首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
(1)After taking a brief hiatus to weather the recession, an invasion of Britain by some of America’s best-known retail brands—in
(1)After taking a brief hiatus to weather the recession, an invasion of Britain by some of America’s best-known retail brands—in
admin
2019-01-22
30
问题
(1)After taking a brief hiatus to weather the recession, an invasion of Britain by some of America’s best-known retail brands—including Best Buy, Banana Republic and Forever 21—is back on the march. And early reports from the front line in the land of shopkeepers indicate that, unlike with earlier attempts by U. S. retailers to break Britain, British consumers are welcoming the invaders with open arms—and wallets.
(2)That’s not always been the case. While the British public has long had an appetite for American fast-food vendors, the record of U.S. retailers who have tried to make it big in Britain is mixed. But the latest arrivals enter the market as already established brands with built-in consumer awareness, thanks to the dominance of U.S. culture in media and online. And they satisfy British shoppers’ desire for "something new," says analyst Natalie Berg, of London-based consultants Planet Retail. "They all bring a cult aspect" to the U.K. high street.
(3)Best Buy—America’s largest consumer-electronics chain—kicked off the latest rush into the British market in May, when it opened its first-ever U.K. store. The 4,650-sq-m big-box outlet in the London suburb of Thurrock is the first of eight to 10 stores Best Buy expects to open in the country this year. And it has proved an impressive beachhead: in terms of sales volume, that first weekend was the chain’s biggest opening weekend in its 27-year history. "We had strong expectations," says Paul Antoniadis, CEO of Best Buy UK (who won’t reveal how much they took in over those first three days). "But the actual delivery was brilliant."
(4)For some U.S. stores, this will be their first foray into the UK Following in Best Buy’s footsteps is California-based Forever 21, which specializes in cheap, trendy clothes for young women and will open its first U.K branch in Birmingham, northern England, in November. But for others, now is the time to expand on past success. Hollister, which is owned by Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F), has proved extremely popular in Britain since it launched its first surf-shack-chic store in London in 2008. Hollister rode the recession like it was the perfect wave. Despite the economic downturn, it opened 11 more stores across the U.K over the past two years, most recently in April. As a result, A&F reports that average sales volume for Hollister’s British stores is six times the level of its U.S. stores.
(5)Meanwhile, Gap-owned Banana Republic, which debuted in London two years ago, opened its second and third stores in the city last December and April this year. Even in what was a tough year for retailers of all nationalities, Banana Republic’s total U.K. net sales in last year hit $24 million, up from $23 million a year earlier.
(6)What’s the attraction? Britain boasts an overall retail market worth around $415 billion—a tempting target. The U.K is also a good launchpad for further expansions into continental Europe. Moreover, thanks to growing online sales, U.S. retailers no longer have to blanket Blighty with shops to achieve full market penetration. They can open a few flagship stores in key cities, and back them up with a strong Web presence, which in turn reduces overheads and risk.
(7)The Internet also provides a strong prelaunch marketing tool: Best Buy set up a U.K. website back in January that featured blogs, forums and advice, and used social-networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to build anticipation for the Thurrock launch. And there’s a new, postdownturn draw too: cheaper rents. U.K. retail rents have historically been sky high, particularly in London. Now many landlords-hit by a raft of vacancies-are willing to bargain.
(8)While the invasion is off to strong start, U.S. retailers shouldn’t consider Britain a sure thing. U.K. retailing is a highly mature market that’s brutally competitive, particularly now as retailers battle to entice credit-crunched shoppers back into shops. "It’s probably not a great time to enter the British market," says Sarah Peters, an analyst at British retailing consultants Verdict Research, "But I’m not sure if there is ever a good time." Indeed, Britain’s retailing landscape is littered with the bones of successful U.S. retailers who stumbled badly when they crossed the Atlantic.
(9)Limited Brands, in conjunction with British fashion chain Next, failed in an attempt in the 1990s to transplant Bath & Body Works to Britain. And Whole Foods Market, which opened a massive food emporium in London in 2007, lost around $52 million in the British capital last year, thanks in part to formidable competition from mainstream British supermarket chains that are already well stocked with organic groceries.
