13年前，Laura Zanardi和Monica Borlini在北部產酒區弗朗齊亞柯達開了一家咖啡廳。
“不過是個方形的倉庫，我們改造了下，建了一個包廂，還弄了更多的私密區域。工作量很大，不僅耗資多，還要花去大量時間。但讓我們很有滿足感。這個店就是我們的孩子。”
現在兩位合夥人準備將咖啡廳出售。
他們說經濟危機給顧客造成了重大影響，也影響了咖啡廳的收益。
“現在更難了，更不容易了。過去掙錢很快，現在都要非常小心了，必須得熬夜到淩晨，讓顧客玩的開心，讓他們一晚不去想經濟問題。”
他們準備將通過一個名叫“出售給中國人”的網站將店轉讓出去。
Simone Topino是這家網站的合夥創立人，該網站幫助翻譯和傳播針對中國購買者的廣告。
“我們是今年2月中旬建立網站的，最初只有一名翻譯和一個網頁開發人員。很快就成功了，現在我們有11名雇員，4名翻譯，有很多廣告，大量的工作。”
歐洲經濟危機開始以來，整個該地區的商業都很艱難。中國人在義大利開店的數量平穩上升，最近一項調查顯示義大利有中方背景的公司的數量最近幾年上升了34%。
Angelo Ou是中國商界駐馬里代表，他說中國在義大利的投資在改變。
“現在正朝著服務業轉變，過去大多數商業是小的製造業，比如成衣和快時尚製造業。但現在有更多從事服務業，最初當地在一定程度上的反應是排斥，‘這些中國人什麼都買，甚至買那些在義大利家庭傳下三代的咖啡廳，中國人對開咖啡廳都懂得些什麼？’”
Ou認為將來會有更多中國人從事義大利的服務業，這將有利於一體化。
Zanardi和Borlini的咖啡廳登記的售價是140萬美元，目前來看的中國企業家說這對他們來說是太大的投資。不過，店主仍相信最終會有合適的買家出現。
MILAN — The economic crisis in Italy has left many small businesses in dire straits. Unable to get credit and with little hope of an economic recovery, increasing numbers of entrepreneurs are looking to sell their businesses to Chinese investors.
Laura Zanardi and Monica Borlini opened a bar-café thirteen years ago in the northern wine region of Franciacorta.
“It was just an empty rectangular warehouse. We redid it, building a mezzanine and creating more intimate areas. It was a ton of work, demanding both economically and in terms of hours of work. But it also gave us a lot of satisfaction. It's our baby,” recalled Zanardi.
Now, the two partners are ready to sell.
They say that the economic crisis has taken a toll on the customers and on the bar's profits.
“It is much more difficult now, more demanding. It used to be easy, money moved around. Now they are all very careful, you have to stay up until morning and try to give them good fun, a night not to think about their economic problems,” said Borlini.
They are trying to sell their business through a website called “vendereaicinesi.it” - literally “sell to the Chinese.”
Simone Topino is the co-founder of the website that helps translate and distribute ads targeting Chinese buyers.
“We started this year in mid-February. At the beginning it was just a translator and a web-developer. It was a success right away, and now we have eleven employees, with four translators. There are lots of ads and lots of work for us,” said Topino.
Since Europe’s economic crisis began, pinching business throughout the region, there has been a steady increase in the number of Chinese opening up shop in Italy. A recent study estimates the number of Chinese-backed businesses in Italy has risen by 34 percent in recent years.
Angelo Ou, the representative of the Chinese business community in Milan, says Chinese investment in Italy is changing.
“There is a change towards the service industry. In the past most businesses were in small manufacturing, so for example in ready to wear, fast fashion manufacturing. But now there is more in the servicing sector. At first the response locally was - and to some extent still is - of rejection. ‘These Chinese buy everything, even the town's bar that has been in the hands of an Italian family for three generations. What do Chinese people know about how to operate a café?’” said Ou.
With time, Ou thinks, having more Chinese working in Italy’s service sector will help with integration.
Zanardi and Borlini’s café is listed for sale for $1.4 million. The Chinese entrepreneurs who have come to see the space so far say it's too big of an investment for them. Nonetheless, the owners remain optimistic that the right buyer will come along eventually.
