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It may be one of the world’s great shopping destinations, but London’s Regen

游客2024-09-22  57
问题     It may be one of the world’s great shopping destinations, but London’s Regent Street is failing the fashion test, according to the Crown Estate, which holds the lease on shops in the famous thoroughfare. And for some of its most venerable tenants that means one thing: eviction.
    A retail renaissance is needed in the capital, the owners believe, and are looking to top U. S. brands and the hip labels of European fashion to stem a tide of shoppers flooding towards the super-malls dotted around the M25. That means the end of the road for Regent Street legends such as Dickens & Jones and Laura Ashley, while the arrival of Apple computers and U. S. surfwear giant Quiksilver signals the area’s new image. With rents rocketing as ￡500m is spent upgrading buildings, it is expected that more stalwarts of "old Regent Street" will be forced out.
    Yet, despite the price hikes, emerging giants of global retailing are being lined up to replace stores your grandparents might have frequented. The sought-after swanky new image is represented by the likes of Nike, the U. S. sportswear manufacturer, which set the tone with its Niketown store.
    House of Fraser recently announced that it would close the 170-year-old Dickens & Jones department store with the loss of 500 jobs. The rent had been fixed in 1957 at ￡250,000 a year. But following a review it soared to ￡4. 5m. Planning permission is about to be submitted to turn the space into a modern location for three flagship stores. On top will perch luxury residential apartments.
    Last week Laura Ashley, famed for its floral skirts and wall coverings, announced it would also leave the street. Its site is said to have been snapped up by the upmarket nursery brand Mamas & Papas, a favourite with thirty something professional parents.     The wind of change is being blown by the Crown Estate, the Queen’s ￡4.5bn property portfolio which owns swathes of prime freehold across the country, including Regent Street.
    It has realised that to remain a leading shopping destination, Regent Street has to work with the brands being talked about in cappuccino bars and Internet chatrooms. A spokesman for the Crown Estate said, "It wasn’t quite a world-class environment. That’s what we’re trying to work towards. " The spokesman said the Crown Estate’s catchwords for the area are "quality, heritage, success and style. Our guys use that when assessing retailers." He added that prospective leaseholders had been turned away for not meeting the new criteria.
    The next phase in the redevelopment of Regent Street will focus on the lower part, known as the Quadrant. Retailers currently in situ include McDonald’s and various cut-price luggage companies.
    The Crown Estate hopes to pedestrianise some of the streets leading off the Quadrant and to completely rebuild the block that houses the Atlantic Bar & Grill. The spokesman said the restaurant and its Art Deco fittings would not be affected. Income from the Crown Estate goes to the Treasury, under the terms of a deal struck in the 18th century. In return, the government agreed to pay the sovereign an annual fee—now known as the Civil List. [br] Which of the following signals the area’s new image?
选项 A、Cappuccino bars.
B、Quadrant.
C、Dickens & Jones department store.
D、U. S. surfwear giant Quiksilver.
答案 D
解析 细节题。从第二段第二句中…while the arrival of Apple cornputers and U．S．surfwear giantQuiksilver signals the area’s new image．可以得出正确答案为[D]。
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