从中国到美国：高福澜能挽回沃尔玛的销售颓势吗？

    上周四的沃尔玛（Wal-Mart）看起来就像是一支输了比赛的球队：希望通过解雇总教练来扭转局面。这家总部位于阿肯色州本顿维尔的零售巨头宣布，已聘请一位新高管来执掌陷于困境的美国零售业务。

    沃尔玛现任中国业务CEO高福澜（Greg Foran）正是这位人选，他将接替比尔•西蒙掌管沃尔玛美国业务。自2010年以来一直担任沃尔玛美国CEO的西蒙将离开这家公司。就在近6个月前，董明伦（Doug McMillon）刚刚接替退休的麦道克（Mike Duke）出任沃尔玛全球CEO。

    从很多角度，你可以认为，西蒙的离开是一个未能问鼎公司最高职位者的自然反应。“我们曾经将西蒙列为接替沃尔玛前CEO麦道克的潜在人选，但最终董明伦胜出。”晨星（Morningstar）的一份研究报告称，“对于西蒙的离职，我们一点也不感到惊讶。”

    金融服务公司Cowen and Company在新闻稿中表示，“[西蒙]呆了这么久令人意外，我们原本以为他会尽快离职，尽早启动2年内不得服务于竞争对手的倒计时。”

    沃尔玛企业传播副总裁大卫•托瓦尔也向《财富》（Fortune）杂志证实称，“董明伦和西蒙是两位来自公司内部的CEO候选人。最终董明伦得到了这个职位。在此类情形下，未成功问鼎者最终离职他就的情况并不少见。”

    沃尔玛在宣布管理层变更的声明中，称赞西蒙在担任美国业务CEO期间“为公司注入了新的活力，专注于每日低成本、每日低价和增加产品种类。”

    Cowen and Company的法耶•兰蒂斯表示，西蒙推出了沃尔玛的4美元处方药，加大了对健康食品的关注，并通过增加运动装备成功重塑了服装部门。

    但西蒙在沃尔玛的业绩也受到美国零售业整体不景气的影响。“我们知道，美国业务对于公司的成功至关重要，它可以变得更强，”董明伦在上周四发给沃尔玛员工的信中表示。“[高福澜]将为瞬息万变、竞争日益激烈的市场带来新视角。”

    这样的陈述很是委婉。

    高福澜面临的其实是非常棘手的挑战。沃尔玛最近的季度报告显示，公司美国销售额连续第5个季度下滑，截至4月30日的季度利润下降了5%。

    来自亚马逊（Amazon.com）等网络零售商的竞争以及购物模式的转变（美国人正在更加频繁地光顾1元店和药店），都造成了零售额的下降。沃尔玛发言人托瓦尔上周四告诉《财富》杂志称，高福澜将继续实施现有策略来应对这些挑战：开设沃尔玛便利店（Walmart Express）和社区店（Neighborhood Markets）等规模较小的超市（面积1-4万平方英尺），进一步拥抱电子商务。

    On Thursday, Wal-Mart seemed to be playing the part of a losing sports team looking to turn things around by ousting the head coach. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retail giant announced that it had hired a new chief executive to oversee its struggling U.S. stores.

    Greg Foran, the current CEO of Walmart China, will take over Walmart U.S. for Bill Simon, who has held the position since 2010 and will be leaving the company. The moves comes nearly six months after Doug McMillon took over for a retiring Mike Duke as CEO of all of Wal-Mart.

    In many ways, you can think of Simon’s departure as a natural reaction from someone who has been passed over for the company’s top job. “We had considered Simon as a potential candidate to replace Walmart’s former CEO, Mike Duke, but Doug McMillon was given the nod over Simon,” according to a note from investor research firm Morningstar. “We aren’t completely surprised by Simon’s departure.”

    Financial services firm Cowen and Company in its own release said that it was “surprised that [Simon] stuck around for so long, as we thought he would want to start the clock on his 2-year non-compete as quickly as possible.”

    Walmart Vice President of Communications David Tovar confirmed as much to Fortune. “Doug and Bill were two internal candidates for the top job. Doug got the job and, in those situations, it’s not uncommon for the person who didn’t get it to ultimately leave the company and go somewhere else.”

    Wal-Mart, in its statement announcing the management change, praised Simon for leading a “turnaround that reinvigorated the company’s focus on everyday low costs, everyday low prices and an increased product assortment,” in his time as U.S. CEO.

    Simon introduced the retail giant’s $4 prescriptions, increased its focus on healthier foods, and led a successful makeover of its apparel department by shifting to more athletically inspired gear, says Faye Landes of Cowen and Company.

    But Simon’s track record at Wal-Mart has also been marred by struggling U.S. sales. “We know that our U.S. business is critical to the success of our company and that it can be even stronger,” McMillon said in a letter to Wal-Mart employees on Thursday. “[Foran] will bring fresh eyes to an increasingly competitive market that is changing rapidly.”

    That’s a nice way of putting it.

    Foran faces a daunting challenge. The company’s latest quarterly earnings revealed the fifth straight decline in U.S. sales, which factored into the retailer’s 5% drop in profits for the quarter ending April 30.

    Competition from online retailers like Amazon.com and evolving shopping patterns among Americans—who are now making more frequent trips to dollar and drug stores—are partly to blame for the slumping sales. Tovar, Wal-Mart’s spokesman, told Fortune on Thursday, that Foran will continue the store’s ongoing strategy to address those concerns: opening smaller, 10,000 to 40,000 square-foot stores like Walmart Express and Neighborhood Markets and further embracing e-commerce.