首页
登录
职称英语
The sharks are circling. Having beaten off one private equity bid, the Sain
The sharks are circling. Having beaten off one private equity bid, the Sain
游客
2024-10-23
33
管理
问题
The sharks are circling. Having beaten off one private equity bid, the Sainsbury family is now wrestling with another takeover challenge, from the Qatari-backed investment fund Delta Two. According to Alistair Darling, such smash-and-grab raids on British corporations are to be encouraged. But firms such as Sainsbury’s have a history and meaning in our national life that goes beyond the balance sheet.
In the late 1980s, J. Sainsbury PLC. was feted across the business world as one of the great retailers. its chairman was knighted as the company posted record profits. Founded in London’s Drury Lane in 1869 by John James Sainsbury, it had started as a small dairy selling eggs, milk and "the best butter in London". As late Victorian family incomes rose, urban retailers expanded into the grocery and butchery business. And, in an era of adulterated foods and filthy shops, the Sainsbury ethic of cleanliness, quality and value marked it out.
As suburbia expanded, so did Sainsbury’s. John James always believed in buying freehold properties and his premier stores were located in the commuter belts of Croydon, Purley and Balham. Personalized service and an aspirational decor transformed neighborhood grocery shops into Edwardian food emporia. But, in language eerily familiar to modern ears, local shopkeepers soon complained about the unfair advantage of supermarkets with their distribution depots, bulk buying, vast advertising budgets and price cuts; 1900s retailers fought desperately against their expansion. Yet Sainsbury’s grew and there was nothing they could do.
The real revolution came in the post-war years when John James’s grandson, Alan Sainsbury, introduced serf-service at Croydon in 1950--much to the horror of some suburban grandees who threw their wire baskets at the Sainshury chairman. Characteristically, Harold Macmillan better judged the post-war materialist mood and praised the Harlow Sainsbury’s as "a very clean and most ingenious way of serving the public and doing business". Profits soared and Sainsbury’s was on the path to becoming a major influence on the British people’s cultural, commercial and social habits.
Behind the shop stood the family Titans--referred to by staff as "Mr. Alan", "Mr. JD", or "Mr. David". While retail was always detail at Sainsbury’s, the company bad a broader view of its public role. Early supporters of the Beveridge report, the firm inaugurated a comprehensive pension and sickness scheme. It had an equally keen sense of its history.
But during the 1990s, the Sainsbury’s supermarket crown was stolen by Ian MacLaurin’s Tesco. Every empire contains the seeds of its own downfall and Sainsbury’s centralized management structure failed to adapt fast enough to a shifting retail market. David Sainsbury was the last family member to sit as chairman and the fifth generation spurned careers in the firm. And now, despite a recent turn-around, the Sainsburys are under pressure to sell their remaining shares to private equity property speculators.
In the end, business is business and one can’t be too misty-eyed. But an implicit part of the Sainsbury’s brand has always been a connection to this dynastic tradition of retailing. It is a precious asset that will vanish the moment private equity spivs get their bands on John James’s legacy. [br] What factor(s) made neighborhood grocery shops develop into Edwardian food emporia?
选项
A、Unfair advantage of supermarkets.
B、Personalized service and an aspirational décor.
C、Market research and strategy.
D、Buying freehold properties.
答案
B
解析
事实细节题。根据题干中的专有名词Edwardian food emporia到文中第三段定位,第三句的意思是:人性化的服务和令人兴奋的装饰把杂货店变成爱德华的食品帝国。选项B 是文章中的原词,所以可以确定为正确选项。
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3813293.html
相关试题推荐
Thesharksarecircling.Havingbeatenoffoneprivateequitybid,theSain
Thesharksarecircling.Havingbeatenoffoneprivateequitybid,theSain
Thesharksarecircling.Havingbeatenoffoneprivateequitybid,theSain
Afterhavinggone______far,Georgedidnotwanttoturnback.A、enoughB、muchC
______anyfilmbefore,hisfirstattemptwasagreatsuccess.A、Thoughhavingne
Whatisthispassagemainlyabout?[originaltext]Scientistssaysharkshave
Inasurprisinginteractionatsea,hugewhalesharksfollowfishingnetsne
Inasurprisinginteractionatsea,hugewhalesharksfollowfishingnetsne
Inasurprisinginteractionatsea,hugewhalesharksfollowfishingnetsne
Inasurprisinginteractionatsea,hugewhalesharksfollowfishingnetsne
随机试题
I’mtoldthatduringaninternationalgameofchess(国际象棋),manybeautifulm
[originaltext]W:Taxi!I’mgoingtotheNationalMuseumofArt.Howlongdoesi
[originaltext]M:Isthatamap?Areyougoingsailingorsomething?W:Iwish.
Thespeaker______havecriticizedtheparaprofessionals,knowingfullwellthat
奥苏伯尔将学习分为机械学习与()A.意义学习 B.策略学习 C.概念学习
采用调速泵组供水系统,加压水泵工作点的流量应按()确定。A.平均小时用水量
根据《公路工程基桩动测技术规程》JTG/TF81﹣01﹣2004,当桩径不大于
罗布麻叶的功效是( )。A.平抑肝阳,息风止痉 B.平抑肝阳,清热利尿 C
将炮制方法归纳为“雷公炮炙十七法”的炮制专著是A.《炮炙大法》 B.《修事指南
夹套管由内管和外管组成,当内管物料压力为0.8MPa、工作温度为300℃时,外管
最新回复
(
0
)