Rebirth Tokyo 1986

Chapter 222 Entrepreneur's Style
"It's just a small business being targeted by a giant company, that's what happens."

The real economy is not like the Internet virtual economy, which has huge first-mover advantages.

If Costco does not agree to the conditions set by Matsumoto, Jim can think of countless ways to kill Costco.

The simplest way is to build a similar supermarket directly opposite Costco and sell goods at a lower price.

In less than 3 months, Costco will be on the road to bankruptcy.

This is also a common tactic used by many investment companies in later generations.

If you don't agree to my request, I will invest in your competitor.

"I'll think about it again. If it really doesn't work, I'll take the initiative to give in."

Jeff bit his lip and prepared to wait and see, looking for some turning point.

"Well, that's fine too."

Jim did not continue to irritate the partners and quietly withdrew from the chairman's office.
Costco reacted strongly, and the two leaders kept discussing countermeasures.

Price was very slow. He only made the first telephone communication after Xinghai Investment acquired more than 15% of the company's shares.

"Hello, I'm Sol, Chairman of Price."

"Hello, Mr. Thor, I am Masato Takeshita, the chairman of Xinghai Investment."

After a brief greeting, Sol Price asked calmly, "President Takeshita bought our company's shares for Matsumoto Manufacturing, right?"

"Yes, Matsumoto Manufacturing wants to consolidate its American channels, so it has commissioned Xinghai Investment to acquire a large number of shares in the supermarket company."

"Not only Price, but also Costco, which just went public, and Walmart, the retailer with the best development momentum at the moment, are also investment targets."

This kind of thing is easy to find out, there is nothing to hide.

As for his ultimate goal, we can discuss it in detail after both parties are familiar with each other.

Sol Price asked casually in a soothing tone, like a curious old man next door: "Oh, can you tell me why you want to invest in us and Costco?"

"Of course." Takeshita Masato said calmly: "Our company is very optimistic about the development prospects of warehouse-style supermarkets. At present, Price and Costco are the best in this field, so it is natural to invest earlier."

To be precise, Costco is currently doing better than Price.

Now is the golden age for the development of warehouse-style supermarkets.

Whoever is bolder will gain greater rewards.

Costco's strategy is more radical than Price's, and it is brave enough to expand its presence in various cities.

Therefore, in this golden age of rapid development of supermarkets, it is naturally easier for the former to grow and develop.

You must know that business is like sailing against the current, if you don’t move forward, you will fall behind.

"Please rest assured that we at Price will not disappoint your company's expectations."

Saul Price was very confident that the new retail model he created would make huge profits across the United States.

As for whether he can become the first in the industry, he doesn't care that much.

It was in Saul Price's nature.

In the 1950s and 1960s, he discovered a non-profit membership club called Fedco while working that was very popular among consumers.

This made him think that if he opened a similar supermarket in San Diego, he would definitely make a lot of money.

If it were Sam's Walmart, it would definitely copy it as soon as possible.

Saul was different. He chose to call Fedco and expressed his desire to become a joint partner.

His ambition is not that big.

Saul has no ambition, and neither does Fedco.

He directly rejected Saul's request on the phone, saying that his company was a non-profit organization and did not want to make money at all.

All I can say is that both are full of personality.

Faced with such a situation, most people would definitely think.

If you ignore me today, I will make you out of my reach tomorrow.

I did it alone!
But Mr. Sol was different. He called Fedco again and said that he didn't want the company's equity, but just wanted to become a franchisee in San Diego.

This genius who influenced the development of the retail industry didn't care about equity, interests, brands or anything like that. He just wanted San Diego to have a Fedco.

But even though he was so humble, Fedco still chose to refuse without hesitation.

We are a non-profit organization and do not want to be contaminated by commercial bugs.

It can be said that Mr. Saul founded FedMark, which changed the retail world, out of desperation.

"Of course, I have heard of Mr. Saul's reputation for honesty and sincerity."

"I believe Chairman Sol can run Price better and better."

