Best Buy is an important step for Chen Zhiwen to lay out the electronics industry in Europe and the United States. However, no matter how outrageous the retail terminal is, it is impossible to control even a small half of the market. If his own home appliance business wants to develop, it will ultimately depend on technology and quality control, but saturation The market is very difficult without technological revolution. Acquiring a big brand is indeed the fastest way.
At present, the home appliance industry is still a rising industry. It may take a lot of time to find one that is of medium or above scale and is willing to sell. However, Chen Zhiwen already has a goal in mind, but he just needs to wait a little longer. The time has not yet come.
In the following days, Chen Zhiwen went to Los Angeles again to meet with Costco executives and understand the situation. The current Costco is basically mature. After obtaining financing, it also received some implicit help. , when the funds are used up, Costco's first goal: to build supermarkets in all large cities in the United States is about to be completed.
These megacities are the core areas of the U.S. economy and the most populous areas. Taking over more than half of these cities will almost determine Costco's absolute leadership in warehouse supermarkets in the future.
And if you want to turn "almost" into "definitely", that is the second goal: taking these big cities as the core and gradually spreading to surrounding medium-sized cities. At the same time, if the economy of this megacity is strong and the population is large, then it is necessary Build a second Costco, both in New York and Los Angeles.
In addition, there are also the establishment of a large number of new distribution centers and investment in logistics and transportation to ensure the lowest transportation costs. In the future, this will also require the cooperation of satellites. However, not many people within Costco know about this plan, and even more shareholders. I don’t know, this is also to prevent a group of shareholders who don’t know anything from standing up to oppose the satellite project. After all, in this era, the cost of a satellite going to the sky is a few hundred million US dollars. Although these people currently don’t have many stocks in their hands, if they just Internal conflicts occur when financing occurs, which will always have an impact on the company's development and future listings.
The current Costco brand in the United States is already very well-known. A large number of senior talents have joined, which has also reduced the pressure on the original team such as Pierce. These elites are enough to solve the problems Costco encounters during its rapid expansion. Chen Zhiwen Boss, all you need to do is to provide sufficient financial and credit support for Costco. With funds and talents, expansion will naturally be much faster.
The biggest advantage is that Pierce's team has actually reached the time to gradually delegate power. Fortunately, they are older, especially Pierce. They will still let go of what should be released. In the next few years, countless talents will also be released. , select a team that can gradually take over.
Of course, no matter what, when it comes to handing over power in such a large company, there will definitely be a lot of internal strife, which is inevitable. But as long as you control the absolute controlling stake, no one will be able to make waves.
The other two investments in the United States, Home Depot, are developing normally and are still in their early stages. Chen Zhiwen does not pay too much attention to them. However, another company, Nike, is also preparing to go public next month.
Although this giant has unlimited potential in the future, its current market value is only one to two hundred million US dollars. Chen Zhiwen, who originally owned 30% of Nike shares, only has 21% left after two rounds of financing. This listing will dilute it a bit. .
But this is not important. The Anta factory in Hong Kong has become Nike's largest supplier. Among Nike's supplier systems, the price is the cheapest and the quality is the best. The fundamental reason for this is naturally the diligence and studiousness of the Chinese. By the way, Anta also began to supply Adidas and other brands, developing together.
Nike's listing was far less important than Apple's, and Chen Zhiwen was not prepared to participate. After arranging matters for various American subsidiaries, Chen Zhiwen once again boarded his private jet and left the United States.
However, he did not go back to Hong Kong, but to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, which is Robert Kuok's territory.
Outside the airport, Robert Kuok came to pick him up in person. Fortunately, as special VIPs, all of them went through the VIP channel, so there were not many people to disturb them. However, other VIP customers, some of whom knew Robert Kuok, were so impressed by him. They all came to greet the young people in person, but these people couldn't guess their identities.
For Chen Zhiwen's arrival, Robert Kuok was naturally very considerate. The arrangement for Chen Zhiwen was not his Shangri-La Hotel, but a most conspicuous villa located in a luxury residential area in Kuala Lumpur.
"Sheng Chen, this is a property I bought two years ago. No one has lived in it yet. You will live here for the past two days. If you like it, this house will be given to you." Kuok Henian smiled. said. He and Chen Zhiwen currently have many cooperations, both in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, and they have also gained a lot of benefits. In the future, as long as nothing unexpected happens, there will definitely be more and more cooperation. It doesn't matter if ten houses like this are given away. .
