麦当劳正失去对年轻人的吸引力

    汉堡巨头麦当劳（McDonald's）可能很难扭转最近在美销售额下降的颓势，因为它正失去对年轻消费者的吸引力。

    本月，麦当劳的全球同店销售额出现了自2003年以来的最大跌幅。在美国，开业时间达到和超过13个月的麦当劳店面今年初以来的销售额一路走低。

    据《华尔街日报》（Wall Street Journal）报道，作为全球最大餐饮连锁机构，麦当劳的核心顾客群体一直都是二、三十岁的消费者。而这些顾客正把目光转向更健康的Chipotle墨西哥休闲连锁快餐店和帕纳拉面包（Panera Bread）等竞争者，麦当劳想要扭转销售下跌的势头并不容易。

    食品行业研究机构Technomic提供的数据显示，2011年初以来，在麦当劳的月度就餐人数中，19-21岁的消费者减少了12.9%，22-37岁的消费者数量仍然持平。

    在此期间，消费者开始转向其他休闲快餐。其每月造访的顾客中，19-21岁的消费者增加了2.3%，22-37岁的消费者增加了5.2%。

    McDonald’s may have a hard time turning around recent sales declines as the hamburger giant loses its appeal with younger consumers.

    McDonald’s reported its biggest decline in global same-store sales since 2003 this month, and in the U.S. sales at stores open 13 months or longer sales have been flat of falling so far this year.

    The company may have a hard time reversing the dropping sales as diners in their 20s and 30s, long a key customer base for the world’s largest restaurant chain, look to healthier, fast-casual competitors such as Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panera Bread Co. , reported the Wall Street Journal.

    The number of U.S. diners aged 19 to 21 who eat at McDonald’s each month has declined 12.9 percentage points since the start of 2011, while monthly diners age 22 to 37 have remained flat over the same time frame, according to Technomic data.

    Over that period, consumers have shifted their mealtimes to fast-casual chains where monthly visits increased by 2.3 percentage points for those age 19 to 21 and 5.2 percentage points for those age 22 to 37.

    Technomic指出，包括Five Guys和Corner Bakery Cafe在内的休闲快餐经营商把更新鲜的食材、个性化下单和快餐的便捷结合在了一起。10年来，这种休闲快餐店的数量迅速增长，从9000家增至21,000家，而麦当劳的数量一直保持在14,000家左右。

    在年轻顾客数量减少的同时，麦当劳还需应付全球范围内的诸多麻烦。上个月，麦当劳的中国供应商被指销售过期肉，导致麦当劳在亚太、中东和非洲地区的销售额下降了7.3%。上周，莫斯科的多家麦当劳餐厅因卫生不达标而被停业整顿。

    麦当劳管理层已经意识到了美国本土出现的问题，并于6月份在一家麦当劳餐厅设立了“学习实验室”，以了解顾客所期望的快餐就餐体验。但分析师认为，考虑到麦当劳庞大的规模和复杂的供应链，任何实质性的改革都很难落实。（财富中文网）

    Fast-casual restaurants, including others such as Five Guys and Corner Bakery Cafe, mix of fresher ingredients and custom ordering with the convenience of fast-food. These types of outlets have multiplied over the past decade from 9,000 to more than 21,000 as McDonald’s locations have hovered around 14,000, Technomic said.

    As McDonald’s faces a dropoff in younger consumers, it is also trying to cope with a host of global setbacks. A Chinese supplier was accused of selling expired meat last month, leading to a sales drop of 7.3% in the Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa regions. Then last week, it was forced to close locations in Moscow after alleged sanitary violations.

    Executives have acknowledged the issues at home and set up a “learning lab” at a restaurant in June in order to gain insight into what consumers are looking for in a fast-food dining experience. Still, any meaningful changes will be difficult to implement given McDonald’s’ large operation and complex supply chain, say analysts.