The Industrial Giant Reborn

The happy time is always short. After floating in the sea for ten days, I set off from Hong Kong, arrived at the Sea of ​​Japan, and then went to the Korean waters for a circle, and then returned to Hong Kong again.

In Hong Kong at the beginning of September, the temperature is more comfortable than the hottest time of summer before, but it is still so uncomfortable when encountering a strong typhoon. Even Chen Zhiwen, who does not need to go out, is not in a good mood when he sees the heavy rain outside the building. good.

The typhoon was so strong that many projects of Hehuang, Xinghe and Dad's Hengyi Real Estate were suspended. Even on the day of the strongest rainstorm, Midea's industrial park was seriously affected, and many workers asked for leave.

"Dong dong dong" there was a knock on the door, Chen Zhiwen looked back, it was Zhou Jiayang.

"Chen Sheng, recently ParknShop has acquired 11 new stores, costing about 27 million Hong Kong dollars, of which we paid 7 million ourselves, and the remaining 20 million were loans from HSBC." Zhou Jia Yang Hui reported .

"Okay, continue to buy, you won't lose money no matter what." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said, the location that can make Baijia Supermarket fancy as its new store is basically not bad, even if it is not a commercial center, it will be a residence for residents center of.

Moreover, if these stores are acquired, they will be the location of ParknShop Supermarket, which can continuously provide the company with a large amount of income and the largest cash flow in the supermarket industry.

"The acquisition is still going on, but Bao Fuda wanted to meet with you two days ago, because you were on vacation before, so I delayed it for a few days." Zhou Jiayang continued.

"What's the use of meeting Bao Fuda? Tell him about it and ask Niu Bijian to come over in person, otherwise he won't be able to make the decision." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.

The Taipan of Hongkong Land is Bao Fuda, but this is also in name. The three giants of the entire Jardine Maison, Jardine Mahe is the boss, and Hongkong Land and Wharf are the two wings. However, the Taipans of Hongkong Land and Wharf are only responsible for daily management. , basically the decision of Jardine Taipan.

"Okay, I'll have a phone call with Bao Fuda later." Zhou Jiayang nodded and said, "Landmark is looking for us this time, probably because they want to discuss with us about ParknShop and Wellcome."

"It's expected." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said.

Over the years, the expansion of Chen Zhiwen's business has been mainly in overseas markets, and there has been no conflict with local companies in Hong Kong. The acquisition of industrial real estate or properties in the past few years was also land that no one wanted during the real estate crisis.

Even after the acquisition of Hutchison, a large number of businesses were sold, and the only real estate business was to develop its own land properties, or to find Swire to acquire a few pieces of land, and it did not compete with anyone, but the expansion of ParknShop this time is an exception.

Jardine's previous support for Wellcome was clearly intended to control the retail supermarket market in Hong Kong. Chen Zhiwen also knew this, but there would be more important things to do in 1975, so naturally the supermarket was put aside first. Stabilizing Hutchison was the most important time last year.

Now that the funds are abundant, it is natural to enter the market. It cannot be Costco, a future global supermarket giant, whose boss is located in Hong Kong, but the retail market is controlled by others.

Costco’s model is not suitable for Hong Kong, but Hong Kong’s model is suitable for Asia and the future mainland. Hong Kong’s local market is not very important, but it is a starting point and a preparation for the retail layout in Asia. After obtaining a monopoly in Hong Kong, External expansion is Chen Zhiwen's requirement for ParknShop Supermarket. Southeast Asian countries are not difficult to enter, but different cultures make it more difficult to operate. Therefore, a stable rear is also necessary.

Under such circumstances, it will be a matter of time to confront Jardine Matheson. If it is said that Chen Zhiwen planned Wharf two years ago, he was more cautious about the two giants Jardine Matheson Land, and he was unwilling to meet head-on. It's almost at the same level. Although the Jardine Department is still not to be underestimated, it is definitely not very worrying.

"How about the Wharf acquisition?" Chen Zhiwen asked again.

"During this period, we have acquired another 0.7% of the stock, and it is almost 20%. It is estimated that it will be reached in October, and Wharf will raise shares again in October. We can get at least another 3% increased shares." Zhou Jiayang replied.

"Okay, keep at this speed, don't be impatient, just don't cause the stock price of Wharf to skyrocket." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said, when he takes Wharf from Jardine, it is estimated that the entire British capital in Hong Kong will explode. Alright.