"That's not necessary, Guo Sheng." Chen Zhiwen smiled and shook his head and said, "I probably don't live here very often, and I may not come here even once in the next few years. It would be a waste to give me the house."
A house is actually nothing to Robert Kuok or Chen Zhiwen, but they do not come to Malaysia often, so there is no point in wasting it. If you take this multi-million dollar property today, you may forget it in two years. This kind of thing is actually normal. He doesn't know how many villas there are in Hong Kong. These are basically taken care of by his subordinates, but in Malaysia, he has no such people.
"Okay, then just leave it here. It doesn't matter how many years Mr. Chen comes here. As long as you like it, I'll keep it for you." Robert Kuok said with a smile without being pretentious.
"It's up to you." Chen Zhiwen didn't care. After sitting down with Robert Kuok in a pavilion outside the house, he said, "Sheng Guo, I came to Malaysia this time because I have a project that I need to cooperate with you."
"What project?" Kuok Henian was immediately interested. From Chen Zhiwen's perspective, a project worthy of him coming in person must have great potential and be large in scale.
"I need to establish a chain store in the automobile industry in Southeast Asia, specifically for selling imported cars from overseas. But I can't do it by myself. I need to cooperate with local people. At present, in Southeast Asia, the only one I know is Guo Guo. Students meet this requirement, so I plan to start in Malaysia." Chen Zhiwen said.
"Selling cars?" Robert Kuok was stunned for a moment and asked, "Did Chen Sheng invest in this field because of the car acquisition in the United States?"
"Your news channel is quite good." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.
"There are no channels. Word has spread in Hong Kong that Hong Kong capital has entered the automotive field for the first time. This is considered big news." Robert Kuok said with a smile.
"So that's it. You're right. One of my goals is to build my car brand in the United States, but there are definitely great opportunities in this industry." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said.
Although AMC is as small as a child compared to the Big Three in the United States, it is still the fourth largest car brand in the United States. If it is acquired by a Hong Kong person, it will definitely be big news in Hong Kong, and this kind of thing should be suppressed before the acquisition. It's easier to keep track of the news. It's not that not many people in the United States know about it, but the Hong Kong media generally don't take the initiative to pay attention to the U.S. auto industry.
Once acquired, AMC is a listed company and needs to be announced. The same goes for the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Hong Kong media will still pay attention to the information released by the U.S. Department of Commerce. This is natural.
"The economy of Southeast Asia has indeed been developing rapidly in recent years. Theoretically speaking, the volume of imported cars will definitely be large in the future. This business is indeed not bad, but we also need to undertake other cars, right?" Robert Kuok asked.
"Of course, my car also has some priority recommendation rights, and I will not do a separate business." Chen Zhiwen shook his head and said.
In the shopping mall, the most taboo thing is to go against the sky, and this sky is the market.
Chen Zhiwen also wants his cars to sell very well in Southeast Asia, but this ultimately depends on quality. If it cannot beat the Japanese in the United States, it will most likely be the same in other places. The only thing that can beat the market is policy. Obviously, Chen Zhiwen does not have this resource, and even the local overlord Robert Kuok may not be able to.
In the layout of automobile terminals in Southeast Asia, the biggest thing we can do for AMC is to give more exposure, good locations, or guide consumers. Others will still be left to consumers to choose. In this way, the terminal retail industry can develop normally. .
"In that case, we will still follow the logic of cooperation with Parknshop Supermarket. Now we will invest in several large-scale automobile stores in Malaysia, and then depending on the situation, whether we should expand to other places." Robert Kuok thought for a while and said.
"Okay, let's open a few to test the water first, and then decide on the future situation." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said.
Even Costco, which is confident, has to expand step by step, and the same goes for investment in Southeast Asia. Besides, some countries in Southeast Asia may have a much better economy in the future, but it is still not possible now, and there may only be a few. Only in a big city does it make sense to invest. If these are added together, the investment will not be very large. If it does not have the role of helping AMC, he will not look at this kind of investment at all. No matter how high the return is, it is still an ordinary industry.
"Sheng Chen, the investment I'm talking about is not to start one yourself, but to directly acquire an existing one." Robert Kuok said with a smile.
"This is better." Chen Zhiwen thought for a while and said, this really saves time and will provide corresponding talents.
"How will the cooperation shares be distributed?" Robert Kuok asked.
"How about 73 points, I am 7 and you are 3." Chen Zhiwen asked.
