優衣庫和H&M正面開戰了，不知道會不會大降價呢

Fast Retailing, the world’s third largest apparel company behind the brand Uniqlo, threw down the gauntlet against world number two Hennes & Mauritz, opening its first store in H&M’s home market of Sweden, as it makes further inroads in Europe.

世界第三大服裝公司迅銷公司旗下擁有優衣庫品牌，最近在H&M的本國市場開了第一家專賣店，向世界排名第二的品牌H&M發起了挑戰，同時向歐洲市場又邁進了一步。

“This is a big step toward becoming a global brand,” Chairman and CEO Tadashi Yanai said. He usually spends his summer in Hawaii through the end of August but this year he has been in Stockholm to prepare for the store opening.

主席兼首席執行官Tadashi Yanai說：“這是朝着全球品牌邁出的一大步。”他經常在夏威夷避暑到8月末，但今年他卻一直待在斯德哥爾摩準備專賣店的開業事宜。

More than 1,000 people lined up at the store in Sweden’s capital. “I was impressed with the variety of items anyone can wear regardless of age,” said a 20-year old college student who bought a sweater.

1,000多人在瑞典首都的店外排起了隊，一個20歲的大學生買了一件毛衣，他說：“這裏衣服的款式給我留下了深刻印象，不分年齡誰都可以穿。”

The store highlights Fast Retailing’s clear focus on Europe of late. The company last fall opened its first store in Spain, the home of world number one clothier Inditex, known for its Zara brand.

這家店突顯了迅銷公司最近對歐洲明顯的關注，去年秋季該公司在西班牙開了第一家分店，西班牙有世界排名第一的服裝製造商Inditex，其著名品牌是Zara。

Uniqlo generates only 4% of its global sales in Europe. And Fast Retailing has had a bitter experience in the region. It opened its first overseas store in the U.K. back in 2001 riding a boom for fleece clothing and quickly increased the U.K. store count to over 20, only to shutter 16 locations in 2003 due to continued losses.

優衣庫在歐洲的銷量只佔其全球銷量的4%。迅銷公司在歐洲曾有過一次痛苦的經歷，2001年在英國開設了第一家海外分店，羊絨服裝的銷量激增，很快在英國開設到20多家分店，但2003年由於持續虧損就關閉了16家。

“We were arrogant and took the challenge lightly,” Yanai said in retrospect.

Yanai回憶時說：“我們當時過於自負，輕易地就接受了挑戰。”

Fast Retailing has since cultivated its European presence steadily, making its debut in Germany in 2014. But the store count in Europe was a mere 75 at the end of July.

從那以後迅銷公司在歐洲穩步發展，2014年在德國首次亮相，但截止七月底歐洲分店只有75家。

Three quarters of the 2,057 Uniqlo stores are in Japan and China. And 186 are in South Korea.

2,057家優衣庫專賣店中3/4都正在日本和中國，還有186家在韓國。

Given the similar body types and climates in the neighboring markets, it is more efficient for Fast Retailing to put in resources there than in Europe.

鄰國市場人們的身材和氣候和日本相似，所以迅銷公司在鄰國要比在歐洲更容易施展拳腳。

But establishing a solid presence in Europe, the fashion capital of the world, is a vital step for Fast Retailing to enter a new stage of growth.

但在世界時尚之都歐洲站穩腳跟纔是迅銷公司想要邁入新的發展階段的重要一步。

Fast Retailing is confident of its offerings, including the quick dry and heat retention features. But the challenge is to have people in Europe exposed to Uniqlo clothes so they can pick up and feel the clothes in person.

迅銷公司對自己的產品非常自信，包括其速乾和保暖的特點，但其面臨的挑戰是要讓歐洲人接觸到優衣庫的衣服，他們才能親自去挑選並親身感受到服裝質量。

The business landscape presents an opportunity for Fast Retailing to make it big in Europe. Although Inditex has performed well, H&M’s sales have declined as consumers increasingly feel that the design and quality do not measure up to the price.

商業大環境爲迅銷公司提供了在歐洲發展壯大的機會。雖然Inditex公司銷售仍然很好，但H&M銷量有所下滑，消費者越來越感覺從設計和質量來看，該品牌的衣服並非物有所值。