购买;进货 n.所购物;获得物
assembly n.装配;集会,集合 n.汇编,编译
gig-economy 零工经济 是指由工作量不多的自由职业者构成的经济领域，利用互联网和移动技术快速匹配供需方
grief n.悲痛;忧伤;不幸
wordless adj.沉默的,无言的
instruction n.指令,命令;指示;教导;用法说明
manual adj.体力的;手控的;用手的 n.说明书;小册子;用手操作的器具
demand n.要求;需求 v.强烈要求;需要;逼问;查询
stand-alone adj.独立运行的;独立的
warehouses n.仓库;大商店 vt.储入仓库;以他人名义购进股票
densely adv.浓密地;密集地
populated adj.有人口居住的,安装有元件的 v.居住于…中;构成…的人口
double up 弯着身子弯曲同宿一室把…对折
shortening n.缩短;略缩图 v.缩短,变短,缩写;缩小;使发短音

This feeds into the third challenge—changing the purpose of the store. Rather than always stocking the full range of products, the priority in smaller stores is to allow customers to “touch and feel” items they have seen online. That means stores can keep less inventory. Meanwhile, space is freed for displays of kitchens and other rooms, with staff on hand to offer home-furnishing advice.
这就带来了第三个挑战——改变门店的用途。小型门店的首要任务将是让顾客“触摸和感受”他们在网上看到的物品，而不是总要囤积全部品类的产品。这意味着门店可以减少库存，同时也可以腾出空间来展示厨房和其他功能区，员工可以随时就家居布置提供建议。

purpose n.目的;用途;意志 vt.决心;企图;打算
priority n.优先;优先权;优先考虑的事
inventory n.存货,存货清单;详细目录;财产清单
home-furnishing 家居装修

This switch to more personalised service will be particularly evident in the city centres. In Tottenham Court Road, the outlet is a “planning centre”, where no money or goods change hands. This is aimed at online shoppers who need humans to talk to about design without having to travel to suburbia. This spring ikea will open a different type of store in Paris, selling goods across a fairly small floor space. Its aim will be to attract local visitors more frequently, offering frequent range changes, fresh food and events.
这种向更个性化服务的转变将在市中心表现得尤为明显。宜家位于托特纳姆法院路的门店就是一个“规划体验中心”，那里没有钱货交易。该门店就是为了让网购客户不必跑到郊区就能与专业人士面对面地探讨家居设计。今年春天，宜家将在巴黎开设一家与众不同的门店：在一个相当小的营业面积上销售产品。它希望通过频繁更换商品种类、提供新鲜食品，以及组织各种活动来吸引更多本地顾客。

particularly adv.异乎寻常地;特别是;明确地
evident adj.明显的;明白的
fairly adv.相当地;公平地;简直
visitors n.访问者,游客

Change everything, except the meatballs
除了肉丸，改变一切

meatballs n.肉丸子;笨蛋;乏味的人

Both store formats respond not just to online pressure, but to generational trends like urbanisation, demand for sustainability and reduced car use. ikea is lucky. Shoppers already treat going to its stores as an “experience”—albeit not one for all tastes. In an online world, it is vital to build on this to keep customers interested.
上述两种门店模式都不仅仅是为了应对来自网购的压力，还为顺应城市化、可持续性发展的需要以及少开车等时代的潮流。宜家是幸运的。尽管众口难调，但许多顾客确实已经把去宜家门店当作一种“体验”。在网购的世界中，以此为基础来继续吸引客户至关重要。

generational adj.一代的;生育的
urbanisation 城市化
albeit conj.虽然,尽管

ikea is by no means safe. Its recent results show falling profits as it invests in new formats, but at least it has lots of cash on its balance-sheet. Others have less freedom to experiment, especially retailers who have overexpanded, been leveraged to the hilt by private-equity owners, and paid dividends out of sale-and-leaseback property deals that expose them to rising rents. Many are only just realising that their business model is bust. It may be too late.
但宜家绝非已经安全无虞。它最近的业绩显示，随着它开始投资于新模式，公司的利润下滑，不过至少它的资产负债表上还有大量现金。其他公司可没那么多试错的空间，尤其是那些过度扩张的、被私募股权所有者用以最大限度借贷的，以及通过售后回租的房产交易支付股息而面临不断上涨的租金风险的零售商。许多公司才刚刚意识到自己的商业模式已经崩溃。这可能为时已晚。

formats n.格式;幅度
overexpanded 过度紧张
hilt n.刀把,柄
private-equity 私人产权
sale-and-leaseback 售后租回
property n.性质,性能;财产;所有权
bust v.打破;炸破;猛烈打击

原文来自田间小站

【英语阅读】经济学人 | 零售商纷纷撤离商业街之际，宜家为何反其道而行之？相关推荐

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【英语阅读】经济学人 | 零售商纷纷撤离商业街之际，宜家为何反其道而行之？

【英语阅读】经济学人 | 零售商纷纷撤离商业街之际，宜家为何反其道而行之？相关推荐

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