VOA标准英语2010年-International Investors See Market Opp

International investors¹ are showing a growing interest in Africa's retail² market. American retail giant Wal-Mart is in preliminary talks to buy South African wholesaler³ Massmart for more than $4 million. And the Dutch-based supermarket network SPAR recently opened a new outlet⁴ in Nigeria.

If Wal-Mart's offer to buy Massmart goes through, it would give the world's largest retailer⁵ a major foothold in Africa. Massmart with chains such as Dion Wired, Game and Macro, is the third largest distributor of consumer goods in Africa with 288 stores in 14 countries. "It shows other people that there is a lot of confidence in the real economy in South Africa. It's certainly a meaningful investment outside of banking⁶ and mining where we have seen most foreign activity in the South African economy," said Economic analyst⁷ Mike Schussler.

Analyst Alan Gelb at the Center for Global Development in Washington also sees the deal in a favorable light. "The entry of supermarkets into African countries is a very favorable development. The first thing it does is that it brings in a whole new set of standards for marketing⁸ [and] for products," he said.

But Wal-Mart faces opposition⁹ from South Africa's largest labor¹⁰ group, which accuses the company of being against workers' rights. Wal-Mart officials say they would honor pre-existing union membership and abide¹¹ by South African labor laws. Gelb also raises concerns about the impact on local food producers for example. "Some of the local producers may not be able to access this channel of distribution especially smaller companies... because they can't always produce to the qualities or the standards or just the reliability¹² of supply that these organizations need," he said.

Wal-Mart said it gets the majority of its products from local sources near its stores.

Dutch-based SPAR is seeking to break a long tradition in Nigeria where shoppers traditionally purchase goods from street vendors¹³ and in open air markets. But Nigeria also has a fast growing middle class and the company sees market potential there. "Retailing¹⁴ is the next revolution and it is so large that it would outpace our existing economic drivers, be it telecoms be it banking, etc," said Haresh Keswani, managing director of SPAR Nigeria.

Keswani says SPAR Nigeria hopes to open 200 stores in next 15 years. "Many who have never ever visited Nigeria have formed a strong opinion about this nation and they have practically shut their minds to ever even considering Nigeria to be a potential business opportunity or destination," Keswani said.

Keswani concedes international investors face many challenges in Africa. And Gelb emphasizes the need to adapt to local realities.

"They'll have to deal with the fact that some of these countries are less stable macro-economically. They are more dependent on primary commodities. The exchange rates may move up and down. They'll have to deal with the fact that transport and logistics is not always as good as they could be even though they have been improving. Sometimes they might find trade and administrative¹⁵ barriers. That's what they'll have to deal with. But it's much better than it was few years ago," Gelb said.
 

1 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

2 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

3 wholesaler   

n.批发商

参考例句：

• We're the largest furniture wholesaler in Illinois. 我们是伊利诺伊州最大的家具批发商。 来自辞典例句
• These are used to create profiles for each wholesaler. 这是他日常的工作或通过与批发商的正式会谈。 来自互联网

4 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

5 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

6 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

7 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

8 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

11 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

12 reliability   

n.可靠性，确实性

参考例句：

• We mustn't presume too much upon the reliability of such sources.我们不应过分指望这类消息来源的可靠性。
• I can assure you of the reliability of the information.我向你保证这消息可靠。

13 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

14 retailing   

n.零售业v.零售(retail的现在分词)

参考例句：

• career opportunities in retailing 零售业的职业机会
• He is fond of retailing the news. 他喜欢传播消息。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。