1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 690 Exclusive Brand Partnership
With the business concluded, it was time to eat.

Fu Lin Men, known as the "canteen for the wealthy," does indeed offer excellent food.

Li Changhe doesn't particularly like Cantonese cuisine, since his tastes are actually more northern.

However, Li Changhe was very satisfied with the Cantonese cuisine at Fu Lin Men; the food was quite delicious.

So, after the meal was finished and He Tian and the others left, Li Changhe stayed behind.

"Mr. Bao, have you left something behind?"

Seeing that Bao Zeyang hadn't left, Xu Peijun, the fifth brother of Fulinmen, came up to him and asked curiously.

"Mr. Xu, I have something I'd like to discuss with you. How about we go to your office to talk?"

Li Changhe then said with a smile.

"Of course, no problem, please go ahead!"

Xu Peijun then led Li Changhe to his office.

Xu Peijun instructed the staff outside to brew the finest tea, and personally served it to Li Changhe.

"Mr. Bao, do you have any instructions? Please let me know!"

Xu Peijun then asked respectfully.

Li Changhe smiled and waved his hand: "President Xu, there's no need to be so reserved. Actually, I have a collaboration I'd like to discuss with you."

"I ate at Fulinmen today, and I thought the food was very good."

"I wonder if Mr. Xu would be interested in opening a branch?"

"Open a branch?"

Xu Peijun was somewhat surprised to hear Li Changhe's words.

Fook Lam Moon now has two stores: the original store in Wan Chai and a branch that opened in Tsim Sha Tsui a few years ago.

With their current resources, they can only open these two stores at the moment.

Now, the famous Xiaobaosheng is inviting them to open a branch?

this.
"Mr. Bao, to be honest, Fulinmen currently has no plans to open any branches."

Xu Peijun hesitated for a moment before speaking tactfully.

He didn't know Li Changhe's purpose in asking them to open branch stores. Was it an investment? Or did he have some other intention?

"Don't rush to refuse, Mr. Xu, listen to my advice first!"

"The place I'm inviting you to is not somewhere else, but to open a new branch in Times Square, a subsidiary of Hongkong Land in Causeway Bay."

"I think Mr. Xu should be familiar with the new urban complex concept being developed by Hongkong Land, right?"

Two years have passed since Li Changhe initiated the urban complex project, and the construction of the Causeway Bay urban complex is almost complete, still named Times Square.

It's actually modeled after Times Square in New York.

Now, Landmark is heavily promoting Times Square, and Li Changhe believes that Xu Peijun must know about it.

After listening to Li Changhe's words, Xu Peijun nodded: "Yes, I know Times Square, I've been inside and visited it!"

In fact, Hongkong Land's brand recruitment department has already extended invitations to many well-known brands on Hong Kong Island, inviting them to visit their facilities.

Xu Peijun had also been inside, and the architecture there was indeed magnificent, giving him a sense of architectural art.

Unfortunately, Fulinmen currently lacks sufficient funds and resources to continue opening new branches.

"Times Square is not just a building, but a whole series of buildings that Hongkong Land plans to build, and it will not be limited to Hong Kong Island, but will be built in many of the most prosperous cities in Asia."

"Therefore, Times Square will partner with the world's top brands to move in and grow alongside Times Square."

"The same applies to the food brands among them."

"I ate at Fu Lin Men today and felt that your level of skill was indeed excellent, so I would like to invite you to become one of the exclusive food brand partners of Times Square."

"As you become the exclusive brand partner of Times Square, Land will provide you with many conveniences. All you need to do is maintain the quality and expand your stores along with Land's expansion."

Li Changhe then revealed his terms, and Xu Peijun looked at him in surprise after hearing them.

"Mr. Bao is willing to grant us exclusive partnership status with a gourmet brand?"

When Xu Peijun visited the site, he naturally saw the various investment promotion conditions offered by Landsea, the most prestigious of which was the preferential treatment for exclusive brand partners.

Being an exclusive brand partner is essentially like being tied to Times Square; you can only open your store in Times Square from now on.

In return, Times Square will provide a lot of support, such as the best store locations, preferential purchase or rental prices, and comprehensive support and assistance in advertising, logistics, and other aspects.

