評論
打印
Business
商業報道
Eataly
意大利美食天堂
Let them eat truffles
請他們吃松露巧克力糖
Italian food for the discerning—and loaded
意大利美食專為識貨的行家打造
FOR cognoscenti, the height of Italian taste these days is not Prada or Maserati, but a food market called Eataly.
對《鑒賞家》這本雜志而言，近日來意大利品味的高度不再是普拉達或瑪莎拉蒂，而是一個名為Eataly的美食超市。
Fruit and vegetables are piled artfully in barrows and crates.
水果和蔬菜有序又極具藝術氣息地擺放在手推車和板條箱上，
Cornucopias of pastas and pestos and peperoncini lie on shelves.
架子上是滿滿的通心粉、香蒜沙司和辣椒醬。
Groups of little tables tempt shoppers to stop and sample the salamis, or some of the eye-wateringly expensive truffles for which its founder's home town ofAlba, inPiedmont, is famous.
一張張的小桌子吸引著消費者駐足品嘗意大利臘腸以及讓人垂涎三尺的松露巧克力糖，后者不僅僅昂貴，也是該公司締造者的故鄉—位于皮埃蒙特的阿爾巴—著名的特產。
Oscar Farinetti set up the first Eataly in 2007, in an old vermouth warehouse in the Lingotto district of Turin.
2007年奧斯卡·法立內迪在都靈的林格托一家破舊的苦艾酒倉庫建立首家Eataly。
His 21st is due to open on December 2nd inChicago.
他的第21家分店將于12月2日在芝加哥正式運營。
When Eataly came toManhattanin 2010, the media were still reporting queues around the block two weeks later.
2010年，當Eataly進入曼哈頓兩周后，媒體依然在競相報道依然包圍著該美食城的消費者隊伍。
Perhaps one of Mr Farinetti's American partners—Mario Batali, a well-knownNew Yorkchef—had something to do with that.
或許這與法立內迪的美國合伙人之一的馬利歐·巴塔利這位著名的紐約大廚有關。
But inTokyotoo, after a slow start, people have taken Eataly to their hearts and wallets.
然而在東京，漸漸地，Eataly走進了人們的心里，人們甘愿掏錢品嘗意大利美食。
Mr Farinetti is a serial entrepreneur who had the good sense to sell his previous electrical-retailing business before the bottom fell out of it, and switch to a more promising sector.
法立內迪曾多次創業，他有敏銳的商業嗅覺，之前他經營電器零售業務。在這項業務墜入谷底前，他將所有業務轉向更有潛力的行業。
But he is also a fully paid-up member of the Slow Food movement founded by Carlo Petrini, his friend and fellow Piedmontese.
然而他也是慢食運動的正式會員，這一運動是他皮埃蒙特的朋友卡勒·佩特里尼倡導的。
Under Mr Petrini's guidance Eataly stocks the produce of several small firms, such as Gragnano durum-wheat pasta, wines from Piedmont and theVenetoand oil from westernLiguria.
在佩特里尼的指導下，Eataly采購許多小公司的產品，比如格拉南諾的硬質小麥通心粉，皮埃蒙特和威尼托的酒以及西部利古利亞的食用油。
Information cards tell shoppers who produced what and how.
產品的信息卡上寫著產品品名、生產者及生產過程，消費者一看就知道。
The idea, says Mr Farinetti, is not just selling food but “increasing the percentage of people who eat with awareness, choosing high-quality products and paying special attention to the source and processing of raw materials.”
法立內迪說，“這個主意不僅僅只是出售商品，而是讓更多的消費者有意識地購買食物，挑選高質量的產品，更加關注食品原材料的產地和加工過程。”
It works.
這確實有效。
Turnover this year is likely to be 300m, up by 30% from 2012, thanks to the opening of new shops.
由于新店開張，今年的營業額有望達到3億歐元，較2012年上漲30%。
More are planned by 2017, acrossAmericaand inLondonandParis.
截止2017年，更多的分店將會在美國各地、倫敦及巴黎開張。
Sales have risen in existing stores, too, by 4%-plus inItaly, 5% inNew Yorkand 10% inJapan.
已開張的份店的銷售額也都在上漲，意大利漲幅超過4個百分點，紐約5個百分點，日本10個百分點。
Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation are almost 20% of revenue inNew Yorkand 15% inTurin.
除去息稅攤銷折舊前的收益，紐約的幾乎占總收益的20%，都靈的占15%。
Eataly provides its customers with gorgeous surroundings—less combative than at Harrods in London, less oppressively wholesome than at Whole Foods Markets, an American chain—in which they might imagine Gianmaria and Francesca weeding the tomato plants or treading the grapes.
Eataly為其消費者營造極好的消費環境—不像倫敦的哈羅茲百貨公司那般斗志昂揚，也不如美國連鎖全食市場那樣琳瑯滿目目不暇接，在那兒人們都可能想象Gianmaria 和Francesca正在為番茄苗除草或者正在踩葡萄出汁。
Mr Farinetti is selling them a seductive image ofItalyitself.
法立內迪向其消費者營銷的實際上是意大利這個意象所代表的國家的魅力。
