Walmart, the world’s largest retailer by revenues, is opening up to 110 stores in China, where it has struggled in the past to increase the return on its investments.

沃尔玛(Walmart)将在中国新开至多110家门店。这家全球营收最高的零售商过去一直难以提高其在中国市场的投资回报率。

International retailers including Walmart, Carrefour and Tesco have experienced serious growing pains in China as they try to convert a rise in urban consumer spending into sustainable profits.

沃尔玛、家乐福(Carrefour)和乐购(Tesco)等国际零售商近年在中国都经历了成长的烦恼。它们试图将城市消费者支出增长转化为可持续的利润。

Walmart, which has 400 stores in the country and wants to reverse its falling shopper numbers, is to open the stores in smaller cities over the next three years, stocking more imported food and centralising distribution to ensure that its produce was fresher.

目前在中国拥有400家商场的沃尔玛，希望扭转购物者人数下降的局面。该零售商计划未来3年期间在较小的城市开店，让更多进口食品上架销售，并且建立配送中心以确保农产品新鲜。

The US retailer has faced regulatory and infrastructure problems across emerging markets, where economic growth has slowed in the past 18 months.

这家美国零售商在新兴市场各地遭遇到了种种监管和基础设施问题。过去18个月里，整个新兴市场的经济增长有所放缓。

In India this month it scrapped a joint venture with a local partner after being hamstrung by restrictions on foreign investment. In Mexico allegations that it paid bribes to open stores are being investigated by the US authorities.

本月早些时候，沃尔玛在印度放弃了与一家当地合作伙伴成立的合资企业，原因是受不了印度针对外资的种种限制的桎梏。有关沃尔玛在墨西哥为了开店而行贿的指控，正受到美国有关部门的调查。

Walmart has been forced to adapt its strategy for US shoppers, who favour large weekly purchases, to the Chinese preference for daily shopping for a few fresh items. Chinese shoppers spend on average less than $25 per visit.

在中国，沃尔玛被迫调整其针对美国购物者（倾向于每周一次性搞定食品购买）的战略，以适应中国消费者每天购买几样新鲜食品的偏好。中国购物者每次光顾的支出平均不到25美元。

“The most important area for us in China initially is to get our fresh departments running the way we need them to operate for our customers,” said Greg Foran, Walmart’s China chief executive. “I see too many of our customers having to inspect our product.”

“在中国，对我们最重要的领域首先是让我们的新鲜食品部门按照适合顾客需求的方式运作，”沃尔玛中国首席执行官高福澜(Greg Foran)表示，“我看到太多的顾客不得不去检查我们的产品。”

Alongside its new openings in China, Walmart plans to close 15-30 stores in the next three years, many of them acquired or opened during a previous round of hasty expansion.

在开新店的同时，沃尔玛也计划在未来3年里关闭15至30家店，其中有不少是收购而来的，或是在上一轮匆忙扩张期间开设的。

Last week Doug McMillon, head of Walmart’s international business, said: “We took some locations and some layouts that we wish we hadn’t taken in an effort to drive growth.” On a net basis its number of China stores will rise by 70 to 80.

上周，沃尔玛国际业务首席执行官董明伦(Doug McMillon)表示：“为了推动增长，我们曾接手一些店址和一些布局，现在我们感到后悔。”以净数量计，沃尔玛在中国的商场数量将增加70至80家。

Problems for western chains in China range from competition with homegrown stores and a shortage of well-qualified staff to uneven infrastructure development and a lack of reliable refrigerated distribution networks.

西方连锁企业在中国面临种种问题，从本土商场的竞争和缺乏合格员工，到参差不齐的基础设施以及缺乏可靠的冷藏配送网络。

Supermarkets and hypermarkets already command more than 80 per cent of the market in China’s biggest and wealthiest cities, leaving more space for expansion in smaller cities.

在中国比较富裕的各大城市，超市和大卖场已经占据80%以上的市场，因此较小的城市会有更大的扩张空间。

“The international traders haven’t done well penetrating smaller cities, so this is a necessity for Walmart,” says Oceanne Zhang, a Shanghai-based analyst for Kantar Retail.

“国际商家在挤入较小城市方面迄今做得不怎么样，因此这是沃尔玛必须迈出的一步，”康塔瑞韬(Kantar Retail)常驻上海的分析师Oceanne Zhang表示。