2018-02-23

Going online: Walmart

① Most incumbents shrink in fear when Amazon rolls onto their turf.

② Not so Walmart.

③ In 2016 the retailing giant acquired Jet.com, an American e-commerce firm, to fend off the challenger.

④ In the third quarter of last year the firm's internet sales rose by half (but still account for only 3% of total revenue).

⑤ Walmart's earnings, released today, will reveal whether that online growth spurt has continued.

⑥ Corporate-tax cuts in America are likely to have left it with spare cash, so bosses might also hint at the scope of technology investments.

⑦ They are already reportedly in talks to buy a stake in Flipkart, an Indian e-commerce firm.

⑧ There are other demands on Walmart, too—namely keeping the workers happy as the labour market tightens.

⑨ Last month the company announced bonuses and wage increases amounting to $700m.

⑩ But prices also need to stay low, to keep customers loyal.

⑪ A tricky juggling act lies ahead.

▍生词好句

incumbent /ɪnˈkʌmb(ə)nt/: n. 任职者；在职者

turf /təːf/: n. 领地

growth spurt:（经济）急剧增长；生长突增

spurt /spəːt/: n. 喷射；急剧上升

corporate /ˈkɔːp(ə)rət/: n. 企业

spare /spɛː/: adj. 闲置的

stake /steɪk/: n. 股本

bonus /ˈbəʊnəs/: n. 分红；奖金

tricky /ˈtrɪki/: adj. 复杂的；难处理的

juggling act: 抛球杂耍；同时做几件事又难以做好的局面

juggle /ˈdʒʌɡ(ə)l/: v. 抛球杂耍