新冠疫情推动业务增长，美国沃尔玛急招15万临时工
疫情之下，美国人大幅缩减开支，零售巨头沃尔玛却能置身于危机之外，股价逆市上涨，创历史新高，这似乎有悖常理。
上周，沃尔玛百货有限公司股价一度创上市新高；分析人员指出，这家折扣零售商拥有强大的基础设施与商品组合，使其在新冠病毒危机解除后很长一段时间内都能从变化的购物模式中获益。
作为全球最大的零售商，沃尔玛去年在美国门店的销售额总计为3410亿美元。沃尔玛于当地时间上周四晚间宣布，因食品和家用必需品等日用品需求激增，公司计划额外招募15万名临时工，以应对抢购浪潮。上周一，沃尔玛的主要竞争对手亚马逊也发布了类似声明，拟增雇10万名员工。
沃尔玛在一项声明中称，新员工主要在配送中心工作，其中很多岗位可能会逐步转正。
最近，成千上万的美国人开启了生活必需品囤货模式，沃尔玛、开市客仓储量贩店和塔吉特等零售商，销售业绩一路高歌猛进，与假期销量不相上下；同时，这些公司的间接竞争对手，尤其是梅西百货、科尔士百货和盖璞等百货公司和服装连锁店，却因暂停营业而偃旗息鼓。塔吉特首席执行官布莱恩·康奈尔在上周早些时候称，公司业务出现“持续性飙升”。
同样推动沃尔玛等零售商业务急速增长的还有餐馆歇业的因素。美国人不能下馆子，就会买更多的食品杂货，沃尔玛公司事务执行副总裁丹·巴特莱特在接受电话采访时称。他指出，随着全美最大的食品杂货商沃尔玛和其他食品卖家不停地把货架补满，零售业的供应链“已经满负荷运转了”。
分析人员称，沃尔玛之所以能够脱颖而出，除了利用供应链之外，还得益于对供应商强大的影响力以及实力雄厚的门店和电商基础设施。
上周早些时候，瑞士信贷上调了沃尔玛股票的评级，称新冠病毒危机正在“促进”美国消费者的购物模式发生“结构性改变”，特别是“食品杂货线上下单、到店提货”，这是沃尔玛多来年投入数十亿美元资金形成的模式；即使亚马逊拥有全食超市连锁和亚马逊生鲜服务业务，也难以与之匹敌。
去年，沃尔玛的在线销售额提升了35%，绝大多数增长来自于食品杂货，并得益于各大门店为消费者线上订单准备好货物的能力。消费者特别喜欢这种模式：只需开车前往沃尔玛，员工就会把在线订购好的货物装入后备箱中。沃尔玛在美国拥有4700家门店，其中3200家提供“食品杂货线上下单、到店提货”服务，1600家提供配送服务。大约90%的美国人，其住所方圆16公里内必有一家沃尔玛门店。
新冠病毒危机结束后、一切恢复如常很长一段时间内，依然能推动沃尔玛增长的另一个原因是：疫情期间，这家零售巨头吸引了那些从前也许不愿意在此购物的新顾客。近年来，沃尔玛提升了所售的服装和家居用品质量，以更好地与塔吉特和各大百货公司竞争，也全面改革了食品杂货业务，呈现了更美观的门店展示、提供了更新鲜的食品以及更多高端牛排等高级食品。这一切，都有利于给第一次来沃尔玛购物的新顾客留下好印象。
“这种购物模式的改变应长期存在，对[沃尔玛]有利；沃尔玛已经投资于基础设施、技术和人才，以促进这种模式逐渐演变，”瑞士信贷分析人员上周三撰写的研究纪要中指出。
但充分利用这种模式的前提条件是确保员工的积极性：明知有被感染的风险，也愿意在危险的病毒爆发期工作。沃尔玛早在几年前就开始给员工加薪，以提高留任率并改善客服。上周四，沃尔玛宣布，将于4月2日向所有美国时薪员工发放现金奖励：全职员工每人300美元，兼职每人150美元。沃尔玛将为这些奖金和其他措施支付5.45亿美元以上，但对于赢得市场占有率的机会来说，这是相对小的数目。去年，美国沃尔玛的营业利润达178亿美元。
上周五，志在成为本次危机大赢家的塔吉特也蓄势待发，加入了提高员工待遇的行列。塔吉特宣布，从即日起到5月2日，门店和配送中心员工时薪上调2美元；公司将为此支付3亿美元。
上上周，塔吉特、沃尔玛以及连锁药店CVS和沃尔格林称，它们正在提供部分停车场，作为新型冠状病毒的检测场所。上周四，CVS开放了位于波士顿郊外的停车场作为首个检测点，而沃尔玛上周末可能会开放芝加哥附近的停车场，这两处均用于对医疗和急救人员进行检测。
“一切都已准备就绪，”沃尔玛的丹·巴特莱特说。“我们有帐篷。检测很快就可以投入运行。”接受检测的主要是医疗与急救人员。（财富中文网）
译者：夏晴
疫情之下，美国人大幅缩减开支，零售巨头沃尔玛却能置身于危机之外，股价逆市上涨，创历史新高，这似乎有悖常理。
