Word: buying
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...this sometimes jarring juxtaposition of old and new is emerging an ethos of environmental correctness; this is a place where seemingly every second grocery store stocks only organic produce in a minimum of recyclable packaging, where new Mercedes owners apologize that they didn't buy a hybrid, and where the most used adjective is the word sustainable. There's even an acronym for this attitude, dreamed up by a consultant: LOHAS, which stands for Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability...
Whatever you call it, Christine Mayer has tapped into the zeitgeist brilliantly. She's a professional theater costume designer who made herself a jacket out of a recycled army tent. Someone tried to buy it off her in the street, and her retail clothing business was born. She purchases old Swedish army tents and NATO navy sweaters in bulk, and then cuts and tailors them into a range of jackets, pants and coats. Upscale boutiques from Hong Kong to Zurich stock her gear. In her own store in the heart of Mitte, stylized photos of sullen models look down...
...There are other reasons Asia may not be ready. One of the central goals of an Asian bloc would be to make it easier for China to buy a greater proportion of the region's output as the U.S. fades as an engine of global consumption and growth. But, while China's per capita GDP now stands at about $3,200, up nearly fourfold since 1997, it's still a far cry from U.S. per capita GDP of about $46,000. Moreover, conservative Chinese financial habits are deeply ingrained and driven by the need for "precautionary savings" for medical care...
...taking off. In the first nine months of 2009, retail sales in the city increased by 19%, well above the 14.8% growth posted in China's cities nationally. "Xi'an has reached a very important development stage," Chen explains. "Incomes are just at the first point when people can buy homes and cars...
...whether or not they will buy remains an open, and crucial, question. Even though Chinese are becoming wealthier, they are actually saving a greater percentage of that new wealth. Cornell University economist Eswar Prasad figures that China's average urban household saving rate reached 28% of disposable income in 2008 - 11 percentage points higher than in 1995. As a result, the role consumer spending plays in China's economy continues to head in the wrong direction. Private consumption accounted for a mere 35% of GDP in 2008, down from 46% in 2000. China's ratio stands at about half that...