大陸特色兩元店,歐洲漸熱"一元店"

Taking a page from the popularity of dollar stores in the U.S., consumer-goods manufacturers, retailers and restaurants throughout the euro zone have discovered the power of the round price point and are introducing one-euro products aimed at budget-conscious shoppers.

從美國“一美元商店”的高人氣獲得啓發，歐元區的消費品生產商、零售商和餐廳發現了這一價格點的魅力，紛紛向想要省錢的購物者推出價格爲一歐元的商品。

Unilever, Danone SA, Starbucks Corp. and McDonald's Corp. in recent months have pushed one-euro products to light a fire under a consumer market in deep recession. The recession in Italy, for example, has pushed the number of Italians living below the poverty line up 14% in the past two years, spurring families to cut back on basic staples such as food.

聯合利華(Unilever)、達能集團(Danone SA)、星巴克(Starbucks Corp.)和麥當勞(McDonald’s Corp.)最近幾個月都力推一歐元商品，刺激處於深度衰退之中的消費者市場。比如，過去兩年中，意大利的經濟衰退促使生活在貧困線以下的意大利人增加了14%，刺激意大利家庭縮減在食品等基本商品上的支出。

'Poverty is returning to Europe,' says Jan Zijderveld, head of Europe for packaged-goods maker Unilever. 'You see 120 million people in that low-income segment. We need to get our brands to consumers who are having a hard time making ends meet.'

包裝商品生產商聯合利華的歐洲負責人齊德維爾德(Jan Zijderveld)說，貧困正重返歐洲。你看到有1.2億人屬於低收入羣體。我們要讓我們的品牌爲消費者接受，他們如今生計艱難。

As a result, the one-euro price, about $1.30, is emerging as an important tool in responding to the euro zone's crisis. Manufacturers are shrinking existing products to fit into the price, while restaurants and supermarkets are discounting items to grab the attention of consumers -- all in an effort to prop up the profitability of their European businesses.

因此，一歐元的價格（約合1.30美元）成了響應歐元區危機的一個重要工具。生產商們正縮減現有產品的規格以符合這個價格，餐廳和超市則將商品打折以吸引消費者的注意――這一切都是爲了支撐其歐洲業務的贏利能力。

'One euro is a magic price point in Europe right now,' says Lloyd Burdett, head of global clients for Futures Co., a consumer-insights consulting firm. 'There is a feeling that the stuff will arrive at that price point anyway and their margins were going to get squeezed.'

洞察消費者需求的諮詢公司Futures Co.的全球客戶主管伯德特(Lloyd Burdett)說，在歐洲，一歐元現在是一個有魔力的價格點。給人的感覺是，商品無論如何都會達到這個價格點，其利潤空間將遭到擠壓。

The dollar-store concept gained a foothold in Europe with the U.K.'s Poundland Ltd. chain. Poundland was founded in 1990, but it exploded in the past decade, with 450 stores today that sell pregnancy tests, light bulbs, toilet paper and other items to Britons of all income levels. The retailer is adding 60 stores a year offering thousands of products at the 'round pound' price point.

一美元商店的概念在歐洲立足與英國的Poundland Ltd.連鎖有關。Poundland創建於1990年，但在過去10年中飛速發展，如今擁有450家門店，向所有收入水平的英國人出售驗孕棒、燈泡、廁紙以及其他商品。這家零售商每年新增60家門店，提供成千上萬種價格爲整整一英鎊的產品。

After Britain, the concept found its way to the euro zone via Germany, where several chains specialize in one-euro products. A leader is Germany's TEDi GmbH, which started in 2004 and has opened about 150 stores a year that mostly carry one-euro products, such as beauty supplies, stationery and games. TEDi now has more than 1,300 outlets in Germany and began expanding into Austria and Slovenia.

繼英國之後，“一元店”的概念通過德國進入了歐元區，德國有幾家連鎖店專門銷售一歐元商品。其中一家領先者爲德國的TEDi GmbH。該公司創建於2004年，每年開設約150家門店，主要銷售一歐元商品，如美容產品、文具及遊戲。TEDi如今在德國有1,300多家門店，並開始向奧地利和斯洛文尼亞擴張。

Just as in the U.S., the lure of the one-euro price point in a dismal economic environment stems from a simple, easy-to-understand price that supplanted the 99-cent price tag.

跟在美國一樣，在不景氣的經濟環境中，一歐元這個價格點的吸引力源自一個簡單易懂的價格，它排擠掉了0.99美元的價格標籤。

'The one-euro price has an immediate impact,' says Massimo Bellandi, who has a stand selling one-euro toiletries, household items and stationery at an open market in the Italian town of Marina di Pietrasanta. 'It lights a fire in our customers.' On a recent Saturday morning, large, handmade yellow posters emblazoned with 'Everything at One Euro' hung over a stand piled high with products such as toilet paper, Nivea hand cream and Timotei shampoo, a Unilever brand. His sales of one-euro items have risen about 20% in the last couple of years.

貝蘭迪(Massimo Bellandi)在意大利Marina di Pietrasanta鎮的一個露天市場經營一個攤位，出售價格爲一歐元的化妝用品、家居用品和文具。他說，一歐元這個價格能夠產生即時的影響。它點燃了顧客的熱情。不久前一個週六的上午，寫着“所有商品均爲一歐元”的手工製作大幅海報掛在攤位上方，攤位上堆滿了廁紙、妮維雅(Nivea)護手霜和聯合利華出品的Timotei洗髮水等商品。過去幾年裏，他的一歐元商品銷售額增加了約20%。

The boom has help wipe away the stigma of one-euro stores, as consumers -- rich and poor -- find virtue in landing a bargain. In response, consumer-goods makers who had shunned discount stores in Europe increasingly are making less-expensive products for such outlets. Consumer-goods makers also have jumped on the trend as a way to fight the rise of private labels and maintain shopper loyalty.