上周，沃尔玛百货有限公司股价一度创上市新高；分析人员指出，这家折扣零售商拥有强大的基础设施与商品组合，使其在新冠病毒危机解除后很长一段时间内都能从变化的购物模式中获益。
作为全球最大的零售商，沃尔玛去年在美国门店的销售额总计为3410亿美元。沃尔玛于当地时间上周四晚间宣布，因食品和家用必需品等日用品需求激增，公司计划额外招募15万名临时工，以应对抢购浪潮。上周一，沃尔玛的主要竞争对手亚马逊也发布了类似声明，拟增雇10万名员工。
沃尔玛在一项声明中称，新员工主要在配送中心工作，其中很多岗位可能会逐步转正。
最近，成千上万的美国人开启了生活必需品囤货模式，沃尔玛、开市客仓储量贩店和塔吉特等零售商，销售业绩一路高歌猛进，与假期销量不相上下；同时，这些公司的间接竞争对手，尤其是梅西百货、科尔士百货和盖璞等百货公司和服装连锁店，却因暂停营业而偃旗息鼓。塔吉特首席执行官布莱恩·康奈尔在上周早些时候称，公司业务出现“持续性飙升”。
同样推动沃尔玛等零售商业务急速增长的还有餐馆歇业的因素。美国人不能下馆子，就会买更多的食品杂货，沃尔玛公司事务执行副总裁丹·巴特莱特在接受电话采访时称。他指出，随着全美最大的食品杂货商沃尔玛和其他食品卖家不停地把货架补满，零售业的供应链“已经满负荷运转了”。
分析人员称，沃尔玛之所以能够脱颖而出，除了利用供应链之外，还得益于对供应商强大的影响力以及实力雄厚的门店和电商基础设施。
上周早些时候，瑞士信贷上调了沃尔玛股票的评级，称新冠病毒危机正在“促进”美国消费者的购物模式发生“结构性改变”，特别是“食品杂货线上下单、到店提货”，这是沃尔玛多来年投入数十亿美元资金形成的模式；即使亚马逊拥有全食超市连锁和亚马逊生鲜服务业务，也难以与之匹敌。
去年，沃尔玛的在线销售额提升了35%，绝大多数增长来自于食品杂货，并得益于各大门店为消费者线上订单准备好货物的能力。消费者特别喜欢这种模式：只需开车前往沃尔玛，员工就会把在线订购好的货物装入后备箱中。沃尔玛在美国拥有4700家门店，其中3200家提供“食品杂货线上下单、到店提货”服务，1600家提供配送服务。大约90%的美国人，其住所方圆16公里内必有一家沃尔玛门店。
新冠病毒危机结束后、一切恢复如常很长一段时间内，依然能推动沃尔玛增长的另一个原因是：疫情期间，这家零售巨头吸引了那些从前也许不愿意在此购物的新顾客。近年来，沃尔玛提升了所售的服装和家居用品质量，以更好地与塔吉特和各大百货公司竞争，也全面改革了食品杂货业务，呈现了更美观的门店展示、提供了更新鲜的食品以及更多高端牛排等高级食品。这一切，都有利于给第一次来沃尔玛购物的新顾客留下好印象。
“这种购物模式的改变应长期存在，对[沃尔玛]有利；沃尔玛已经投资于基础设施、技术和人才，以促进这种模式逐渐演变，”瑞士信贷分析人员上周三撰写的研究纪要中指出。
但充分利用这种模式的前提条件是确保员工的积极性：明知有被感染的风险，也愿意在危险的病毒爆发期工作。沃尔玛早在几年前就开始给员工加薪，以提高留任率并改善客服。上周四，沃尔玛宣布，将于4月2日向所有美国时薪员工发放现金奖励：全职员工每人300美元，兼职每人150美元。沃尔玛将为这些奖金和其他措施支付5.45亿美元以上，但对于赢得市场占有率的机会来说，这是相对小的数目。去年，美国沃尔玛的营业利润达178亿美元。
上周五，志在成为本次危机大赢家的塔吉特也蓄势待发，加入了提高员工待遇的行列。塔吉特宣布，从即日起到5月2日，门店和配送中心员工时薪上调2美元；公司将为此支付3亿美元。
上上周，塔吉特、沃尔玛以及连锁药店CVS和沃尔格林称，它们正在提供部分停车场，作为新型冠状病毒的检测场所。上周四，CVS开放了位于波士顿郊外的停车场作为首个检测点，而沃尔玛上周末可能会开放芝加哥附近的停车场，这两处均用于对医疗和急救人员进行检测。
“一切都已准备就绪，”沃尔玛的丹·巴特莱特说。“我们有帐篷。检测很快就可以投入运行。”接受检测的主要是医疗与急救人员。（财富中文网）
译者：夏晴
It may seem counterintuitive that at a time Americans are sharply curtailing much of their spending, a retailer's shares would flirt with their all-time highs.