(10)If this latest flock of U.S. retailers does well in the U.K., it will likely be because they offer British shoppers something completely different. Forever 21, for example, will face resistance from established, strong domestic clothing brands, including Topshop, New Look and Primark. But Best Buy, on the other hand, has an edge. Not only are its big-box stores a novelty in Britain, but so is the brand’s emphasis on customer service. Its Geek Squad unit gives customers round-the-clock technical support, and shoppers can use its in-store setup service to configure gadgets before taking them home. "Consumer-electronics stores in the U.K. traditionally have not had good reputations for customer service," says Matthew Piner, another Verdict Research analyst. "And no one has really challenged them before."
(11)To pay for its U.K. invasion, Best Buy, which was pummeled by the recession, has already shelled out around $30.5 million and expects to spend around another $50 million to $58 million this fiscal year. That’s a big bet. But for Best Buy, and many other U.S. retailers, the potential payoff for succeeding in Britain means it’s one worth making.
Which of the following statements about the passage is NOT true?
选项
A、The British retailing market is so competitive that it is not easy to be penetrated.
B、There may be no perfect time for American retailers to enter into the British market.
C、The American retailers are definitely achieving big success in the Britain market.
D、The after-sale service provided by American retailers satisfied British consumers.
答案
C
解析
根据第8段首句和最后一句可知,并不是所有的美国零售商都能在英国获得成功。故C与原文不符,为正确答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/OWEK777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
LangstonHughes,aprolificwriterofthe1920’swasconcernedwiththedepictingtheexperienceofurbanBlackpeopleintheUn
Thereisnolink,whatsoever,betweentheproducersandusersofmanpowerwiththeresultthatinstitutionsoflearning,essent
Therelianceoncreditreportsinhiringisbecomingwidespread.AsurveybytheSocietyforHumanResourceManagementfoundt
InaBertelsmannFoundationstudyonsocialjusticereleasedthisfall,theUnitedStatescameindeadlylastamongtherich【M1】
InaBertelsmannFoundationstudyonsocialjusticereleasedthisfall,theUnitedStatescameindeadlylastamongtherich【M1】
Cross-CulturalCommunicationMulticulturalismisarealityinNorthAmerica.Itis,therefore,importanttoknowhowtobridgec
Cross-CulturalCommunicationMulticulturalismisarealityinNorthAmerica.Itis,therefore,importanttoknowhowtobridgec
CrossCulturalBusinessPresentationsWithinthebusinessenvironment,understandingandcopingwithinterculturaldifferencesb
MeaninginLiteratureI.AUTHOR—Interpretauthor’sintendedmeaningbya)Readingotherworksby【T1】_____【T1】______b)Knowingc
A、Deliciousfood.B、Comfortableaccommodation.C、Agreatlobby.D、Fitnessofferings.A根据句(2)可知,由于消费者的健康意识提高了,所以人们在旅行时选择的酒店要不仅能提供
随机试题
冬季停用的冷凝器,应将管道中的积水放净,防止管道冻裂。()
史载:一名叫马丁的英国保险商人于公历1536年6月18日为他的朋友吉朋承保人寿保险,保险金额2000英镑,保险期限12个月,吉朋于1537年5月29日死亡,受益人请求给付保险金。但马丁声称:保险期间12个月,是以阳历每月28天计算,不是指日历上的12个月,
胎产式是指
进口日期栏应填()标记唛码及备注栏应填()
如果某房地产的售价为1000万元,其中建筑物价格为600万元,地价为400万元;该房地产的年客观收益为72万元,建筑物的资本化率为8%.,那么土地的资本化率最接近于()。
美国心理学家华生为了研究儿童的恐惧心理,在儿童抚摸小白兔时,大声敲锣,结果使这个儿童不但对白兔,甚至对其他白色的东西都产生了畏惧心理。这种行为违背了教育心理学研究的哪项原则?()
在一幅比例尺为1:200的地图上标注有一个长方形的鱼塘。该鱼塘的长与宽之比为3:2,在地图上量得的周长为30厘米。则该鱼塘的实际面积是()平方米。
反映教育活动中人的个性化要求的现代教育特征是_______。
下面不属于软件设计阶段任务的是
Elderlypeopleeasilybecomesociallyisolated.
最新回复
(
0
)