The retailer and manufacturer () about 5-10% of their merchandise being returned
A.forecast
B.anticipate
C.participate
D.record
A.forecast
B.anticipate
C.participate
D.record
Wal-Mart Tries to Find Its Customer
For all its success in the United States--and there is plenty of it--Wal-Mart Stores is still struggling to figure out its performance at home, where sales growth at individual stores has dropped, its customers routinely flirt with rivals like Target for clothing and its advertising has often failed to inspire.
The retailer's plans to fix the problems became clearer yesterday, when Wal-Mart executives pledged to remodel (装饰) nearly half of its United States stores over the next 18 months, beef up its marketing division and expand a bold line of clothing across much of the chain.
The changes, explained in Wal-Mart's fourth-quarter earnings announcement yesterday, threw a spotlight on the increasingly important role of one man: Eduardo Castro-Wright, the new chief of Wal-Mart's United States stores. Mr. Castro-Wright is a popular figure in the company because of his success in transforming the retailer's Mexican division into one of its most profitable units.
Mr. Castro-Wright, 51, has proved to be an aggressive innovator, overseeing a change in regional store management that will put more supervisors in the field rather than in the company's hometown of Bentonville, Ark., and encouraging experimentation, like a new pharmacy station that brings customers closer to pharmacists.
"Clearly, Wal-Mart's fortunes over the next 12 to 18 months counts on the quality of the job that Eduardo Castro-Wright does," said Robert F. Buchanan, a retail analyst at A. G. Edwards & Sons. "He is the man on the hot seat."
Bill Dreher, a retail analyst at Deutsche Bank Securities, called Mr. Castro-Wright a rising star and a very strong candidate to succeed the chief executive, H. Lee Scott Jr., providing that he can fix what analysts say is broken in the United States--namely a shopping experience that Wal-Mart executives concede has become inconsistent and, at times, unpleasant because of cluttered aisles and outdated decoration.
Sales at Wal-Mart stores open for at least a year grew, on average, 3.6 percent a month in fiscal(财政的)year 2005, compared with a 5.8 percent gain for Target, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers, a trade group.
And as yesterday's earnings--or perhaps more accurately, investors' reactions--showed, managing Wal-Mart is no simple task. Profit rose 13 percent in the quarter, but Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, predicted that full-year earnings would fall below Wall Street's expectations.
As a result, Wal-Mart's shares fell as much as 1.5 percent in morning trading. Shares closed down 36 cents, or less than 1 percent, at $45.74.
Wal-Mart said it was optimistic about 2006 despite' the financial burdens--among them higher energy prices--facing its predominantly working-class shoppers.
The company forecast full-year earnings yesterday of $2.88 to $2.95 a share, compared with analysts' estimates of $2.98. Wal-Mart pointed out that the Wall Street estimates did not reflect higher interest costs and share repurchases.
Mr. Scott said the retailer finished strong in its fourth quarter, which ended Jan. 31. Net income rose to $3.6 billion, or 86 cents a share, for the quarter, from $3.2 billion, or 75 cents a share, a year ago. Sales increased 8.6 percent, to $89 billion from $82 billion, but overall revenue of $90.1 billion was below analysts' estimates.
In a conference call this morning, Mr. Castro-Wright outlined his plan to improve the uneven shopping experience at Wal-Mart's American stores, which accounted for 67 percent of the company's $312 billion in annual sales last year.
Perhaps the most ambitious part of the plan is the proposed renovation of 1,800 stores over the next 18 months. The remodeling is intended to bring the chain's oldest outlets in line wi
A.Y
B.N
C.NG
The making of a success story
1.IKEA is the world’s largest furniture retailer,and the man behind it is Ingvar Kamprad,one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs.Born in Sweden in 1926,Kamprad was a natural business man.As a child,he enjoyed selling things and made small profs from selling matches,seeds and pencils in his community.When Kamprad was 17,his father gave him some money as a reward for his good grades.Naturally he used it to start up a business—IKEA.
2.IKEA’s name comes form. Kamprads’initials(I.K.)and the place where he grew up(E andA).Today IKEA is known for its modern,minimalist furniture,but it was not a furniture company in the beginning.Rather,IKEA sold all kinds of miscellaneous goods.Kamprad’s wares included anything that he could sell for profits at discounted prices,including watches,pens and stockings.
3.IKEA first began to sell furniture through a mail—order catalogue in 1947.the furniture was all designed and made by manufactures near Kamprad’s home. Initial sales were very encouraging,so Kamprad expanded the product line. Furniture was such a successful aspect of the business that IKEA became solely a furniture company in 1951.
4.In 1953 IKEA opened its first showroom in Almhult,Sweden. IKEA is known today for its spacious stress with furniture in attractive settings,but in the early 1950s,people ordered from catalogues.Thus response to the first showroom was overwhelming:people loved being able to see and try the furniture before buying it. his led to increased sales and the company continued to thrive.By 1955,IKEA was designing all its own furniture.
5.In 1956 Kamprad saw a man disassembling a table to make it easier to transport.Kamprad was inspired. The man had given him a great idea:flat packaging.Flat packaging would mean lower shipping costs for IKEA and lower prices for customers.IKEA tried it and sales soared.The problem was that people had to assemble furniture themselves,but over time,even this grew into an advantage for IKEA.Nowadays,IKEA is often seen as having connotations of self—sufficiency. This image has done wonders for the company,leading to better sales and continued expansion.
6.Today there are over 200 stores in 32 countries.Amazingly,Ingvar Kamprad has managed to keep IKEA a privately—held company.In 2004 he was named the world’s richest man.He currently lives in switzerland and is retired from the day—today operatioas of IKEA.IKEA itself,though,just keeps oil growing.
第 17 题 Paragraph 2_________.
A、A small retailer
B、A private accountancy college
C、A local authority
D、A small retailer
A.offer
B.offers
C.offered
D.offering
The phrase "giant retailer" in Paragraph 4 refers most possibly to ______ .
A.Wal-Mart
B.a dry county
C.Arkansas
D.corporate headquarters
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