沃尔玛重新分配期全球化资源

全球最大零售商沃尔玛今年将展开一项行动，通过整合其在各国的采购业务，从供应链上削减数十亿美元成本，这标志着其业务全球化进入了一个新阶段。
Walmart is launching a drive this year to cut billions of dollars of costs from its supply chain by combining its store purchasing across national frontiers in a new stage in the globalisation of its business.

此举是提高直接采购比例计划的一部分。直接采购，是指直接向制造商采购，而不通过第三方采购公司或供应商。
The effort is part of plans by the world's largest retailer to increase the proportion of goods that it buys directly from manufacturers, rather than through third-party procurement companies or suppliers.

沃尔玛美国业务负责人爱德华多．卡斯特罗-怀特此前曾表示，沃尔玛把整合全球货源的机会，视作“公司在未来几年内可资利用的一个重要资源”。
Eduardo Castro-Wright, the head of Walmart's US stores, has said that the retailer sees the opportunity to consolidate global sourcing as “a major source of leverage for the company in years to come”.
　　
年销售额逾4000亿美元的沃尔玛，在与供货商谈判方面是出名的强硬，该公司善于利用其采购规模来获取折扣。沃尔玛每年大约花1000亿美元采购自有品牌商品，如Faded Glory和George品牌服装，以及Great Value食品及家庭用品。在这些商品中，直接从制造商采购的比例不到五分之一，而且一般都按国别进行采购。
With annual sales of more than $400bn, Walmart is famous- ly tough in negotiating with its suppliers, exploiting the scale of its buying to gain discounts. It spends about $100bn on purchasing private label products such as its Faded Glory and George brand clothing, or its Great Value food and home products. But it acquires less than a fifth of these goods directly from the manufacturers, and has generally made its purchases on a country-by-country basis.

卡斯特罗-怀特估计，转向直接采购，5年内在整条供应链上可节省5%-15%的成本——也就是说，如果能够实现将直接采购比例提高到80%左右的长期目标，就有望节省40亿-120亿美元。
Mr Castro-Wright has estimated that shifting to direct purchasing could reduce costs by 5-15 per cent across the supply chain within five years – suggesting potential savings of $4bn-$12bn if the retailer were to meet its long-term goal of shifting to sourcing about 80 per cent of purchases directly.

为整合其在15个国家的采购活动，沃尔玛已成立了4个全球一般商品和服装采购中心，其中在墨西哥城的中心专注于新兴市场，在英国的中心则服务于George品牌。此外，沃尔玛也正转向在全球直接采购新鲜果蔬，而不通过供应商。
As part of its effort to combine purchasing for the 15 countries in which it operates, Walmart has established four global merchandising centres for general goods and clothing, including a centre in Mexico City focused on emerging markets, and a centre in the UK to serve its George brand. It is also shifting to direct purchasing of its fresh fruit and vegetables on a global basis, rather than working through supplier companies.