However, at today's level, it is normal to have competition and conflicts with British capital or Jardine, unless Chen Zhiwen really devotes himself to developing overseas markets and abandoning Hong Kong, but it is obviously impossible.

For example, now, if anyone wants to sell a building in Central, Chen Zhiwen will not give up at this stage when housing prices have just started. Naturally, Landmark is the same. Interests are the root of all cooperation or conflicts.

Moreover, if history does not change because of him, another major event will happen in Hong Kong soon.

Kangle Building:

"Chen Zhiwen wants to see me directly?" Niu Bijian frowned and asked.

"Yes, news came from his subordinates that Chen Zhiwen needs to have a conversation with someone who can directly make decisions at the scene." Bao Fuda's face was a little ugly, and the words Chen Zhiwen brought directly hit his fragile heart.

Although he is the titular taipan of Hongkong Land, the entire Hongkong Land is controlled by Jardines, as is the taipan of Wharf. The entire Jardine department is under the control of Niu Bijian, and he is just a puppet.

But this can’t be blamed on him. The entire Jardine department has been like this for a hundred years. When the Keswick family dominated Jardine, the taipans of Hongkong Land and Wharf were just puppets, with no real power, just in charge of management, all major events , are decided by the Keswick family.

"Yes, although on the surface it is only some small supermarket property investment, which may be less than 100 million Hong Kong dollars, behind this is whether our two companies will start a long-term confrontation." Niu Bijian nodded and said: "This It's also good news, it shows that Chen Zhiwen is not willing to confront us head-on, even if he doesn't give in, maybe we can find a way to reconcile."

"Then we will meet. They will meet at the Hilton Hotel in 3 days." Bao Fuda said.

"Okay, reply to the message, we will arrive on time." Niu Bijian said.

Three days later, the typhoon ended and the torrential rain passed. There was still a lot of rain on the streets. Many people were still wearing rain boots, avoiding puddles.

Several Mercedes came to the downstairs of the Hilton Hotel. Unexpectedly, they happened to run into Niu Bijian and his group who also came.

Although there has never been a formal communication, before Chen Zhiwen bought Hutchison, Chen Zhiwen met Niu Bijian at the charity banquet of HSBC, but Niu Bijian at that time could not look down on an unknown Chinese .

And now Niu Bijian naturally knows Chen Zhiwen. Although Chen Zhiwen has been using strong capital to control his photos from appearing in the paper media, and he can do it, but for Niu Bijian, he wants to get Chen Zhiwen's photos. It's certainly not difficult.

"Chen Sheng, hello." Niu Bijian greeted in fluent Cantonese.

"Mr. Niu Bijian, I have admired you for a long time." Chen Zhiwen smiled and shook hands and said, before the public acquisition of Wharf, there is no need for him to fight against Jardine, even the expansion of ParknShop can be discussed.

"My reputation is far behind that of Chen Sheng." Niu Bijian smiled and said, "I'm just a wage earner, and Chen Sheng is a figurehead in Hong Kong's business world."

"It doesn't make any difference, Shen Bi also works part-time." Chen Zhiwen said lightly.

A person's influence mainly depends on how many resources he has, not how many assets. In Western companies, especially companies with scattered equity, the people in charge of such companies are these workers, and a large amount of funds can be mobilized with a single sentence , such as Cook of Apple in later generations.

It would be too inaccurate to look at these people based on their worth. Their worth is only suitable for the wealth benchmark of the first generation of entrepreneurs, such as Li Jiacheng, Bao Yugang, Chen Zhiwen, etc. The American media called it the richest Chinese in Asia, but the real bosses in Hong Kong are HSBC and Jardine, and Bao Yugang is far behind.

"Chen Sheng was joking, HSBC, but Hong Kong's central bank is still different." Niu Bijian said with a smile.

"With Jardine's current scale, maybe one day it will surpass HSBC." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile. This is actually true. Just like Qi Dezun, Niu Bijian has always hoped to make Jardine bigger than HSBC. It’s just that the mess received from the Keswick family was a bit big, and the oil crisis in 1973 caused Jardines to suffer heavy losses. Over the years, Niu Bijian has been working hard to control Jardines’ overseas investment without major problems.

In the original history, Li Jiacheng and Bao Yugang fought back and forth, and they slapped Jardine twice severely through Wharf, only to extinguish Niu Bijian's ambition.

