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  3. The Golden Years Rule One key to a happy retirement is the means to enjoy it. Roger de Haan ended up with more than enough m

The Golden Years Rule One key to a happy retirement is the means to enjoy it. Roger de Haan ended up with more than enough m

admin2013-07-11  59
问题                     The Golden Years Rule
    One key to a happy retirement is the means to enjoy it. Roger de Haan ended up with more than enough money to finance his golden years when he decided to retire and sell Saga Group, his family’s business, in late 2004. Saga Group, the British travel, media and financial-services company that targets older consumers attracted several major bidders, with Charterhouse ultimately paying $ 2. 4 billion. What attracted Charterhouse and its rivals was Saga’s market strength in Britain’s fastest-growing consumer demographic: the over-50 set.
    While most businesses make great efforts to attract the young, Saga realized early on that there’s often more money to be made from the mature. Marketers have traditionally stayed away from older consumers, preferring to aim their pitches at a younger audience it hopes to develop into lifelong customers. But Tim Bull, Saga’s group marketing director, says mature consumers are just as eager to buy as youngsters, though they are more sensible and more discerning. They are also richer—much richer.
    The rise of the silver spender is not co-nfined to the U. K. , of course. The trend is the same across Europe and beyond. Within five years, about one-third of the U.S. population will be older than 50, and consumers in that age bracket currently own 65% of the net worth of all households. As a commercial company entirely focused on aging consumers, Saga remains unique. The U.S.’s AARP, for example, also sells products and has a magazine, but it’s a nonprofit group more interested in public policy and political lobbying. So as businesses look for opportunities to court older buyers, they are increasingly turning to Saga for advice. It’s got partner ships with a growing number of companies eager to attract the " gray pound", including Hilton hotels, Hertz and David Lloyd Leisure, a chain of health clubs. "They have the products older people want, but are not sure how to reach them. It’s a good business model for us," Bull says.
    Barriers remain, however. The taste of old-fashion, though fading, clings to the company like the scent of grandma’s flowers. Trendy advertisers, for example, still stay away from Saga Magazine, despite its impressive circulation. Although the monthly runs features on still-cool celebs, it’s filled with ads for retirement properties and health-improving facilities. In order to combat that perception, Saga is planning a brand improvement campaign designed by ad agency Doner Cardwell Hawkins. " It will stress our core strengths to a new generation," says Bull.
    Given the success of Charterhouse’s buyout, there’s speculation that Saga may soon go public. The company declines to discuss whether an initial public offering is in the works, but, investors would likely welcome a debt-raising because of Saga’s strong brand and impressive track record. And given that nearly half the U. K.’s adult population will be 50 or older by 2020, it’s not about to run out of potential customers anytime soon.
Roger de Haan’s decision is mentioned to______.
选项 A、give an example of what happy retirement means
B、show his great success as a businessman
C、imply the potentially huge profits of the aging market
D、lead to the discussion about Saga Group’s unique strength
答案D
解析 本题考查写作目的。本文首先通过萨迦公司老板罗杰·德·阿里汉的决定(退休并卖掉萨迦集团)引出几家公司对该公司的积极竞标，并进一步引出全文讨论的重点：萨迦集团的独特优势(即，对于竞标公司的魅力)所在——其面向的老年客户群在未来的一段时间内将是一个巨大的市场。所以，[D]为正确选项。全文开始提到“快乐的退休生活"和罗杰·德·阿里汉这个人物，都只是为了从它们引出“萨迦集团作为面向老年客户群的公司”这个话题。下文并没有围绕快乐的退休生活或罗杰·德·阿里汉个人的成功展开论述，选项[A]、[B]无法和下文产生联系，因而不可能是文中提到罗杰·德·阿里汉决定的目的。选项[C]由于和文章主旨一致而最具迷惑性，但能说明老年人市场有利可图的并非罗杰·德·阿里汉的决定，而是下文中数家公司对萨迦集团的积极竞标。
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