美国国家公共电台 NPR Maker Of Bratz And Little Tikes Seeks To Save Toys R Us

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Toys R Us is liquidating¹ and closing stores after declaring bankruptcy² last year. This is bad news for toymakers who still sell a lot of their toys at brick-and-mortar stores. Now, one big toymaker is trying to save Toys R Us. His name is Isaac Larian, and he is the CEO of MGA Entertainment. It's the company behind popular brands like Bratz and Little Tikes toys. Larian is trying to raise a billion dollars to buy Toys R Us, and he even has a crowdfunding campaign online. I talked to him recently about his plan.

Hey, Mr. Larian, thanks for being with us.

ISAAC LARIAN: Thanks, Rachel. Good morning.

MARTIN: There is a reason Toys R Us is going out of business, right? They couldn't get a restructuring plan. Investors³ didn't want to save it, presumably, because it's not a good investment. Why do you think otherwise?

LARIAN: Rachel, I think what happened with Toys R Us unfortunately is that the private equities⁴ bought that company, put a ton of loan on it with interest payments and fees, et cetera. So they didn't have the money to reinvest in the stores and grow it. That is why Toys R Us failed.

MARTIN: All right, so you say it was just mismanaged, but explain why this store is important to you.

LARIAN: Toys R Us is the only toy retailer⁵ that you can go in and find all kind of toys in there. Other retailers⁶ do not have the room and the space to do that. And as a result, many, many smaller toy companies, including MGA - at one time, we launched our key products at Toys R Us.

MARTIN: So you're hoping to raise a billion dollars.

LARIAN: Yes.

MARTIN: How much have you raised online so far?

LARIAN: Well, we have already raised over $200 million; $100 million of that is mine. But frankly⁷ if the GoFund campaign doesn't go as we expected, we have already investors lined up and financing lined up on the side to be able to do that. Unfortunately, Rachel, we are not going to save all 732 stores. Probably we will save in USA about 150 to 200 stores, and we will build and grow from there. But if Toys R Us goes out of business, the toy business as a whole will change forever.

MARTIN: Let me ask you - many say it already has, and you talk about if you're able to get this money and keep Toys R Us, you will restructure how the company is run. But do you have any other ideas for how to position the company to be successful in the future? I mean, is there something about the branding or the marketing⁸ or the stores themselves?

LARIAN: I will make Toys R Us a fun place again.

MARTIN: Like, can you just give me a couple examples?

LARIAN: I can't. I don't want to do that because we are still competing to buy Toys R Us, and I don't want other people to know what we have, what we plan to do.

MARTIN: You're saying something will change about the experience.

LARIAN: Absolutely. And it's not going to be a minor⁹ thing. It's going to be a major thing.

MARTIN: Right. And just to clarify, did you say that there is competition?

LARIAN: I hear there are a lot of financial companies, private equity¹⁰, et cetera, trying to buy it cheap, flip¹¹ it and make a few extra dollars. Frankly, I think if another private equity or a financial company buys Toys R Us, Toys R Us is not going to last.

MARTIN: You think it needs to be a toy person, and that's you.

LARIAN: Absolutely - needs a crazy person who lives, breathes and eats toys like I do (laughter) to do it.

MARTIN: (Laughter) Isaac Larian is CEO of MGA Entertainment, and he is leading an effort to save Toys R Us. Mr. Larian, thank you so much for your time.

LARIAN: Thank you, Rachel.

(SOUNDBITE OF BEASTIE BOYS SONG, "B FOR MY NAME")

1 liquidating   

v.清算( liquidate的现在分词 )；清除（某人）；清偿；变卖

参考例句：

• Liquidating collateral is clearly a second best source of repayment. Why? 抵押品显然并不是获得贷款偿还的最佳方法。为什么？ 来自互联网
• There are often costs and inconvenience associated with liquidating other assets. 这些资产变现时总须花费，也不方便。 来自互联网

2 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

3 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

4 equities   

普通股，股票

参考例句：

• These are invested mainly in the OECD bonds and equities. 这些资产主要投资于经济合作及发展组织的债券与股票市场。
• They are also advantage of the global rebound in equities. 它们还在利用全球股市反弹的机会。

5 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

6 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

7 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

8 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

9 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

10 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

11 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。