"Welcome to Hong Kong, Mr. Knight." At the headquarters of Galaxy Group, Chen Zhiwen smiled and shook hands with Phil Knight, who had not seen him for several months but had lost a lot of weight.
"Hello, Mr. Chen, please call me Phil." Phil Knight also showed a professional smile and said with a smile.
"Okay, Phil, please call me Eric." Chen Zhiwen nodded and took Phil Knight to the lounge nearby.
After a renovation some time ago, several nearby offices were annexed. This office of more than 200 square meters has an office area, a conference area, a rest area, a bathroom, a storage room, and a separate bedroom in the back. When receiving guests It feels much more atmospheric.
"Mr. Knight, what kind of coffee do you want? Cappuccino, latte, Herbalife, espresso?" Assistant Angel on the side said with a smile, because Phil Knight did not speak Cantonese, and so did the three of them. Speaking English, An Qi knew that her boss valued the person in front of her very much.
"Give me a latte, thank you." Phil Knight said more politely to the beauty.
An Qi took the order and left. As for her boss, she naturally knew his taste.
"Phil, is this your first time in Hong Kong?" Chen Zhiwen asked casually.
"Yes, this is my first time. I have been to Asia many times before, but I have only been to Japan. I have also been to South Korea and Thailand once, but I have never been to other regions." Phil Knight said with a smile.
"Here in Hong Kong, the scenery in some places is pretty good. Phil, you can look around in these few days." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile: "However, you can also try more of our Chinese food, which is actually more beautiful than the scenery. Attraction.”
Hong Kong, a small city, is actually in an awkward position in terms of tourism. The Hong Kong government has been trying to develop tourism since the 1950s, but what places can attract people?
About the scenery? Which country in Asia is not hundreds or thousands of times yours in area and has many beautiful natural scenery? In terms of consumption? Although Hong Kong's commercial streets are also very good, they are just a city after all, and are far inferior to Japan in terms of scale. The only advantage is the low tax rate, which is similar to a tax-free paradise, so its appeal is limited.
But in terms of food, even if Hong Kong is not as good as the northern mainland, it is much better than many Western countries. It is said that in the 21st century, many young people go to Europe and the United States to set up stalls selling candied haws, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
"I like Chinese food very much, it's very delicious." Phil Knight said with a smile, "It's just that I have been too busy in the past few years and I don't even have time to rest."
"Actually, I think Nike's problem is also a problem for many start-up companies." Chen Zhiwen said: "Although we need to control the industrial chain and reduce costs to a certain extent, this itself is also a big risk, doing things that we are not good at. , especially asset-heavy projects, are most prone to problems. Many companies that have grown well in their early stages have suffered crises because of this, and the same is true for Nike."
"You're right, but how can you know if it's suitable if you don't try it?" Phil Knight chuckled softly: "Eric, your Red Bull business is also very popular. I did some research before coming to Hong Kong. You just acquired a very large company in Hong Kong, so why do you want to build a large shoe factory for Nike in Hong Kong? You have no experience in this area."
"Mr. Knight, your coffee." An Qi came over and gently put down Phil Knight's coffee. Chen Zhiwen did the same, and then left politely.
"Thank you." Phil Knight said to Angel.
Chen Zhiwen drank a cup of cappuccino and said with a smile: "Phil, Hong Kong's economic positioning itself is mainly manufacturing OEM. In recent years, Hong Kong's exports have mainly been clothing, watches, electronic products, toys, etc. Shoemaking actually has a certain foundation. Although I have no relevant experience, I just need to recruit people.
Hong Kong's labor costs are very low. I think you also know that they are less than one-twentieth of those in the United States. The shoemaking industry itself is an intensive manufacturing industry, even for high-end sports shoes like Nike, so this is It is a high-risk heavy investment in the United States, but not in Hong Kong.
Furthermore, my capital capacity far exceeds that of Nike. I can make large-scale investments in multiple fields at the same time. In addition to the beverages and real estate you just mentioned, I have also invested in household appliances, auto parts industries, ports, trade, and retail. There are all investments, and the capital of any one of them is far greater than the scale of Nike. Building a large shoe factory in Hong Kong is nothing to me. "
"I didn't expect Eric to have such high business achievements at such a young age!" Phil Knight was a little surprised. He had investigated Chen Zhiwen before coming here, but after all, he was thousands of miles away, and a lot of the information was only a vague summary.
Chen Zhiwen continued: "As I said last time, Nike's correct business model is to abandon production, concentrate on investing all funds and resources in market development, expand at the fastest speed, and become a representative of sports brands. , the manufacturing aspect cannot be placed in Europe, the United States or Japan where labor costs are too high. Hong Kong is a good choice. Not only does it allow you not to worry about production problems, but it can also significantly reduce costs."
"I know the cost, but I'm not sure about the quality control in Hong Kong." Phil Knight said with some worry.
"This is not a problem. As long as we cooperate, you can send Nike engineers to stay in Hong Kong. If they are unwilling, you can also replace them with a few people. They will manage the production and quality of the Hong Kong factory. Their expenses will be borne by me. If it’s not enough, we can also hire professional engineers from Adidas. I can definitely invest heavily in quality,” Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.
"Eric, actually I have another question in my mind. Since you have capital and are willing to invest so much in a production factory, why not invest in terminal retail? We all know that the highest profit point in this industry is at the terminal." Phil Knight asked.
"Because I am not an American. If I were, I would naturally invest in terminals. On the Asian side, the Japanese market is relatively exclusive and very saturated. The economic foundation of other Asian countries is too poor to accommodate the high-end sports shoe industry." Chen Zhiwen explained road.
Naturally, he couldn't say the essential reason. Chen Zhiwen would never invest in an industry that he didn't understand and was heavy on investment. He invested in Costco because of Pierce's team. Otherwise, he would never go to the United States to build a supermarket without relevant talents. , and thousands of miles away, that is seeking death.
Red Bull takes the lead, Midea mainly relies on the arcade market, and the home appliance industry is now only for development experience. In the future, his goal is still domestic, and other investments are traditional real estate and stocks. These are under his prophetic golden finger. , Basically, it is a guaranteed profit without loss.
Investing in Nike will not only reap huge benefits in the future just like investing in Wal-Mart, but it can also rely on its own capital volume and Hong Kong's labor advantages to gain the development of the shoemaking industry chain from Nike's current weak period. Once mastered, This can not only control the employment scale of hundreds of thousands, but also develop its own footwear terminal industry in the mainland in the future, and even enter the clothing industry.
The premise of all this is the huge orders that Nike can bring to foundries during its rapid development period. Otherwise, without market technology, it is impossible to successfully cultivate technology. This is actually very similar to Galaxy Trade. The difference is that you need to build your own business. factory investment.
"Okay, in this case, I am relieved. However, in the future, we will not move production here until the factory in Hong Kong cannot provide samples of sufficient quality. Quality is the most important thing to me." Phil Knight said.
"That's natural. Without good quality, I would close the factory myself." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.
(End of chapter)
