Central, Uniqlo clothing company.
In the conference room, Lin Zhichao was having a meeting with senior executives. Crocodile T-shirts have many eye-catching and innovative measures, adhering to the quality of 'high quality and good service'; because of this, it has now become a 'branded clothing' in Hong Kong and is deeply rooted in Hong Kong. The hearts of citizens.
Deputy General Manager Zhao Mingyihui reported: "Currently our competitor is not Lion King, but Shalilila Clothing. This Indian-run clothing factory claims that it only takes 36 hours from fitting to fitting. This kind of fast delivery This method is very popular with some people, and there are even overseas tourists who specialize in doing their business.”
Lin Zhixiao also knew this, but he didn't expect that Shalilila clothing would become the biggest competitor of crocodile shirts. Of course, with the development of the times, this Indian family's clothing model will still not have much development prospects. Not to mention thirty-six hours, some shopping will not accept even thirty-six minutes.
This Shalilila family, like the Zhang Zhushan family of the Chinese business family, adheres to the lifestyle of "living together as a family and sharing wealth". There are also several brothers in the family, and the big family lives together, does business together, and eats together.
The immigration history of Indians in Hong Kong starts from the day when Hong Kong opened as a port. Indians came to Hong Kong as servants of British soldiers and officials. Indians mostly understand English, have more advanced technology and management methods, and are closely related to the British. There are inextricably linked relationships, so at the beginning, the social status was higher than that of the Chinese and second only to the Westerners.
With the rise of Chinese businessmen, Indians have declined. Many of them are working as security guards and servants, but their number is very large, probably tens of thousands; a theater in Wan Chai will show an Indian movie every weekend , the venues were packed, which shows the number of Indians in Hong Kong.
The Shalilila family and the Mejani family are the two major Indian families in Hong Kong.
Lin Zhichao thought for a while and said: "We and this Xialilila clothing both use fabrics imported from Europe and the United States, and the prices are relatively similar. We are indeed the biggest competitors. Summarize the differences between us and them, please tell us!"
Wang Caihuai, the manager of the design department, immediately said: "It fits! The reason why many people choose Shalilila clothing is probably because it is more tailored and fits the body better."
Everyone agreed.
An idea flashed in Lin Zhichao's mind, and he said: "Have you ever thought about using data statistics on Hong Kong people's figures to create more fitting sizes? It would be like selecting a thousand Hong Kong customers and tailoring more for them. Each body shape data is used as an indicator, and then statistics and analysis are conducted to create five to six size standards."
This is a long-term strategy, and it may seem like there are only minor changes, but if customers find that they fit better after long-term purchases, they will naturally have a sense of belonging.
Wang Caihuai said immediately: "The boss's suggestion is great. Even for each size, there is actually a certain gap; but through this kind of statistics and analysis, the body size gap among locals can definitely be narrowed."
Afterwards, everyone gave high approval, and the plan was approved and handed over to the design department for completion.
Lin Zhichao discussed other issues with everyone one by one. Since Lin Zhichao personally participated in the planning of many aspects, it is not wrong to say that dimensionality reduction is an attack on the clothing industry in this era. Otherwise, how could the crocodile shirt have become popular in less than three years? In 2016, he earned more than 1.7 million yuan and expanded to four stores.
The monthly profit of crocodile shirts has increased, reaching 80,000 to 90,000 Hong Kong dollars per month, and earning millions of Hong Kong dollars every year. It is believed that with the popularity of Western-style clothing, crocodile shirts can earn Lin Zhichao tens of millions of net worth in the 1950s.
Although he has a huge wealth, it is obviously very impressive to earn tens of millions of dollars from a clothing brand. No wonder crocodile shirts in the previous life had a market value of more than one billion in the late 1980s.
After the meeting, deputy general manager Zhao Mingyi came to Lin Zhichao's office.
At this time, Lin Zhichao said: "There is one thing I didn't mention in the conference room just now, and that is that Shalili La Clothing always secretly competes with us and carries out targeted advertising."
Zhao Mingyi nodded and said: "That's right! In their advertisements or promotions, they always have the intention of satirizing us, and they are indeed playing a little trick. The boss is thinking..."
The ironic 'crocodile shirt' can only be considered mid-range clothing, not high-end;
It's ironic that the 'crocodile shirt' doesn't fit all sizes, you should buy clothes that fit.
Although these are all done in secret, as long as you are careful, you can detect it.
In fact, Shalilila also produces clothing in a clothing factory with more than 200 tailors, because they also do military uniform business.
However, Lin Zhichao has always insisted on personally experiencing the 'crocodile shirt', treating it as a normal shopping experience, and then analyzing it; even if it is an advertisement he sees on the road, he will think about it.
"What's the key?" Lin Zhichao said.
