2018-11-07

牛油果一代的奢侈品

法国酩悦·轩尼诗-路易·威登集团（LVMH）是世界上最大的奢侈品生产商，旗下拥有50多个品牌，其主要业务包括以下五个领域：葡萄酒及烈酒（Wines & Spirits）、时装及皮革制品（Fashion & Leather Goods）、香水及化妆品（Perfumes & Cosmetics）、钟表及珠宝（Watches & Jewelry）和精品零售（Selective Retailing）。

2018上半年，LVMH 的业绩创造了新的纪录，这样的业绩新高让人激动，但现在也有很多潜在的危机让人担忧。LVMH 的产品在亚洲地区的销售量占整个公司营销收入的三分之一，并且亚洲地区的奢侈品需求能够帮助避免该品牌在其他地区可能面临的销售量下滑的风险。但中美之间的贸易摩擦导致关税直接上涨，这使得 LVMH 的亚洲市场发展前景堪忧。同时，LVMH 想保持其高端路线，因而不想将产品在网络上过度的曝光。但运用网络购物的千禧一代成为购买主力的势头不可避免。

由此可见，要想保持其领先地位，LVMH 势必要做出改变。那么它下一步会有怎样的策略来应对外部变化呢？让我们拭目以待。

本篇课程首发于2018年11月8日，选自 The Economist Espresso APP

难度系数：

无用系数：

Handbags for the avocado set: LVMH

① LVMH, the world's biggest luxury-goods producer, is expected to announce robust revenue and profits in its third-quarter results today.

② The conglomerate boasted record revenues in its half-yearly results in July.

③ Nonetheless fears persist about the trade war between America and China.

④ Asian buyers account for over a third of the company's sales, and ongoing Asian demand has for some time offset concerns about potential declines elsewhere.

⑤ But the threat of higher tariffs makes it unclear how long LVMH and its competitors will be able to rely on shoppers there.

⑥ Instead the industry will have to look to millennials for future growth.

⑦ Social-media platforms offer an obvious way to target them, but Bernard Arnault, the boss of LVMH, has expressed caution about expanding its presence online, anxious not to "trivialise" the company's products.

⑧ For high-end goods, "likes" count for less than making your friends silently steam with envy.

▍生词好句

avocado /ˌævəˈkɑːdəʊ/: n. 鳄梨；牛油果

robust /rəʊˈbʌst/: adj. 强劲的

conglomerate /kənˈɡlɒmərət, kənˈɡlɑːmərət/: n. 大型集团

boast /bəʊst/: vt. 拥有 (值得自豪的东西)

The hotel boasts high standards of comfort.

这家酒店以其高标准的舒适度而感到自豪。

persist /pəˈsɪst/: vi. 持续；坚持

We are persisting with policies that will create jobs for the future.

我们坚持贯彻能给未来创造就业机会的相关政策。

If the symptoms persist for more than a few days, then contact your doctor.

如果症状持续几天以上就马上联系医生。

nonetheless /ˌnʌnðəˈles/: adv. 但是；尽管

account for: 占比

offset /ˈɒfset, ˌɒfˈset/: vt. 抵消

millennial /mɪˈleniəl/: n. 千禧一代

trivialise /ˈtrɪviəlaɪz/: vt. 使……减值

count for: 起作用；有价值

steam with envy: 异常嫉妒

▍沃尔玛财报分析

▍责任编辑

李焕、李慧璇、陈鑫悦、章晓丹