If he had to choose between Price and Costco, Masato Takeshita would actually prefer Price.

Because this person is not so ambitious for fame and fortune, it is easier for him to complete the Matsumoto manufacturing layout.

Unfortunately, the old man is too old, and his sons are completely unable to support the development of the company and cannot compete with the young and energetic Jeff and Tom.

"Thank you for your kind words, President Takeshita."

Sol Price smiled like an old man, then asked gently, "Does your company have any thoughts on having Price serve as a director?"

"Oh, can I do it now?"

"of course."

"Thank you, Mr. Thor. My company, Matsumoto Manufacturing, does have this plan."

"No problem, this is my personal phone number, you can contact me anytime."

"OK, thanks!"

After a pleasant chat, Masato Takeshita hung up the phone and leaned back comfortably.

"Very good, such a wonderful start, please do it for me..."

The young man was very satisfied with the results of today's communication.

Matsumoto Manufacturing can not only stabilize Price's offline channels, but also directly become a director of Price.

A plan that takes one or two years to implement can be accomplished so easily.

It was like a dream, and everything going smoothly seemed a little unreal.

All I can say is that he is worthy of being called old man Sol Price, and possesses the gentlemanly demeanor that is very rare nowadays.

I don't know how much time had passed before Masato Takeshita picked up the phone again.

"Ask the president to come to my office."

"Yes!"

After receiving the order, Kayo Asano took immediate action and quickly came to Takamasa Kamoto who was working.

"President, the president wants you to go to his office."

"Well, okay, I see."

After completing the remaining operations on the computer in a few seconds, Kamoto Takashi followed the president's secretary into the office.

"Change the plan. Price will only acquire 25% of the shares at most."

Mr. Thor gave Xinghai Investment a lot of face and directly created a seat on the board of directors for Matsumoto without waiting for him to bring it up.

In order to return a favor, the young man will naturally give in a little.

Since the most they can accept is that Matsumoto Manufacturing controls 25% of Price's shares, then they should not cross the line.

"Hi!"

After explaining everything about Xinghai Investment, Masato Takeshita took a bus to Ota Ward.

Hiroaki Kobayashi, president of Matsumoto Manufacturing, is inspecting the factory today.

"How is it, have you found any major problems?"

At all times, yourself is the most important.

He was more concerned about whether the factory had safety risks than Price's position as a director.

Kobayashi Hiroaki happily reported: "There are no major safety hazards in the factory, only some minor problems that can be easily solved."

The most important thing in a factory is safety.

He didn't want to be infamous forever and become the negative protagonist of the XX incident with huge casualties. Masato Takeshita had the same idea and felt relieved.

"Very good. Keep it up. It is better to have a lower output than to have serious safety problems."

Money is important, but human life is more important.

This has always been the life principle of young people and will be carried out forever.

"Please rest assured that everyone in the company is keeping a close eye on it."

"That's good. Are there any other problems with the factory?"

Kobayashi Hiroaki frowned and said, "Yes, it is very troublesome to solve."

"Oh, what's the trouble?"

Masato Takeshita's curiosity was aroused, and he wanted to know if he could find a good solution.

“Workers’ productivity is not high, far lower than similar companies.”

"That's it."

The young man tilted his head as if realizing something, then smiled and consoled him: "In recent years, the company has been expanding, and it is normal that management cannot keep up."

"If all else fails, go to Kyocera for advice. Mr. Inamori Kazuo has extensive experience in business management."

This was the only business tycoon in Japan in his previous life who founded two Fortune 500 companies.

But that's nothing.

The most exaggerated thing is the battle to save Japan Airlines.

In 2010, Japan Airlines, the world's third largest airline, fell into bankruptcy crisis due to severe losses.

As a result, Kazuo Inamori, who was appointed to the position in a time of crisis, relied on his outstanding management skills to turn Japan Airlines from loss to profit in just 14 months.

It's simply invincible.

"Well, I guess the effect won't be too obvious."

Things like business management are difficult to achieve just by listening to others talk about them.

