奢侈品牌結隊逃離阿根廷（節選）

????面對進口壁壘、外匯管制和通脹狂飆，眾多奢侈品零售商開始逃離阿根廷。

????由于嚴苛的進口限制甚至讓專賣店都無法備貨，美國品牌拉夫?勞倫（Ralph Lauren）上個月宣布將關閉位于首都布宜諾斯艾利斯的三家門店，其中包括在貴族區雷科萊塔的旗艦店，成為退出大軍的最新成員。

????為了應對該國日益艱巨的營業環境，埃麥尼吉爾多?杰尼亞（Ermenegildo Zegna）、愛斯卡達（Escada）和CK內衣（Calvin Klein Underwear）都已經停業或者大幅收縮經營。據當地媒體報道，法國珠寶品牌卡地亞（Cartier）也計劃在下個月關門大吉。

????出于維持不斷萎縮的貿易順差的考慮，克里斯蒂娜?費爾南德斯總統去年晚些時候加緊了對進口的控制。越來越多的阿根廷人試圖用比索來兌換美元，以保護其儲蓄不被位列全球最高水平的通脹所吞噬，但他們的努力也因為政府對外匯管制的加強而付之東流。

????而隨著阿根廷物價上漲，再加上歐洲游客由于本土經濟危機而減少出游，在過去十年曾經紅極一時的旅游業也風光不再。

????面對物價飆升、市場對本幣信心不足和貿易順差一路下滑的挑戰，政府只有祭出貿易保護主義的大旗，不得已的退出凸顯了外國公司在阿根廷的艱難處境。

????“情況很復雜，”前財政部官員米格爾?基格爾是一名經濟學家，現任EconViews咨詢公司董事。他指出：“公司無法進口正常運作所需的貨物。此外，隨著國內物價上漲，旅游業也在不斷萎縮?！?/p>

????對于有著“拉美巴黎”美譽的布宜諾斯艾利斯，失去這些國際知名品牌也讓該城的環球風情黯然失色。

????“這些店鋪優雅又堂皇，”全阿根廷最具巴黎風情的阿爾韋亞爾大道就在雷科萊塔區，上周末在那里逛店的克里斯蒂娜?畢達寧不由得感嘆道?！罢嫔岵坏盟鼈冸x開?！?/p>

????拉夫?勞倫在聲明中宣稱只是暫時關門，但并未說明是否以及何時重新開張。

????去年，中央銀行外匯儲備縮水超過10%之后，即使民眾還在兌換處排隊購買美元，阿根廷仍然實施了外匯管制。由于在2001年高達950億美元的債務違約后一直無法在國際市場發行債券，該國亟需這些外匯儲備來償還外債。

????政府基本上禁止了外國公司將利潤匯出境外，以減少對外匯的需求。國民也被禁止購買外匯，迫使許多人在暑假前放棄了出國旅游的計劃。

????隨著經濟放緩以及通脹持續削弱購買力，民眾的不安情緒與外匯管制共同作用，沉重打擊了費爾南德斯總統的支持率。當地民意調查公司Management & Fit指出，當前有72%的阿根廷人不滿意政府在經濟事務上的表現。

????由于金融管制被許多人視為對個人自由的限制，成千上萬的阿根廷人在上周走上街頭，敲鑼打鼓地抗議物價上漲和犯罪行為猖獗。這是費爾南德斯總統任職四年多以來遇到的最大挑戰。

????雖然總統試圖淡化此次示威的影響，當地分析人士卻認為這是她總統生涯的轉折時刻。

????A slew of luxury goods retailers are leaving Argentina in response to import barriers, currency controls and soaring inflation.

????American designer Ralph Lauren was the most recent departure when it announced last month that it was closing three of its stores in Buenos Aires, including its flagship in the upscale Recoleta district, as draconian measures on imports have all but left it unable to stock its shelves.

????Ermenegildo Zegna, Escada, and Calvin Klein Underwear had already closed or reduced operations sharply in response to the growing challenges to doing business in the country. Local media outlets reported French jewelry boutique Cartier is planning to follow suit next month.

????President Cristina Fernández late last year tightened controls on imports to protect a dwindling trade surplus. Her administration also restricted access to foreign currency to prevent growing ranks of Argentines from trading their pesos for U.S. dollars to protect their savings from one of the highest inflation rates in the world.

????Tourism, which has boomed in the past decade, has slowed down as Argentina became more expensive and many Europeans limited travel due to a tougher economic climate at home.

????The moves underscore the growing difficulties facing foreign companies in Argentina, where the government has resorted to protectionism to address challenges such as soaring internal prices, a reduced confidence in its currency and an eroding trade surplus.

????"It's a complicated scenario," says economist Miguel Kiguel, director of EconViews consultancy and a former Argentine finance secretary. "Companies can't bring the products they need to function normally. On top of that, tourism has dwindled as the country became more expensive."

????For the city of Buenos Aires, sometimes referred to as the "Paris of Latin America," losing blue-chip international brands is a blow to the city's international flair.

????"These stores are so elegant and glamorous," said shopper Cristina Beltrame, walking down the Alvear Avenue, the most Parisian of Argentine streets in the Recoleta neighborhood, last weekend. "It's sad to see them go."

????Ralph Lauren said in a statement that the closing was temporary but did not specify if and when it planned to reopen its stores.

????Argentina imposed controls last year after Central Bank currency reserves shrank by more than 10% as Argentines lined up in front of exchange houses to buy U.S. dollars. The country, which has been unable to tap international debt markets since its $95 billion debt default in 2001, needs the reserves to pay off debt.

????The government has all but banned international companies from remitting profits overseas in a bid to reduce the demand for international currency. Argentines are also prevented from buying foreign currencies, forcing many to ditch their international travel plans ahead of the summer season.

????The foreign currency controls and a growing sense of malaise, as the economy slows and inflation continues to erode purchasing power, have cut deeply into the popularity of President Fernandez. Local polling firm Management & Fit said 72% of Argentines currently disapprove of the way the government is managing the economy.

????In response to the financial controls, perceived by many as a restriction of their personal freedoms, hundreds of thousands of Argentines took to the streets last week banging pots and pans and chanting against price increases and growing crime, in the biggest challenge to Fernandez presidency in more than four years.

????While the President tried to play down the importance of the demonstration, local analysts view it as a watershed moment in her presidency.