Zhao Mingyi immediately racked his brains. He must not use illegal means. The boss is not that kind of person. He has to be in business.
After a long time, Zhao Mingyi said: "Why don't the newspapers publish an article introducing the development history of the Shalilila family? I heard that they once made transactions with the Japanese. Is this considered a stain?"
Lin Zhichao suddenly became interested and said: "This is a good idea, at least the Chinese people should be very disgusted with it!"
In the business world, although Lin Zhichao adheres to business ethics, he only says that he will not use illegal means, and he considers this kind of business means.
Finally, Lin Zhichao said: "I happen to know this Shalilila family. I will write some materials later and find a way to covertly publish it in the newspaper."
Zhao Mingyi nodded and said: "I guarantee that no one will notice!"
Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "If you want to be invisible, the key lies in the article. You cannot deliberately slander others, but you must seek truth from facts. Okay, I will spend an hour on this matter, and you will pick up the manuscript later."
"OK"
[In the 1920s, an Indian named Vannis Shalilila came to China to do business, and later moved to Hong Kong to establish a foothold. A serious illness struck, and old Shalili spent all his family savings. Harry Shalilila, who was only 13 years old, started working feed your family
The Japanese army was rampant, and Xialilila had no choice but to stay in Hong Kong because he could not raise the travel expenses. During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, two brothers, Harry and George, purchased some British-made garment locomotives from a closed garment factory. After repairing and painting them, they sold them to Japanese soldiers and sent them back home to their relatives. In exchange, the Japanese soldiers gave them food and medicine. The brothers then sold the grain to the Chinese. By pouring this back and forth a few times, Brother Harry made a lot of money and developed his business talent.
After the recovery of Hong Kong, the wealth of the Shalilila family was wiped out, because all of them were Japanese military notes and were banned from circulation in the market. When the Shalilila family fell into a food shortage, the clever Harry used his brains on the supply of the British troops stationed in Hong Kong. When the British army took over the Japanese army's warehouse, they received a large amount of tobacco and alcohol, which they couldn't enjoy. Although the British army had food rations, they still lacked some food and had to rely on the black market. The black market prices were so high that even the well-funded British army complained.
The Harry brothers bought vegetables from farmers in Dapu, New Territories, and shipped them to the British military camp to exchange for tobacco and alcohol. At first, the British officers estimated that they would give them, but later they asked the vendors to go to the warehouse to get them themselves. While others carelessly took more and even used cars to move goods, Harry only took tobacco and alcohol with a small profit each time. Therefore, he gained the trust of the British officers and got the military uniform contracting business. Later, the British officers introduced Asian beauty The military uniform business in the military camp made the Harry brothers prosperous. 】
In the article, Lin Zhichao described Harry's dealings with the Japanese army in great detail. It seemed that he was trying to impress Harry's business acumen, but in fact he was talking about Harry's collusion with the Japanese. As for the friendship he established with the British military officer, he deliberately described it as Harry's business acumen. He is a scheming person who is good at dancing and has plans.
It is rude to come and not reciprocate!
Since you are advertising, then I will help you advertise again.
Although it may not be very lethal, it can at least affect the Shalilila family, especially some Chinese who suffered deeply from the Japanese army.
This article seems to be praising Shalilila, but in fact it contains hidden murderous intentions. I am afraid that no one would have imagined that someone is 'troubling' the Shalilila family.
Of course, although Lin Zhichao can use some tricks, he is not actually a person who kills everyone. He also has to pay attention to his own image. The media in Hong Kong is not controlled. He doesn't want to have a bad history in the future.
"Dong dong"
Zhao Mingyi walked in.
"Submit this article to the newspaper through someone else. Don't interfere yourself. Let them edit it a little. The article should not deliberately expose shortcomings, but should seek truth from facts."
Zhao Mingyi looked at the manuscript written by Lin Zhichao and said: "Then I will copy the manuscript first and give it to you later. Then let my son copy my manuscript and hand it over."
Lin Zhichao was stunned and thought to himself, his handwriting is still on it!
"OK"
Although it is "indecent to come back without reciprocating", it is natural to be low-key if you can. For example, Shalili La's clothing also alludes to the "crocodile shirt".
There are six brothers in the Shalilila family. The leader is Harry, the second eldest, and George, the eldest. At this time, their family is holding a family meeting.
Harry said: "We did not limit our expansion to military uniforms, but added suits and fashion businesses, and we have achieved good results. Next, we will make great strides in the suit and fashion business and add new businesses. stores, and they are opening new stores on a large scale.”
George frowned and said: "Crocodile T-shirts only has four stores, and we are opening new stores on a large scale. Isn't it a bit rash?"
He knows that his younger brother is a business genius, but he is also worried that his younger brother is too aggressive, so he reminds his younger brother; at the same time, he tells his younger brother that the brothers will not just obey you.