But this week, Walmart Inc's stock briefly reached an apex as analysts said the discount retailer's infrastructure and merchandise mix put it in a great position to benefit from changing shopping patterns long after the coronavirus crisis eases.
The world's largest retailer, whose namesake U.S. stores had sales of $341 billion last year, said late Thursday that demand for the everyday goods such as food and house essentials had surged to the point that it would hire 150,000 temporary workers to handle it. The announcement follows a similar one from Amazon on Monday, where Walmart's chief rival said it would hire 100,000 workers.
Walmart's new employees will for the most part work in distribution centers, with many likely to made permanent staff over time, Walmart said in a statement.
Retailers like Walmart, Costco Wholesale, and Target have seen a jump in business similar to what they see during the holidays as millions of Americans stock up on essentials all while many indirect rivals such as department stores and apparel chains, notably Macy's, Kohl's, and The Gap, are MIA as they close temporarily. Target CEO Brian Cornell said earlier this week the company was seeing a "continued surge" in business.
Also helping Walmart and its ilk? Restaurant closings that mean Americans are buying more groceries, Dan Bartlett, Walmart’s executive vice president of corporate affairs, told reporters on a call. The retail's supply chain is "catching its breath," he said, as Walmart, the country top grocer, and other food sellers keep shelves stocked.
That supply chain, along with Walmart's clout with vendors and its massive store and e-commerce infrastructure are why Walmart is breaking away from the pack, analysts say.
Earlier this week, Credit Suisse upgraded Walmart's stock, saying that the coronavirus crisis is "accelerating structural change" in how Americans shop, notably in ordering groceries online and then retrieving them at the store, capabilities Walmart has spent billions of dollars in years building and that are hard for Amazon to match, even with its network of Whole Foods stores and Amazon Fresh business.
Last year, Walmart's digital sales rose 35%, the bulk of the growth coming from grocery and helped by the ability of stores to have orders ready for customers. Customers have notably liked the option to just drive by and have a Walmart worker pop the groceries in the trunk. Walmart, which has 4,700 stores, offers online grocery pickup at 3,200 of those locations and delivery from 1,600. About 90% of the Americans live within 10 miles of a Walmart store.
Another way this crisis could help Walmart long after things return to normal: The retailer is getting new customers who might not have wanted to shop there before. In recent years, it has improved its apparel and home goods offerings to better compete with Target and department stores and overhauled its grocery business with nicer store presentation and more fresh food and things like higher-end steaks. Many such people are shopping at Walmart for the first time.
"This change should be stuck, and favor [Walmart], as it’s invested in its infrastructure, technology and people, to evolve its model," Credit Suisse analysts wrote in a research note on Wednesday.
But capitalizing on this means having motivated staff, willing to work during a dangerous virus outbreak that could hit them too. So Walmart, which started increasing wages several years ago to improve retention and customer service, said on Thursday that all U.S. hourly employees will receive a cash bonus on April 2: $300 for full-time staff and $150 for part-time worker. That and other moves will cost Walmart more than $545 million in all, a relatively small amount given the opportunity to win some market share. Walmart U.S. had an operating profit of $17.8 billion last year.
On Friday, Target, also poised to be a big winner from the crisis, joined in on the action, announcing $2-an-hour raises for store workers and distribution center staff through May 2, among the initiatives that will cost it $300 million.
Both Target and Walmart, along with drugstore chains CVS pharmacy and Walgreens, said last week they were offering up space in their parking lots to make coronavirus testing available. CVS opened its first site outside Boston on Thursday, while Walmart looks set to go with a pilot near Chicago this weekend, with tests for healthcare workers and first responders, as is the case with the Boston-area CVS.
"Everything is ready to go, said Walmart's Dan Bartlett. "We have the tents. It should be up and running soon." The tests will be primarily for healthcare workers and first responders.
