"Asia, Mr. Chen is talking about Hong Kong?" Pierce asked.
"Yes, at least products with weak brands such as clothing and bedding can be purchased from Hong Kong, which can reduce costs on a large scale." Chen Zhiwen nodded.
In human history, the emergence of one thing has changed the global shipping market and rapidly accelerated globalization: containers.
Before containers, the transportation of non-public goods (oil, grain, minerals, etc.) was very troublesome. Each company's goods were packaged in different sizes, and a large number of people were needed to load and unload the goods at the port, such as New York City. In the 1930s, 1/3 of the people in the city worked directly or indirectly to serve the port. Similarly in the old days of Hong Kong, the dock was the gathering place for all wealth. History was also broadcast in old TV dramas, and a large number of rich people controlled At the dock, his subordinates are also attached to numerous gangs.
Under such high-cost ocean transportation, most of the manufacturing industry was left in the country. Before the 1970s, the manufacturing industry in the entire United States was very developed and the categories were full. Local supermarkets naturally purchased goods from the country.
Also in the non-container era, many small countries were unable to develop industries. They could only focus on industries such as textiles with relatively low transportation costs. Therefore, before the 1970s, in Asia, except for RB, which had a developed local market, other countries Non-light industries are all in the barbaric era.
In the 1960s and 1970s, containers gradually became popular and shipping costs were greatly reduced. The huge markets of Europe and the United States were opened to Asia, and Asian industries also developed accordingly. For example, South Korea's Samsung is about to become the world's largest TV export company, and Hong Kong, Bay, and Po Counties have also benefited from this, but no matter how fast these companies develop, they are still in their infancy. The procurement chain in the United States is also relatively mature. Under normal circumstances, it will take a long time for European and American buyers to start to prefer purchasing from Asia. goods.
And this is a new opportunity. Acquiring a supermarket chain with great potential in the United States, providing a certain amount of funds for expansion, and matching it with cheap and medium-quality (cost-effective) products will definitely accelerate the development of the supermarket, both in terms of profit and scale.
Of course, this is only suitable for some products. Other daily chemical products and electrical appliances still attach great importance to brand. There is no way to replace this quickly, but it can be replaced slowly. The most direct one is our own Midea products, at least in the United States. When our own supermarket develops rapidly, it will also be of great help to Midea's development.
"We have thought about purchasing goods from Asia before, but we just don't have enough contact channels. If Mr. Chen can be responsible for purchasing goods for us in Hong Kong, it will indeed be a good way to reduce costs." Pierce also agreed.
"No problem, it's a piece of cake for me." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile. In the 1970s when communication could only rely on telephones, plus the time difference of about 12 hours, the efficiency cost of trade between the United States and Asia was indeed very high. , information gap is wealth, and for those who do not know the information gap, it is a real huge cost.
Pierce was silent for a moment, drinking coffee. Chen Zhiwen also paused for a while and then said: "Mr. Pierce, there are still some operational matters. We will talk about it after we confirm our cooperation. That's it for today. I can talk to you when you go back." The management team will discuss this matter, and if it is agreed, we will hire lawyers for both parties to have in-depth discussions on the transaction price and our future cooperation model.”
"OK, nice to meet you." Pierce also needed time to consider this matter.
"Okay, I'll buy the coffee." After Chen Zhiwen left 20 US dollars in cash, he stood up to say goodbye and left.
Ron had been waiting outside. When he saw Chen Zhiwen coming out, he quickly came up to greet him and asked, "Mr. Chen, how was the conversation?"
"I've said everything that needs to be said. It depends on whether he agrees or not. Maybe it will be time for you to take action soon." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile. If it really doesn't work, we can only wait until Pierce encounters setbacks like history, and then go everywhere. I'll look for him again when I borrow money to start a new business, but the only variable is that after he meets me, will history be different?
"Even if he doesn't agree, we will do our best to make him agree, or we can find a way from the stock market?" Ron asked.
"Forget it in the stock market, forced acquisition is meaningless." Chen Zhiwen didn't explain much and directly rejected it. He wanted Pierce to serve him, not his current company.
Besides, he is still familiar with Costco's business model in the future. If Pierce really disagrees, that's okay. He can just find professional managers to operate it in his own way. Recruiting the original team is just to increase the success rate and reduce your own energy consumption. Without them, with your own foresight and the help of a large amount of funds in the future, the results will not necessarily be worse than the original good results.
"OK, I understand." Ron nodded and said while getting into the car with Chen Zhiwen.
...
Although Pierce had already planned to sell his company, he would not make the decision in a few days. After returning to Los Angeles, Chen Zhiwen took people from his company to New York, relying on his tens of millions of dollars in Citibank accounts. , Chen Zhiwen is naturally also a senior VIP customer of Citigroup.
"Hello, Mr. Chen." Citibank investment manager Joey had been waiting in the lobby for a long time. When he heard that a VIP customer came to discuss investment business, Joey paid great attention to it.
"Mist Geller, hello." Chen Zhiwen also said politely.
"Just call me Joey." Joey smiled and said, "Mr. Chen, please come with me."
"Okay, just wait outside." Chen Zhiwen said to everyone except assistant An Qi.
The two followed Joey in the elevator to the 46th floor. After the three of them entered a separate office, a white assistant immediately came to make coffee.
Joey smiled and said, "Mr. Chen, this coffee is natural mountain coffee imported from Colombia. Only the most distinguished guests can enjoy it."
"Then I'd like to try it." Chen Zhiwen smiled. An Qi beside him didn't speak, but was also very interested.
"Not bad." After taking two sips, Chen Zhiwen nodded and said, "It smells good."
As a Chinese, Chen Zhiwen actually has no interest in coffee. In his previous life, he would drink a little occasionally when he often stayed up late. After traveling to Hong Kong, he often imitated King Zhou and drank wine and meat in the forest. He had no shortage of time to sleep, so naturally he didn't drink any coffee. But this Colombian The coffee tastes really smooth and smooth.
"If Mr. Chen likes it, I'll have someone prepare some and you can take it back and enjoy it slowly." Joey said with a smile.
"Okay, thank you." Chen Zhiwen was not polite. He was also a major bank customer, so it was normal to accept some gifts.
Joey then asked: "Mr. Chen, you said on the phone before that you wanted Citibank to invest on your behalf. I wonder what you choose to invest in?"
"I want to buy shares of a company." Chen Zhiwen took another sip of coffee and said, "The name of this company is Wal-Mart."
