????約一個世紀以來，艾倫?埃德蒙茲（Allen Edmonds）一直致力于生產高端正裝男鞋。從里根到奧巴馬，每一位美國總統都穿過這個品牌。如今，這家總部位于威斯康辛州華盛頓港、年收入達1.22億美元的公司正在向東方擴張，試圖尋找新的市場。公司最近在上海開設了第一家店鋪，它的正裝男鞋【想想電視劇《廣告狂人》（Made Men）】售價在175美元至695美元之間。筆者采訪了艾倫?埃德蒙茲CEO保羅?葛蘭格德。他講述了進軍海外的真實感受。以下是他從中學到的三條經驗。

不要夸大差異

??? 進入中國市場時，艾倫?埃德蒙茲發現，中國消費者或許在吃上更希望像歐洲人一樣，但他們在穿上卻與美國人非常相似。公司在上海店鋪最暢銷的皮鞋與美國店鋪完全一樣。“雖然中國人不太旅行，” 葛蘭格德說。“但年輕一代的中國人很有修養，而且非常現實。據我們所知，他們非常喜歡美國。”

宣揚產品的真實可靠性

??? 葛蘭格德說：“中國人在吃、住上的花銷要少于美國人，而在穿上的花銷則更高。”公司了解到，對于中國消費者而言，非常重要的一點是，購物袋上得印有進口品牌的標志。為了在中國市場脫穎而出，艾倫?埃德蒙茲決定強調自己作為高品質美國鞋類制造商的悠久傳統。店鋪開業當天，公司樹立了一塊顯示屏，用于展示艾倫?埃德蒙茲不同時期的制鞋技術。在一個到處充斥著“山寨”產品的市場，葛蘭格德相信，對于希望進軍中國市場的美國服裝制造商來說，強調產品的真實可靠性將是一個絕佳的切入點。他說：“中國消費者希望買到正品；他們希望在實體店里購買產品。”

慎選店鋪位置

??? 艾倫?埃德蒙茲在上海尋找零售位時，中國業主都希望將購物中心上面的樓層租給這家皮鞋制造商。對于艾倫?埃德蒙茲這樣一家知名度不高的小型品牌，在中國很難得到一流的鋪面。公司的中國特許經營合作伙伴警告他們，只有不受歡迎的品牌才會被安排在更高的樓層。艾倫?埃德蒙茲不得不沒完沒了的與物業面談，最后才找到一家商場，愿意把二樓靠近自動扶梯的黃金位置租給公司。葛蘭格德表示，公司租的店面每平方英尺的租金甚至高于洛克菲勒中心的租金。不過，從開始的表現來看，這樣的租金確實值得——店鋪開業當天，消費者便蜂擁而至。公司計劃在上海再開兩家店鋪，在北京新開一家店鋪，而且以后將每年開設超過五家店鋪。(財富中文網）

譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

????For almost a century, Allen Edmonds has been making high-end men's dress shoes. Every President from Reagan to Obama has worn the brand. Now the $122 million-a-year company, which is headquartered in Port Washington, Wis., is turning East in search of new markets. The company, whose dress shoes (think Mad Men) sell for $175 to $695, opened its first store recently in Shanghai. We caught up with Allen Edmonds' CEO Paul Grangaard who described what it was like to parachute into a foreign land. Here are three lessons he learned.

Don't overestimate the differences

??? On entering China, Allen Edmonds discovered that consumers might want to eat like Europeans, but they dress like Americans. The company's best-selling shoes in its Shanghai store are same as in its U.S. stores: "Even if they haven't traveled much," says Grangaard, "the new generation of Chinese are cultured and very worldly. What we learned is that they really like America."

Flaunt your authenticity

??? "The Chinese," says Grangaard, "spend a lot less on food and housing than Americans do, but they spend more on clothing." The company learned that it's very important for consumers to be seen with a shopping bag with an imported brand on it. To differentiate itself in the China market, Allen Edmonds decided to stress its long heritage as a high-quality American shoemaker. At its store opening, it created a display on Allen Edmonds shoemaking techniques throughout the ages. In a market rife with knock-offs, Grangaard believes that stressing the authenticity of a product is an opportunity for American clothiers who want to sell in China. "Chinese consumers want the real thing; they want products that have stories behind them," he says.

Don't get stuck on the fourth floor

??? When Allen Edmonds was looking for retail space in Shanghai, the Chinese landlords kept trying to lease the shoe company space on the upper floors of malls. It's hard for a small, lesser-known brand like Allen Edmonds to secure primo retail space in China. Its Chinese franchise partner warned them that only undesirable brands get relegated to the higher levels. Allen Edmonds had to interview numerous landlords before finding one willing to lease them prime space on the second floor near the escalator. Grangaard says that the space he leased is more expensive per square foot than Rockefeller Center, but the gambit looks like it will pay off -- the store was mobbed for its grand opening. The company plans to open two more stores in Shanghai and one in Beijing, and more than five stores per year thereafter.

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