"Okay, I don't know how big this kind of business will be in the future, but now, maybe tens of millions of dollars will be enough. We will allocate it according to the proportion. If it is not enough in the future, we will make up for it. How about it?" Robert Kuok said indifferently. In fact, his net worth is not much. If Chen Zhiwen cares too much about this kind of company, it means that Chen Zhiwen needs to supplement his terminal position in the automobile industry. It is reasonable for him to take a large share. He can just participate.
"Yes, as long as it really gets bigger, the scale will not be small in the future." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile. He actually knew that Robert Kuok might have underestimated the future market.
Parts of Southeast Asia are indeed a little poorer, but with such a population base, there are still many rich people. Just like the future curry country, many people have nothing to eat, but the overall economy is still among the top in the world.
The potential of Southeast Asia as a whole exceeds that of Curry Country. However, because there are so many countries, it is indeed difficult to gain advantages in any industry in these countries, but as long as we grasp a few core ones, it will be enough.
Historically, the future Jardine Group controlled 60% of Indonesia's car and motorcycle sales through its long-term layout in Southeast Asia. Although this sales company has a low profit margin, its total turnover is more than 100%. Billion US dollars, this is only a market in Indonesia and Malaysia, but it is not lower than that in Indonesia.
However, even Jardine is cooperating with local giants in Indonesia. Chen Zhiwen will naturally not rely on big money. Cooperation with local rich people is a must. Otherwise, if the benefits are too great, monopoly will definitely be targeted, including European and American consortiums. When making money in Africa, they will also give some broth to the locals. Chen Zhiwen naturally knows this truth.
Of course, in the short term, what Chen Zhiwen needs more is that his capital investment here can open up new markets for AMC. As long as he can continue to give some orders to the United States until the oil crisis is over, and he can invest domestically, then His layout in the automobile industry can be regarded as completing a small closed loop.
"Then I hope to borrow Chen Sheng's good advice." Robert Kuok nodded. This type of business is not a large-scale investment. It requires slowly increasing capital investment through development. In fact, there is no financial pressure at all. If the business is good, it is naturally worth it. Investment, or you can get a loan from a bank. If the business is not good, it will not have much impact if you reduce investment or close down.
But if it really becomes big, it will be an unexpected surprise.
"Okay, Guo Sheng will first look for targets that can be acquired. If it's a joint venture, the funds will be in place after confirmation from the legal department." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said, although the scale is not large, the contract should still be cautious.
"No problem, I will draft the contract together in Cantonese, English and Malay, so that we all understand it." Robert Kuok nodded.
"OK, then I will stay in Malaysia for a few days and wait until this matter is over before leaving. If there is a chance, I would like to visit a local car retail store." Chen Zhiwen smiled and said that the investment may not be large at the moment. But the importance was very high, and he still wanted to have some snacks.
After all, Southeast Asia can be said to be the only region where he has the opportunity to install automobile terminals. It is unlikely in other places. The Americas, Europe, and Oceania have basically matured markets. Africa is too poor. Only Asia has just developed. In the future, it will The economy has been rising, and the automobile market will also rise rapidly. Jardine seized this opportunity and gradually monopolized the Indonesian market in the 1990s, and gradually spread to other parts of Southeast Asia.
Chen Zhiwen just wanted to copy Jardine's model in advance, but because of Kuok Henian's existence, he started in Malaysia.
The most important thing is that the market competition here is not big at present, Japanese cars are very strong, but now Japan’s main focus is to conquer the big market of the United States. Even if it succeeds, Europe will follow. After all, for those with strong technical strength, For Japanese cars, if markets such as Europe and the United States with strong purchasing power occupy part of the market, the profits will be far greater than those in Southeast Asia or the mainland. In addition, with high demand in the United States, Japanese brands have not yet built factories in the United States, and their local production capacity is insufficient. It will not give priority to the Southeast Asian market.
By using capital and connections to develop the Southeast Asian market, it can be said that I can bypass the opponents that even the Big Three of the United States are afraid of. Even though the Southeast Asian market is relatively small, as long as it can provide a certain market, it will be a big win for the small AMC. It is enough, and as long as you work hard for a long time, if you really control part of the terminal market in Southeast Asia in the future, the effect will be great.
Of course, the biggest opportunity is still in the mainland. However, the situation in the mainland does not conflict with Southeast Asia. I have enough capital, so of course both sides are planning together.
(End of chapter)