Harry smiled and said: "Brother is too conservative! We are different from crocodile shirts. Crocodile shirts can only be produced in industrial batches and cannot be classified as high-end clothing. And we undertake sporadic business, from tailoring to trying on, It only takes thirty-six hours. This is a fast delivery method, but it is not an industrial mass production. Therefore, we need a large number of stores so that we can be busy. The current seven branches are far from enough. We will need to do this within at least five years. Expanded to 30 stores. After all, we can’t let all the customers crowd into a few stores to queue up for tailor-made clothes, otherwise others might as well buy crocodile shirts!”
George added: "I don't reject your point of view, but I hope you can develop steadily, which is more beneficial."
Harry said: "If you want to seek big development, you must take risks. Naturally, I am opposed to all-or-nothing. Investing in sporadic businesses is part of the family's diversified development. Our military uniform business is doing so well, but we can't just be the one who lays the eggs. Business, so sporadic businesses must also be done, and they must be big. This is diversification. Even if you lose money here and make money there, the whole army will not be wiped out. On the contrary, if there is only one business that lays golden eggs, I feel that it is not Insurance. Therefore, sporadic businesses must also become bigger and stronger.”
The brothers no longer objected and began to agree with Harry's decision.
At this time, George added: "However, we should not target crocodile shirts in advertisements in the future. After all, the Chinese are now more developed, and even the British value them, so we should not create extraneous problems."
Harry said again: "We are not targeting crocodile shirts, but we want to promote our own advantages. Crocodile shirts are an industrialized production model, but they actually say they are mid- to high-end. They just use European fabrics. In fact, they are mid-range at best. . What’s more, now that our two countries are competing, we should naturally amplify our own advantages and expose the enemy’s shortcomings.”
George said: "Having said that, it is easy to arouse the resentment of others. Doing business does not have to be like this. You have said that we have many advantages, so why bother to offend others? Customers should naturally know how to choose."
Harry quibbled: "It's not like I offended anyone. It's all customers who give feedback and spread it through word of mouth. In the advertisement, I didn't mention my name."
George also said seriously: "You have to pay attention, it's better to keep a low profile."
The other brothers helped the eldest brother this time, and Harry finally bowed his head. Although he didn't think so in his heart, for the sake of family unity, he couldn't be domineering in everything.
In Harry's view, crocodile shirts are a great threat to his own clothing store. The quality, service, decoration, etc. of crocodile shirts are all refreshing and have a great impact on traditional tailor shops.
Lin Zhichao and Hu Zhaoxu came to the embassy building at No. 7 Kaiping Road, Causeway Bay, and prepared to discuss the purchase with Liz Zeming.
The previous generation of the Lee family, Lee Hysan, made his fortune in the opium business. He purchased Ngai Tau Shan (Lee Garden Hill) in Causeway Bay, and after developing it, he owned a large amount of land (the mud and stone were used for reclamation by the Hong Kong government), and his wealth increased dramatically. The Embassy Building is one of the many properties of the Lee family. At this time, it was mainly rented out to some foreign ambassadors, consuls, and diplomats stationed in Hong Kong.
The embassy building is an apartment-style structure with a large construction area of more than 30,000 square feet. The building materials are very good and the decoration materials are high-end. It is considered one of the largest and most high-end buildings in Hong Kong at this time.
Lin Zhichao contacted the other party and planned to let Uniqlo clothing buy the building. The insufficient funds would of course be borrowed. Due to the sharp increase in deposits in Hong Kong, Lin Zhichao could get a low-interest loan as low as 60% due to his connections. Of course, the score was specific. Condition.
In this case, Lin Zhichao thought, why not let Uniqlo buy a large property! Although Uniqlo clothing is affiliated with Cheung Kong Holdings, they are actually operated separately, so the investment properties must also be separated.
Even if the embassy building is purchased, UNIQLO clothing will still need industrial land in North Point to build industrial buildings, which will not have a big impact on UNIQLO's financial constraints.
"Lin Sheng, I have admired you for a long time!" Li Zeming personally greeted him at the door of the embassy building and said enthusiastically.
Although the Lee family is an old family, Lin Zhichao is now a very popular figure. With just the title of "Chinese Shipping King", he is one of the top elites in Hong Kong.
Lin Zhichao stretched out his right hand and said: "Li Sheng is very polite, thank you for your kindness!"
Li Zeming smiled and said: "It should be!"
Businessmen make money by being friendly and talk less about feelings. How Ricci develops has nothing to do with Lin Zhichao. What's more, other people's descendants are now patriots, so why should they feel disgusted!
As long as there is no direct competition between the two parties, both parties can be friends. Even if there is direct competition, as long as both parties abide by the rules of the game, they can still be friends.