Xu Peijun was initially very interested, but after discussing it with his family, he gave up.

Firstly, as the business personnel at the time said, the selection of exclusive brands is very strict, requiring discussion at the company's top management to determine their brand value.

Secondly, Xu Peijun was worried that if they joined this screening process, what if their own old shop was required to close down? After all, their Fook Lam Moon shop is located in Wan Chai, which is very close to Causeway Bay.

For this reason, after discussing it with his younger brother, Xu Peijun gave up the idea.

Unexpectedly, Li Changhe brought it up again today.

“Mr. Bao, to be honest, your terms are very tempting. I also know about the exclusive brand partnership benefits at Times Square.”

"But we also have our own difficulties."

“Your Times Square has an exclusive agreement, while we already have two stores, especially since the flagship store is in Wan Chai, which is not far from Causeway Bay.”

"So Times Square offers great benefits, but Wan Chai is where we are rooted, a place left by our father, and we can't give it up."

Xu Peijun then said tactfully.

Upon hearing Xu Peijun's explanation, Li Changhe smiled and said, "I understand. You're worried about the exclusivity of Times Square, right? I can make an exception for you. Your two existing stores will not be affected."

"But future branches must follow the layout of Times Square."

"I also have a suggestion, Mr. Xu, you can listen to it."

"Personally, I think the Fook Lam Moon branch in Times Square doesn't necessarily have to be exactly the same as your flagship store here."

“Your flagship store has its own unique characteristics. For example, people like Uncle He and Mr. Guo like to eat at your flagship store, but they may not go to the Times Square branch.”

"So in my opinion, the high-end banquets that your Fortune Restaurant caters to the wealthy are not actually suitable for the general public in Times Square."

The banquet that Li Changhe and his group ate today cost HK$100,000!

Such prices are only affordable for the super-rich families of Hong Kong Island. Ordinary elites, even those earning millions a year, probably wouldn't be willing to eat such a meal.

"So, Mr. Bao, what do you mean?"

Xu Peijun looked at Li Changhe with some confusion.

Li Changhe smiled and said, "Actually, I think your flagship store can still be developed into a brand, exclusively for the wealthy."

"However, the Times Square branch can be seen as a high-end Cantonese cuisine brand targeting the general public. This high-end refers to mass-market high-end, for example, a meal can cost several thousand or tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars, but there is no need for a banquet costing more than 100,000 Hong Kong dollars."

“Times Square needs the Fulinmen brand, but it also needs to consider the spending power of the customers inside. I think your head chef should be able to handle this balance,” Li Changhe said slowly.

Xu Peijun hesitated at this moment.

Mr. Bao, are you suggesting they lower the quality?

"Mr. Bao, how about this, I'll call my seventh son over too, so he can also participate and learn about it?"

"To be honest, I can't make this decision on my own. When my father passed away, I held 40% of the shares in Fulinmen, my seventh brother also held 40%, and the rest were held by my mother and the other siblings."

"So, the matter of opening a branch must be approved by Lao Qi, and since he is the head chef, he is the only one who has the right to speak on the dishes."

Xu Peijun said softly at this moment.

Li Changhe nodded: "Okay."

Soon, the seventh brother, Xu Weijun, also walked in.

"Hello, Mr. Bao!"

On the way here, he already knew Bao Zeyang's identity, and therefore, he was very respectful.

"Master Xu, I think Mr. Xu has already shared my thoughts with you. I wonder if you have any opinions on this?"

Xu Weijun then asked softly, "Mr. Bao, I'd like to ask, when you say 'targeting the general public,' do you mean we'll mainly offer ordinary dishes, or..."

"Let me put it this way: Times Square will definitely be a global destination in the future, but the brands sold there will be the world's top brands and the highest quality products."

"This group includes not only the families of the wealthy, but also a large number of social elites. They may not be willing to eat a meal costing 100,000 yuan, but a meal costing 10,000 yuan is certainly not difficult for them."

Do you understand the target group you are dealing with?

Li Changhe said bluntly.

Xu Weijun immediately understood: to put it bluntly, it was still about making high-quality products, but they weren't quite as high-quality anymore.

"Understood, Mr. Bao."

