Barbie, the slender symbol of American consumerism, has shut up shop in Shanghai just two years after opening her biggest flagship store there.

　　芭比(Barbie)——美國(guó)式消費(fèi)主義纖巧的象征——關(guān)閉了在上海的門(mén)店，這家全球最大芭比旗艦店只營(yíng)業(yè)了兩年。

　　Mattel, owner of the doll brand, said the bright pink, six-storey store had served its purpose of building brand awareness in China. But analysts say the investment failed because Mattel had not adjusted to the local market.

　　該玩偶品牌所有者美泰公司(Mattel)表示，這家粉紅色、占據(jù)6層空間的店鋪，起到了在中國(guó)樹(shù)立品牌知名度的作用。但分析師表示，由于美泰在中國(guó)市場(chǎng)水土不服，導(dǎo)致了這項(xiàng)投資失敗。

　　The withdrawal comes on the heels of store closures in China by US retailers Home Depot and Best Buy, which both struggled to crack the local market.

　　芭比的撤退緊隨家得寶(Home Depot)和百思買(Best Buy)之后——這兩家美國(guó)零售商由于打不開(kāi)市場(chǎng)，雙雙關(guān)閉了在中國(guó)的門(mén)店。

　　The misfortunes of the US brands are surprising since the Chinese government has made boosting domestic consumption a top policy priority. Retail sales also continue to grow strongly, at more than 18 per cent in 2010 from a year earlier.

　　這些美國(guó)品牌的不走運(yùn)令人驚訝，因?yàn)橹袊?guó)政府已把擴(kuò)大內(nèi)需列為首要政策。社會(huì)零售額也在強(qiáng)勁地持續(xù)增長(zhǎng)，在2010年增幅超過(guò)了18%。

　　"None of the three companies – Best Buy, Home Depot or Barbie – have catered to local consumer preferences and habits enough,” said Shaun Rein, managing director of China Market Research Group.

　　“這三家公司——百思買、家得寶和芭比——都不夠迎合本地消費(fèi)者的偏好和習(xí)慣。”中國(guó)市場(chǎng)研究集團(tuán)(China Market Research)董事總經(jīng)理雷小山(Shaun Rein)表示。

　　"In Barbie’s case, they chose the wrong location [for the flagship store] and they offered sexy clothes designed by Patricia Fields of Sex and the City fame when young Chinese women tend to prefer cute designs like Hello Kitty.”

　　“拿芭比來(lái)說(shuō)，他們選擇了錯(cuò)誤的地點(diǎn)（開(kāi)設(shè)旗艦店），供應(yīng)因《欲望都市》而走紅的帕特里夏·菲爾茲(Patricia Fields)設(shè)計(jì)的性感服裝，而中國(guó)年輕女性往往偏愛(ài)像Hello Kitty這種可愛(ài)的設(shè)計(jì)。”

　　Many Western brands, such as Apple, Nike, LVMH and Estée Lauder, have successful local operations in China and have become hugely profitable.

　　許多西方品牌在中國(guó)都經(jīng)營(yíng)得很成功，非常賺錢(qián)，比如蘋(píng)果(Apple)、耐克(Nike)、路威酩軒(LVMH)和雅詩(shī)蘭黛(Estée Lauder)。

　　As well as having the world’s biggest collection of Barbie dolls and expensive Barbie-themed clothing, the store on the chic Huaihai Road boasted a beauty salon and restaurant where young Chinese could get made up like Barbie and eat her favourite food.

　　芭比上海旗艦店地處繁華的淮海路，除了供應(yīng)世界上最齊全的芭比玩偶和昂貴的芭比服裝，還設(shè)有美容沙龍和餐廳，年輕的中國(guó)顧客可以在這里化裝成芭比，享用芭比喜愛(ài)的食物。

　　When the store opened with great fanfare in March 2009, Mattel said it would be the “ultimate destination for young girls who call Barbie a best friend”.

　　 2009年3月芭比上海旗艦店盛大開(kāi)張之時(shí)，美泰公司曾表示，這家旗艦店將成為“把芭比當(dāng)作最好朋友的年輕女孩的終極目的地”。

　　On Monday, Mattel said the closure was “mainly due to a strategy change” in China and the company “continues to be committed to developing the Barbie brand in China”.

　　本周一美泰表示，關(guān)閉芭比上海旗艦店“主要是由于戰(zhàn)略調(diào)整”，美泰“將繼續(xù)致力于在中國(guó)推廣芭比品牌”。

　　Analysts said Barbie, Best Buy and Home Depot were seen by consumers as expensive in a very price-sensitive market.

　　分析師稱，中國(guó)消費(fèi)者認(rèn)為芭比、百思買和家得寶都太昂貴，而這里是一個(gè)對(duì)價(jià)格極其敏感的市場(chǎng)。