Name: 「萬聖節」是如何成為價值 100 億美元的節日產業龍頭？ (How Spirit Halloween Became a Titan of the $10 Billion Halloween Industry | WSJ The Economics Of)
Uploaded: 2024-10-30T09:10:45.000Z
Duration: 5 min 55 s

關係子句

It's that time of year, when vacant storefronts temporarily transform into Spirit Halloweens, that spooky, seasonal retailer that's seemingly everywhere overnight.

每年到了這個時候，空置的店面就會臨時變成精神萬聖節（Spirit Halloweens），一夜之間，幽靈般的季節性零售店似乎無處不在。

For Spirit Halloween, a pop-up lease is ideal, because then they're only paying for space when they truly need it.

對於精神萬聖節來說，臨時租約是理想的選擇，因為這樣他們只需在真正需要的時候支付場地費用。

And with consumers expected to spend a record amount for the holiday, Spirit Halloween has opened more stores than ever this year.

由於預計消費者在節日期間的消費額將創下新高，今年精神萬聖節開設了比以往更多的分店。

So how does Spirit Halloween capitalize on abandoned spaces in local markets?

那麼，精神萬聖節如何利用當地市場的廢棄空間呢？

And how does it manage to transform those vacant storefronts so quickly?

它又是如何如此迅速地改造這些空置店面的呢？

This is the economics of Spirit Halloween.

The first Spirit Halloween popped up in 1983 in Castro Valley, California.

第一個精神萬聖節於 1983 年在加利福尼亞州卡斯特羅谷出現。

It was an extension of founder Joe Marver's women's clothing store.

它是創始人喬-馬弗的女裝店的延伸。

Traditionally, October is a very slow month for retail in general.

傳統上，十月是零售業的淡季。

And there was a Halloween store in the strip center that he operated, and he saw that there were lines coming out, so he said, that might be a good idea.

在他經營的購物中心裡有一家萬聖節用品店，他看到店門口排起了長隊，於是他說，這也許是個好主意。

So with that, he turned his boutique into a Halloween store, and kind of the rest is history.

就這樣，他把自己的精品店變成了萬聖節商店，剩下的就是歷史了。

In 1999, Marver sold the company to Spencer Gifts, that mall store known for gag gifts.

1999 年，Marver 把公司賣給了 Spencer Gifts，那是一家以經營插科打諢禮品而聞名的商場。

And it's built a reputation among those who love Halloween.

它在熱愛萬聖節的人們中間建立了良好的聲譽。

So much so that more than 2,000 fans showed up to the July grand opening of the flagship store in New Jersey.

以至於在 7 月份紐澤西旗艦店盛大開業時，有 2000 多名粉絲前來捧場。

But the retailer is hoping last-minute shoppers come through the door, too.

但零售商也希望最後一分鐘的購物者也能進門。

One of the advantages is that they're everywhere.

So if someone has forgotten about Halloween and needs to get a last-minute costume and can't wait for it to be delivered after it was bought online, then they can just pop into a Spirit Halloween.

是以，如果有人忘記了萬聖節，需要在最後一刻買一套服裝，而在網上購買後又等不及送貨，那麼他們就可以直接進入 Spirit Halloween。

While shoppers can buy Halloween fare on the company's website at any time, none of its physical locations operate year-round.

雖然購物者可以隨時在該公司的網站上購買萬聖節商品，但沒有一家實體店全年營業。

Spirit Halloween prefers a temporary lease because it is not a year-round business.

精神萬聖節 "更傾向於臨時租約，因為它不是一家全年營業的公司。

So for them, they want to save as much money as possible on real estate, and so it makes much more sense for them to take space temporarily.

是以，對他們來說，他們希望儘可能節省房地產費用，所以臨時佔用空間對他們來說更有意義。

Spirit Halloween says convincing landlords wasn't easy at first.

精神萬聖節說，說服房東起初並不容易。

Years ago, when we sat down with landlords and said, hey, we've got this idea, we've got a pop-up Halloween store, we're going to come for two months, we'd get the look of, you know, really, why would I bother with that?

幾年前，當我們和房東坐下來，說 "嘿，我們有個想法，我們要開一家萬聖節快閃店，我們要開兩個月 "時，我們會得到這樣的答覆："你知道，真的，我為什麼要為這個費心呢？

Though landlords tend to prefer long-term leases, pop-ups can be an alternative to empty space.

儘管房東傾向於長期租賃，但彈出式建築也可以成為空置空間的替代選擇。

In the years following the Great Recession, as retail vacancies increased, landlords found that pop-ups were an effective way of filling space that had been vacant for a long time, because of course some revenue is better than no revenue.

在經濟大衰退之後的幾年裡，隨著零售業空置率的增加，業主們發現彈出式經營是填補長期空置空間的有效方法，因為有收入當然比沒有收入要好。

And to make temporary leases more attractive to landlords, the company adds kick-out clauses.