"There's another issue. You asked us to open a branch of Fu Lin Men along with Times Square, but there's a problem: training the head chef takes time."

"It takes a long time to train an executive chef. To be honest, if too many Times Square branches open, it will be difficult for our branch chefs to keep up."

Xu Weijun then continued.

Li Changhe shook his head: "Actually, this is essentially the same problem as the one we just discussed."

“I’ve said it before, I don’t need shops in Times Square. They’re all exclusive to rich people like you in Wan Chai. Similarly, the expansion of Times Square won’t be the kind of expansion with small storefronts.”

"Times Square will only be located in the world's top cities, such as Tokyo, Singapore, and New York."

"And its expansion also has time intervals. From site selection to construction, and then to decoration and opening, I expect the time interval to be more than five years."

"I think five years is enough time for you to train a group of elite kitchen staff."

"Actually, the reason I came to Fulinmen today is because I happened to eat your dishes today and thought the taste was just right, so I talked to General Manager Xu about it."

"The specific choice is still in your hands. You can consider my terms. If you are willing, take this business card to Landmark Plaza and find my secretary. They will help you handle this matter."

"If you are not interested, I will not force you, and you two don't need to take it to heart."

"Alright, I have something to do, so I'll be going now!"

Li Changhe casually placed his business card on the table, then got up and left.

For him, Fulinmen was simply a spur-of-the-moment idea to find a partner for Times Square, but he wouldn't force them if they weren't willing.

"Mr. Bao, rest assured, my brother and I will definitely discuss your suggestion seriously and give you a reply as soon as possible."

"We are very grateful to Mr. Bao for your recognition of Fulimen Restaurant."

Seeing that Li Changhe was about to leave, Xu Peijun hurriedly thanked him, after all, he was a big client and he couldn't afford to offend him.

"I recognize you because of your abilities. If your abilities were not up to par, I would not have given you my recognition."

"Okay, I'm leaving!"

Li Changhe waved his hand, then left with Ah Hu and the others.

Back in the office, after seeing Li Changhe off, Xu Peijun returned to his office, looked at his seventh brother who was deep in thought, composed himself, and then went over to him.

In the days that followed, Li Changhe became busy. First, he went to check on the progress of Times Square, and then he came to Deep Water Bay.

His choice of a club is in Deep Water Bay, where there is a fine harbor at the end of Wong Chuk Hang Road, which is perfect for a yacht club.

Moreover, there are many mountains in the surrounding area, which are suitable for building a racetrack.

With the support of Kinmen Construction, the club's progress has been quite rapid, as it doesn't require building skyscrapers but rather adopts a small-scale, high-quality approach.
So the first phase of the office building and banquet hall has actually been completed, but it is not yet fully open to the public.

At this moment, Li Changhe gathered He Houzhao and the others.

Moreover, it wasn't just Ho Hau-chiu and his group that came; Kwok Ping-sheung and his group also arrived together.

He Houzhao knew all these young men.

“Ah Yang, according to the plan, our overall construction will probably take another three to four years to complete.”

"However, the first phase of the yacht club and building complex is expected to be completed by the end of this year."

"The problem now is that we don't have a yacht yet."

"There's another matter. Someone from the yacht club came to talk to me, wanting our club to be merged into the yacht club, or to have it listed as a branch. I was just thinking of discussing this with you."

In the reception room overlooking the sea, He Houzhao spoke softly to Li Changhe.

During the time Li Changhe was away from Hong Kong Island, he was basically in charge of the club's affairs.

"The Hong Kong Island Yacht Club wants to recruit us?"

"That's quite an appetite!"

Hong Kong Island itself also has a yacht club, which, like the horse racing club, was originally run by the British.

It is now also an important social venue for Hong Kong's elite.

Li Changhe never expected that the other party would actually take a liking to his club!

"The main problem is our location. It's said that it was the branch office's chosen location, but we managed to buy it first."

"Moreover, once our club is established, their branch associations become somewhat meaningless."

"So the Hong Kong Island Yacht Club means they want to incorporate us, or share resources with us."

He Houzhao then smiled and shook his head to explain.

Li Changhe waved his hand: "Reject them. We don't need to cooperate with them."

He knew all too well what the yacht club was up to by partnering with him at this time.

(End of this chapter)