The two had a great chat and visited the embassy building.
Lin Zhichao also liked this building very much. Lin Zhichao also lamented the richness of the Lee family. The entire El Head Hill in Causeway Bay belonged to the Lee family, with approximately several million square feet. At this time, it was already worth several billions. Ten million Hong Kong dollars.
The fact that the Lee family has been selling land will not affect their family wealth, because it is difficult for the family to develop the entire area. It is better to sell some land to others for development to stimulate surrounding businesses. They can also withdraw funds to develop important projects.
"Causeway Bay is a great place!" Lin Zhichao exclaimed.
Li Zeming asked curiously from the side: "Lin Sheng's wealth is the property in Central, and he can get it at his fingertips. Why do you sigh like this!"
Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "Central is for office buildings and commerce. Causeway Bay can develop a commercial and residential area. After all, the closer it is to Central, the easier it is to handle business prosperity."
It was just a simple comment, but Lizeming didn't think much about it.
Later, Lin Zhichao said cheerfully: "I like the building very much. Let's set a price for it!"
Buying a building is not about buying small things. Just like it if you like it. Don't pretend to be too stingy.
Li Mingze also said cheerfully: "Since Lin Sheng is interested in it and we are ready to sell it, I will make an offer and Lin Sheng will see if it is suitable."
Lin Zhichao nodded and waited for the next step.
"2.7 million Hong Kong dollars"
"It's very reasonable. I accept this price."
Li Mingze said with a smile: "Lin Sheng is really happy. The annual rent of this building can be 350,000 to 400,000 Hong Kong dollars, and the capital can be recovered in seven years. Of course, I know that Lin Sheng is a master in the real estate industry and will not rely on collections." Rent, maybe you have other ideas.”
Lin Zhichao responded: "Lisheng is also very refreshing and the price is very reasonable. As for other ideas about this building, I think it is better to collect rent for a few years and then consider new ideas in the future. After all, the construction and materials here are very good." It’s wealth.”
"It makes sense. As far as I know, Lin Sheng has no shortage of properties."
"you flatter me!"
Lin Zhichao purchased so many properties, and some news has been leaked to some extent, so it is not surprising that Li Mingze knew about it. It's just that everyone doesn't know that specifically.
In fact, Lin Zhichao also recently changed his mind, that is, Global Shipping will no longer spend funds to purchase properties this year, but will save funds until the end of the year to purchase ships, and sign long-term contracts while the war is not over. When you buy a boat, you can make money immediately and get your money back in a year or two.
If you buy too many properties, you will not be able to make any profit in the next three years, so this account still needs to be settled.
The important thing is that land prices will not rise much next year, so why rush it.
Later, the two agreed on a time and planned to bring a lawyer to sign the contract.
When Lin Zhichao was about to leave the building, he saw an attractive woman walking towards the embassy building with three dogs.
She looked familiar, so Lin Zhichao couldn't help but stepped forward and asked, "Madam, are you Meng Xiaodong, the master of Peking Opera?"
She saw Meng Xiaodong wearing a cheongsam and cloth shoes. Although she was wearing a plain face, she could still tell that she looked pretty when she was young. She saw a young man step forward and instinctively tightened the dog leash.
"Who are you?"
Before Li Mingze left, he stepped forward and introduced: "Miss Meng, this is Mr. Lin Zhichao, Hong Kong's shipping king and industrialist. He is planning to buy the embassy building and will be your new landlord in the future."
It turns out that the two of them knew each other, but thinking about it, the stage was just a place for opera. Even if Meng Xiaodong didn't sing, someone else had invited her.
Meng Xiaodong seemed to know Lin Zhichao's name and said, "Lin Sheng is such a young and talented person!"
After she finished speaking, she stopped talking, giving people a feeling of rejection.
Lin Zhichao didn't expect that he would become Meng Xiaodong's landlord. Hong Kong is really small.
"Does Master Meng still accept amateur apprentices?"
Li Mingze was a little surprised, and Meng Xiaodong was also a little surprised. After all, could a 'big man' like Lin Zhichao be interested in singing?
What's more, shouldn't people from eastern Guangdong sing Cantonese opera?
"I'm sorry, I don't accept amateur apprentices."
"Excuse me! Master Meng, please!"
Lin Zhichao was not obsessed, he was just curious about 'celebrities', and he really liked listening to Cantonese opera, not Peking opera. Of course, if Meng Xiaodong accepts him as an amateur apprentice, he will also take time to practice, and he will not be overwhelmed by his many skills.
Meng Xiaodong nodded, then walked into the embassy building with three dogs.
Li Mingze also said goodbye: "Lin Sheng, see you another day!"
"Li Sheng, see you another day."
The two parties agreed to sign the contract with their lawyers three days later, and the sale would be considered successful.
(End of chapter)