為了讓臨時租約對房東更有吸引力，公司還增加了踢出條款。

If they find a space where they want to open, but the landlord finds another tenant who's willing to sign a long-term lease before a certain day, maybe it's middle of June, for example, then Spirit Halloween loses that space.

如果他們找到了一個想開業的地方，但房東在某一天之前找到了另一個願意簽訂長期租約的租戶，比如說，可能是六月中旬，那麼精神萬聖節就失去了這個地方。

For Spirit Halloween, finding real estate is a year-round business.

對於萬聖節精神來說，尋找房地產是一項全年無休的工作。

When stores shut down for one season, the company is already talking to landlords about the next.

當商店關閉一季時，公司已經開始與房東商討下一季的計劃。

Big spaces are key, up to 50,000 square feet, often where big-box retailers used to live.

大空間是關鍵，面積可達 50,000 平方英尺，通常是大型零售商曾經居住的地方。

And those storefronts are often in shopping centers or strip malls, but can also be standalone.

這些店面通常位於購物中心或帶狀購物中心內，但也可以是獨立的。

And signing the lease is just the beginning.

The retailer says setting up the stores is another logistical challenge.

零售商表示，開設商店是另一項後勤挑戰。

I mean, literally, we are starting from scratch in every single store.

我的意思是，從字面上看，我們每家店都是從零開始。

We inherit an empty location, and we have to bring in not only all the merchandise, but all the fixturing.

我們繼承了一個空場地，不僅要搬進所有的商品，還要搬進所有的固定設備。

According to the National Retail Federation, spending on Halloween is expected to hit a record $10.6 billion in 2022.

根據美國全國零售聯合會的數據，萬聖節的消費額預計將在 2022 年達到創紀錄的 106 億美元。

On average, customers are planning to spend $100 each on costumes, decor, candy and cards this year.

今年，顧客平均計劃每人花費 100 美元購買服裝、裝飾品、糖果和賀卡。

And 36% of customers plan to shop at specialty stores like Spirit Halloween.

36% 的顧客計劃在 Spirit Halloween 等專賣店購物。

And with 1,450 stores across the U.S. and Canada, it's one of the most ubiquitous.

它在美國和加拿大擁有 1,450 家分店，是最普遍的分店之一。

It's kind of like you get your pumpkin spice latte, you're back to school, you see Spirit Halloween open up in shopping centers on your drive to work.

就像你喝了南瓜拿鐵，回到學校，開車上班的路上看到購物中心的精神萬聖節開張了。

One of its biggest competitors, Party City's pop-up branch, Halloween City, operated 275 stores in 2019 and scaled back during the pandemic.

作為其最大的競爭對手之一，派對城的爆款分店萬聖城在 2019 年經營了 275 家門店，並在大流行期間縮減了規模。

Spirit Halloween's pop-up model has become such a fixture of the season that it's inspired a new movie ...

精神萬聖節的彈出模型已成為本季的固定模式，以至於激發了一部新電影的靈感。

在陰森恐怖的地段開設萬聖節臨時商店？

Awesome. ... and countless internet memes.

棒極了......還有數不清的網絡流行語。

People joke about how quickly the company moves in after something else shuts down.

人們開玩笑說，在其他公司倒閉後，該公司會迅速進駐。

We kind of enjoy the meme value of Spirit.

我們有點喜歡 "精神 "的紀念價值。

We bring life and we bring joy, we bring energy, we bring a whole new reason.

我們帶來生命，我們帶來歡樂，我們帶來活力，我們帶來全新的理由。

And so the meme value of Spirit is recognition of that value.

是以，"精神 "的記憶價值就是對這種價值的認可。

That's part of the reason Spirit Halloween decided to open all of its planned 1,400 stores in 2020, while competitors opened fewer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

這也是 Spirit Halloween 決定在 2020 年開放所有計劃中的 1400 家門店的部分原因，而競爭對手在 COVID-19 大流行期間開放的門店數量較少。

In 2021, the company said it experienced product delays and increased shipping costs.

2021 年，該公司表示出現了產品延遲和運輸成本增加的情況。

Last year, we didn't realize the magnitude of the issue with the supply chain until April, when suddenly everything dried up.

去年，我們直到四月份才意識到供應鏈問題的嚴重性，因為突然之間一切都枯竭了。

By the end of the season, we had received all of our merchandise, but it was through some really difficult cartwheels and somersaults.

賽季結束時，我們收到了所有的商品，但那是通過一些非常困難的側手翻和翻筋斗才得到的。

The retailer says all of its locations are fully stocked this year.

該零售商表示，今年所有分店都備足了貨。

For fans of Halloween, the company wants to be the beginning of the holiday.

對於萬聖節的粉絲來說，該公司希望成為節日的開端。

Coming to a Spirit Halloween is an event.

It's something that the fans really look forward to.

And when we come, that's when Halloween starts.

 And for landlords with empty storefronts, Spirit Halloween continues to temporarily bring life back to those abandoned spaces.

而對於空置店面的房東來說，萬聖節精神將繼續為這些廢棄的空間帶來暫時的生機。