一歐元店的繁榮幫助消除了其帶來的恥辱感，因爲消費者（無論窮富）都發現了購買廉價商品的好處。受此影響，此前避開歐洲折扣店的消費品製造商現在越來越多地爲這種商店製造價格便宜的產品。消費品製造商迎合這一趨勢也是爲了應對私人品牌的崛起以及保持顧客忠誠度。

The push fits into a broader trend of shrinking package sizes in Europe. Unilever has launched a series of small packages, including some priced at one-euro, use expertise gained in developing markets.

這一趨勢也與歐洲更廣泛的縮小包裝尺寸的趨勢相吻合。聯合利華已推出一系列小包裝產品，其中一些產品定價在一歐元，這一舉措利用了該公司在發展中國家市場取得的經驗。

Smaller packages are a tried-and-true formula by consumer-goods companies to generate higher profits from cash-strapped consumers. Manufacturers spend less on packaging, while the unit price of the item is normally higher than for large packs.

推出小包裝產品是消費品公司從囊中羞澀的消費者獲得更高利潤的一個可靠方法。製造商們得以減少包裝支出，同時小包裝產品的單價通常要高於大包裝產品。

'It's easier to downsize a pack than demand price increases from the consumer,' says Tom Vierhile, of consulting firm Datamonitor. 'Consumers are more sensitive to the final price they pay than the size of the box.'

諮詢公司Datamonitor的沃海勒(Tom Vierhile)說，縮小包裝尺寸要比提高產品售價容易的多，與包裝尺寸相比，消費者對他們最終支付的價格更爲敏感。

Silvana Cocci, a 62-year-old grandmother from the central Italian town of Prato, is drawn by the one-euro products at discount shops. With an elderly mother to support, Ms. Cocci has grown more worried about her budget in the past couple of years and has switched to one-euro products for items that she considered generic, such as hand soap.

來自意大利中部城市普拉託的現年62歲的科奇(Silvana Cocci)被折扣店裏的一歐元產品所吸引。由於要贍養年邁的母親，過去幾年科奇對自己的預算狀況越發感到擔憂，在肥皂等她稱爲一般性商品方面，她已經轉爲購買一歐元產品。

'It's not like we can't afford things, but you just don't know what will happen next,' she says.

她說，並不是說我們買不起貴一些的產品，但你不知道接下來將發生什麼。

In Spain, Unilever has introduced a five-wash package of its Surf detergent priced at 1 euro. In Italy the company is promoting a range of one-euro Cornetto ice creams this summer, with the price splashed on the cone.

在西班牙，聯合利華已經推出售價一歐元的Surf洗滌產品五件套裝。在意大利，今年夏季該公司正在推銷一系列散裝出售的售價一歐元的可愛多(Cornetto)冰激凌。

French dairy group Danone, which has been hit hard by the downturn in Europe, is recommending that retailers sell its four-pack of Danette, a puddinglike dessert, for 1 euro, rather than the usual price of 1.39 euros. It produced new packages emblazoned with 'Prix Choc' on the front.

法國乳品集團達能對四個裝的布丁甜點Danette給出的建議零售價是1歐元，原先售價是1.39歐元。該公司爲這個產品換了新包裝，在前面印上了“Prix Choc”。達能因歐洲的衰退而遭受了嚴重打擊。

Restaurants and cafes also are getting in on the trend. Starbucks this spring rolled out a line of 'petite' cookies, croissants, and pastries for 1 euro each. And in Spain, Italy and Germany, McDonald's is offering a changing selection of products for 1 euro. At the moment, it is selling beer and Coke at 1 euro each in Spain and salads and milkshakes for the same price in Italy.

餐館和咖啡館也加入這一潮流。星巴克在今年春季推出了“小”曲奇、牛角麪包和甜點，售價均爲一歐元。在西班牙、意大利和德國，麥當勞推出了會經常調整的一歐元產品系列。目前，麥當勞在西班牙出售均爲一歐元的啤酒和可樂，在意大利出售同樣價格的沙拉和奶昔。

The push is paying off. In 2008, Spanish restaurant chain 100 Montaditos introduced a Euromania deal on Wednesdays that helped triple sales through 2011. The menu items -- a mix of mini bread rolls topped with Spanish ham, sauces or other ingredients -- don't change, but on those days virtually every item costs 1 euro. Last summer, as consumption collapsed amid Spain's second recession in five years, the company began offering Euromania on Sundays as well.

此舉取得了成功。2008年，西班牙餐飲連鎖店100 Montaditos開始在每週三提供Euromania餐，到2011年該公司銷售額增長了兩倍，這在一定程度上也是受到這個計劃的提振。Euromania餐的菜單包括幾款上面撒着西班牙火腿和調味汁等作料的迷你麪包卷，這個菜單不會改動，但在週三實際上每款產品的售價都在一歐元。去年夏季，在西班牙出現的五年來第二次衰退導致消費受到衝擊之際，該公司開始在每週日也提供Euromania餐。

'Euromania on Wednesdays has been the engine of the company,' spokeswoman Anne Corcuera said. The number of 100 Montaditos outlets in Spain increased to 250 last year from 112 in 2007. The company plans to add 100 restaurants in Spain, while expanding in Portugal, Italy and the U.K.

該公司發言人科奎拉(Anne Corcuera)說，每週三的Euromania餐一直是公司的增長引擎。去年100 Montaditos在西班牙的餐館數量從2007年的112家增至250家。該公司計劃在西班牙增開100家餐館，同時在葡萄牙、意大利和英國進行擴張。