经济学人306:意大利美食天堂

　　Business

商业报道

Eataly

意大利美食天堂

Let them eat truffles

请他们吃松露巧克力糖

Italian food for the discerning—and loaded

意大利美食专为识货的行家打造

FOR cognoscenti, the height of Italian taste these days is not Prada or Maserati, but a food market called Eataly.

对《鉴赏家》这本杂志而言，近日来意大利品味的高度不再是普拉达或玛莎拉蒂，而是一个名为Eataly的美食超市。

Fruit and vegetables are piled artfully in barrows and crates 2.

水果和蔬菜有序又极具艺术气息地摆放在手推车和板条箱上，

Cornucopias 3 of pastas and pestos and peperoncini lie on shelves.

架子上是满满的通心粉、香蒜沙司和辣椒酱。

2_副本.jpgGroups of little tables tempt 4 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.

一张张的小桌子吸引着消费者驻足品尝意大利腊肠以及让人垂涎三尺的松露巧克力糖，后者不仅仅昂贵，也是该公司缔造者的故乡—位于皮埃蒙特的阿尔巴—著名的特产。

Oscar Farinetti set up the first Eataly in 2007, in an old vermouth warehouse 5 in the Lingotto district of Turin.

2007年奥斯卡·法立内迪在都灵的林格托一家破旧的苦艾酒仓库建立首家Eataly。

His 21st is due to open on December 2nd inChicago.

他的第21家分店将于12月2日在芝加哥正式运营。

When Eataly came toManhattanin 2010, the media were still reporting queues around the block two weeks later.

2010年，当Eataly进入曼哈顿两周后，媒体依然在竞相报道依然包围着该美食城的消费者队伍。

Perhaps one of Mr Farinetti's American partners—Mario Batali, a well-knownNew Yorkchef—had something to do with that.

或许这与法立内迪的美国合伙人之一的马利欧·巴塔利这位著名的纽约大厨有关。

But inTokyotoo, after a slow start, people have taken Eataly to their hearts and wallets.

然而在东京，渐渐地，Eataly走进了人们的心里，人们甘愿掏钱品尝意大利美食。

Mr Farinetti is a serial 6 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 7 sector 8.

法立内迪曾多次创业，他有敏锐的商业嗅觉，之前他经营电器零售业务。在这项业务坠入谷底前，他将所有业务转向更有潜力的行业。

But he is also a fully 1 paid-up member of the Slow Food movement founded by Carlo Petrini, his friend and fellow Piedmontese.

然而他也是慢食运动的正式会员，这一运动是他皮埃蒙特的朋友卡勒·佩特里尼倡导的。

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.

在佩特里尼的指导下，Eataly采购许多小公司的产品，比如格拉南诺的硬质小麦通心粉，皮埃蒙特和威尼托的酒以及西部利古利亚的食用油。

Information cards tell shoppers who produced what and how.

产品的信息卡上写着产品品名、生产者及生产过程，消费者一看就知道。

The idea, says Mr Farinetti, is not just selling food but “increasing the percentage of people who eat with awareness 9, choosing high-quality products and paying special attention to the source and processing of raw materials.”

法立内迪说，“这个主意不仅仅只是出售商品，而是让更多的消费者有意识地购买食物，挑选高质量的产品，更加关注食品原材料的产地和加工过程。”

It works.

这确实有效。

Turnover 10 this year is likely to be 300m, up by 30% from 2012, thanks to the opening of new shops.

由于新店开张，今年的营业额有望达到3亿欧元，较2012年上涨30%。

More are planned by 2017, acrossAmericaand inLondonandParis.

截止2017年，更多的分店将会在美国各地、伦敦及巴黎开张。

Sales have risen in existing stores, too, by 4%-plus inItaly, 5% inNew Yorkand 10% inJapan.

已开张的份店的销售额也都在上涨，意大利涨幅超过4个百分点，纽约5个百分点，日本10个百分点。

Earnings 11 before interest, tax, depreciation 12 and amortisation are almost 20% of revenue inNew Yorkand 15% inTurin.

除去息税摊销折旧前的收益，纽约的几乎占总收益的20%，都灵的占15%。

Eataly provides its customers with gorgeous surroundings—less combative 13 than at Harrods in London, less oppressively wholesome 14 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为其消费者营造极好的消费环境—不像伦敦的哈罗兹百货公司那般斗志昂扬，也不如美国连锁全食市场那样琳琅满目目不暇接，在那儿人们都可能想象Gianmaria 和Francesca正在为番茄苗除草或者正在踩葡萄出汁。

Mr Farinetti is selling them a seductive image ofItalyitself.

法立内迪向其消费者营销的实际上是意大利这个意象所代表的国家的魅力。