> US retail stores' closure sparks debate
沃爾瑪永久關閉美國部分分店，原因：頻繁遭搶！
The entrance to a Walmart store is seen in Bradford, Pennsylvania, July 20, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]
Recently, the mayor of Portland, Oregon, Ted Wheeler, said the largest US retailer, Walmart, is leaving the Northwest city because of crime.
近日，俄勒岡州波特蘭市市長泰德•惠勒（Ted Wheeler）表示，美國最大的零售商沃爾瑪因該市極高的犯罪率將離開這座城市。
Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted a link to an article about Walmart's decision to close its last two stores in Portland, which will affect 580 workers.
德克薩斯州州長格雷格•阿博特在推特上發布了一則文章稱，沃爾瑪決定關閉波特蘭最後兩家門店，這將影響到580名員工。
In December, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said: "Theft is an issue. It's higher than what it has historically been." "The retail industry is changing and retail theft is a national issue," Wheeler said.
去年12月，沃爾瑪執行長道格•麥克倫表示：「盜竊是個問題。它比有史以來的水平都要高。」惠勒也表示，零售業正在改變，零售盜竊已成為一個全國性的問題。
Footwear giant Nike, headquartered in Oregon, had offered to pay off-duty Portland police officers to provide security at one of its stores.
總部位於俄勒岡州的製鞋業巨頭耐克公司曾向波特蘭的休班警察支付報酬，讓他們為其一家門店提供安保服務。
Nike has said that the problem is nationwide, and some of its warehouses and even trains carrying its merchandise have been hit.
耐克表示，這個問題是全國性的，其部分倉庫，甚至是運貨的火車都受到了影響。
Retailers say the main problem is organized rings that involve multiple suspects rushing through stores and stealing large quantities of goods.
零售商表示，這些有組織的團伙作案，通常是多名歹徒衝進商店，大肆偷竊商品。
Last year, legislators in California, Florida, Louisiana and North Carolina increased penalties for stealing from stores.
去年，加利福尼亞州、佛羅里達州、路易斯安那州和北卡羅來納州的立法者加大了對從商店偷竊物品的處罰。
Under an amended law in Louisiana, those caught stealing as part of a group could face up to seven years in prison.
根據路易斯安那州的一項修正法律，行竊者一經發現，將面臨最高7年的監禁。
The NRF said that its latest security survey of roughly 60 retailers found that inventory loss — called shrink — averaged 1.4 percent last year.
美國零售聯合會（National Retail Federation，簡稱NRF）表示，其對大約60家零售商進行的一項最新安全調查發現，去年的庫存損失平均為1.4%。
The greatest part — 37 percent — came from external theft, including products taken during organized shoplifting incidents.
數據顯示，37%的損失來自外部盜竊，包括在有組織的入店行竊中被偷走的商品。
It also noted that retailers on average saw a 26.5 percent increase in organized theft incidents last year.
而零售商去年遭遇的有組織盜竊事件平均增加了26.5%。
Some business owners were forced to lock up products and double the number of security guards at some stores.
有組織的盜竊事件頻發，使一些企業主不得不為產品上鎖，並增加店內保安數量。
However, locking up items also reduces sales by 15-25 percent, according to Joe Budano, CEO of Indyme, a technology company that sells security devices to retailers.
為產品上鎖雖然能有效防盜，但對零售營收卻於事無補。Indyme是一家向零售商銷售安全設備的科技公司，其執行長Joe Budano認為，給商品上鎖也會使銷售額降低15%-25%。
> Propping up consumption seen as target for this year
多措並舉推動消費平穩增長
Tourists shop at a duty-free shopping mall in Sanya, South China's Hainan province. [Photo/Xinhua]
Consumption, a buzzword highlighted not only in this year's Government Work Report but also during the newly-concluded two sessions, will witness further recovery and expansion this year, with preferential policies gradually taking effect, industry experts said.
行業專家表示，隨著優惠政策逐漸生效，消費，這個不僅在今年的政府工作報告中，而且在剛剛結束的兩會上都被強調的熱詞，將在今年見證進一步的恢復和擴張。
Pan Helin, co-director of the Digital Economy and Financial Innovation Research Center at Zhejiang University International Business School, said: "The recovery and expansion of consumption have been prioritized by the Central Economic Work Conference late last year. In the short term, we think the government will continue to focus on policy support for the stability of consumption, while in the long term the government will focus on increasing the support of consumption by improving residents' income levels in the future."
浙江大學國際聯合商學院數字經濟與金融創新研究中心聯席主任盤和林表示：「去年年底的中央經濟工作會議已經將消費的復甦和擴張列為優先事項。短期來看，我們認為政府將繼續側重於用政策支持消費穩定，而長期來看，政府將側重於未來通過提高居民收入水平來增加對消費的支持。」
And the consumption sector did witness recovery.
消費領域的確出現了復甦。
Official data showed that during this year's Spring Festival holiday, the sales revenue recorded in consumption-related sectors surged 12.2 percent year-on-year — 12.4 percent higher than that of 2019.
官方數據顯示，今年春節假期期間，消費相關領域的銷售收入同比增長12.2%，比2019年增長12.4%。
Sales revenues of restaurant and hotel chains rose 16.4 percent and 30.6 percent on a yearly basis, respectively.
餐廳和連鎖酒店的銷售收入同比分別增長16.4%和30.6%。
Many listed companies said that they experienced a recovery in consumption and are anticipating a boom in consumption this year.
多家上市公司表示，今年消費領域出現了好轉，預計將迎來消費熱潮。
According to the China Commerce Association for General Merchandise, during this year's Spring Festival holiday, customer traffic in major shopping malls surged 10 percent year-on-year.
據中國百貨商業協會統計，今年春節假期期間，大型購物中心的客流量同比激增10%。
Hong Yong, an associate research fellow in the e-commerce research department of the Ministry of Commerce, said: "To realize high-quality development in the consumption sector, enterprises should prioritize product quality as consumers have increasing demands. In addition, they should increase brand influence, as more consumers now tend to buy products from famous brands. Technology advancement is also important, considering its role in helping adapt to market changes and consumer demands."
商務部研究院電子商務研究所副研究員洪勇表示：「為了實現消費領域的高質量發展，隨著消費者的需求越來越高，企業應該優先考慮產品質量。此外，他們應該增加品牌影響力，因為現在越來越多的消費者傾向於購買名牌產品。考慮到在幫助適應市場變化和消費者需求方面的作用，技術進步也很重要。」
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來源：chinadaily.com.cn