This was actually HSBC's deliberate behavior. Niu Bijian was too arrogant, and Bao Yugang was HSBC's weapon. Otherwise, if HSBC did not borrow money, it would be impossible for Bao Yugang to forcefully buy Wharf.

"Then I will borrow Chen Sheng's auspicious words." Niu Bijian smiled, then looked at Chen Zhiwen's car, and said, "Chen Sheng, as the most successful person in Hong Kong, driving this Mercedes-Benz seems a bit too ordinary. In this way, I will give you a Rolls Royce."

"Thank you, but there's no need for that, I still like Mercedes-Benz." Chen Zhiwen shook his head and said.

In fact, an ordinary Rolls-Royce is worth a million Hong Kong dollars, which is a drop in the bucket for Chen Zhiwen or Jardine. negotiations.

And the reason why Mercedes-Benz was chosen is also because this is a specific bulletproof car.

"Okay, then please." Niu Bijian nodded and said, he didn't bother with the issue of gift giving, it was actually just a kindness, he naturally knew that Chen Zhiwen would not accept it.

Several people came to a meeting room above the Hilton Hotel through a special elevator.

"Sheng Chen, let me just say it straight. The Jardine Group decided to take the retail supermarket industry as one of Jardine's main businesses a few years ago. As far as I know, Chen Sheng also has his own supermarket in the United States. The scale is not small, so why waste money in a small market like Hong Kong?" Niu Bijian said directly.

"A supermarket in the United States is an American supermarket, and it has nothing to do with Hong Kong. Besides, with Jardine's assets and scale, if it really pays attention to the retail industry, it will be enough to easily open hundreds of stores in Hong Kong in the past few years." There is a new Wellcome Supermarket, but there is no such thing now." Chen Zhiwen said calmly.

Costco has recently gained a reputation in the US retail industry, especially after opening a new milestone in the East Coast, it has attracted the attention of many media and retail giants. Chen Zhiwen, the boss behind it, has naturally been dug out, and it is not a matter of equity Well, Costco is a non-listed company and does not need to announce its shareholders. However, Chen Zhiwen has visited Costco many times, and naturally there are many people around him who know the actual situation.

And Chen Zhiwen didn't want to keep it a secret. The scale of a supermarket is getting bigger and bigger, and it's not a pure investment. It involves the employment of tens of thousands of people. It must be impossible to hide it.

In Hong Kong, under Chen Zhiwen's strong media control, ordinary people don't know about this matter, but Niu Bijian and other big foreign companies or bosses of Chinese real estate companies still know about it. This is why Niu Bijian is also willing to discuss with Chen Zhiwen, because these people in Hong Kong do not know how many cards Chen Zhiwen has overseas.

"We were not in a hurry to develop at the beginning." New Bijian said.

"Then what do you want? I have already invested in dozens of new stores, so I can't invest in nothing, right?" Chen Zhiwen said.

"This is not a problem. I can buy these shops at a high price." Niu Bijian said boldly.

"This is impossible. The retail industry is the strategic development direction I have set for Hutchison, and I will not give up. I think Mr. Niubijian can consider selling Wellcome to me, and the price can be negotiated. "Chen Zhiwen said with a light smile.

If Jardine Matheson really considers selling Wellcome, Chen Zhiwen is still willing to bid for it. After removing a competitor, and it only takes a year or two to truly unify the retail supermarket industry in Hong Kong, once successful, in the Under the control of your own capital, it is impossible for others to have a chance.

"The retail industry is also the development direction designated by Jardine." New Bijian said.

"Then we can only see what we can do." Chen Zhiwen shrugged and said, "We each do our own thing."

"But Hong Kong is not that big, and we will meet again after a long time. At that time, we have invested hundreds of supermarkets and hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars. At that time, it is impossible to stop, and we will inevitably face a fierce price war. It's not good for you and me, so I hope we can discuss what to do before we both have turned against each other?" Niu Bijian said sincerely.

"Then what does Mr. New Bijian think?" Chen Zhiwen asked.

"We have demarcated the territory, and then we will do our own things in the future, just like CLP and Hongkong Electric, but I don't mean to distinguish between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon like them. As for how to allocate it, it depends on the future." New York Bi Jian smiled and said, "What do Chen Sheng think of this idea?"

"Sounds good, but in reality it's very difficult to achieve, and ParknShop was originally planning to quickly occupy the market. As far as this distribution agreement is concerned, it may not come out until ParknShop opens all over Hong Kong." Chen Zhiwen shook his head and said.