In the past, Huawei was said to have spent $10 billion to learn the IBM-style management solution.

If Matsumoto wants to learn manufacturing, it also needs long-term guidance from Kyocera.

"Stupid, why don't you go find those retired executives?"

Masato Takeshita glanced at his own president, moistened his throat with a cup of black tea, and continued, "Say hello to Mr. Kazuo Inamori, and then recruit more retired Kyocera executives as consultants."

"I believe that with their help in debugging, Matsumoto Manufacturing will soon be able to reach 80% to 90% of Kyocera's level."

Matsumoto Manufacturing expanded too quickly, and Masato Takeshita never expected to become very wealthy in one go.

If he can achieve 3% of Kyocera's production efficiency within 90 years and 10% of Kyocera's level after 95 years, it will be enough to fulfill his expectations.

"Understood. I will visit Mr. Kazuo Inamori tomorrow and ask him to help select some suitable consultants."

"Very good, that's what we'll do."

Masato Takeshita tapped the table with satisfaction, then drank up all the tea in the cup.

Just as he was about to refill his cup, he suddenly remembered that he had not yet told the purpose of his visit today.

"By the way, I have something else I want to tell you."

"The funds that Matsumoto Manufacturing put into Xinghai Investment were invested in a new retail company called Price."

"They invited us to take the position of director. Who do you think is more suitable?"

Masato Takeshita only pays attention to major events that affect the company. When it comes to small matters like selecting company directors, he is very happy to see his president display his talents.

"Director Price, I think Chambers, the president of the American branch, is a very good choice."

Kobayashi Hiroaki had a vague impression of this partner and knew that it was a medium-sized retail company with relatively fast development.

But Price was the first step for Matsumoto Manufacturing to consolidate its overseas channels, so he still sent the company's great contributor to its development in the United States.

"It's up to you to decide. If you think it's right for you, then it's right for you."

After dealing with Price, Costco quickly compromised.

Masato Takeshita did not show any special emotions and still maintained a warm and welcoming attitude.

However, this time, the position of director was no longer held by Chambers, but by his deputy Richard, which barely balanced the rights of the American branch.

Of course, Panasonic Capital is the best way to check and balance its overseas subsidiaries.

It's still financial power and personnel power.

Every expenditure exceeding US$100 million must be notified to the headquarters; every cumulative expenditure over US$300 million must also be notified to the headquarters.

Prevent North America from becoming too independent and possible serious corruption problems.

As for personnel, it is limited to senior management.

Only appointments to positions above department head require approval from Matsumoto Manufacturing.

In fact, this is true for all subsidiaries of Xinghai Group.

Only ministerial-level management or senior engineers will be taken seriously.

Unless ordinary employees encounter major problems, the group headquarters will not intervene at all.

After acquiring Price and Costco, Xinghai Investment's acquisition behavior began to slow down.

Because Masato Takeshita doesn't want to be a sucker, it will take a longer time to achieve his goals for shares of large companies such as Walmart.

……

Xinghai Investment is busy every day and always on edge.

Therefore, when he has nothing to do, Masato Takeshita usually stays in Xinghai Investment.

Although I cannot bear the pressure for everyone, I can share the joys and sorrows with everyone.

Seeing the young man carrying food towards him, Masao Nagasawa, one of the three giants of Xinghai Investment, asked casually.

"President, aren't you going back today?"

"Well, I'm taking a break at the company today."

All employees have their own rooms, and Takeshita Masato certainly has one. His room is very luxurious, comparable to the presidential suite in a hotel.

"Oh, do you want to have some tonight?"

"Sure, I can anytime."

Masao Nagasawa is also a game enthusiast, so the two of them occasionally get together to play games.

"In the game room, or in the room?"

"Let's go to the game room. It's more lively there."

Masato Takeshita hated the corrupt practices in many financial companies, so he built a series of leisure facilities in his office building.

There is not only a game room, but also a gym, basketball court and tennis court.

If indoor venues were not allowed, he would have wanted to build another golf course.

Golf is extremely popular in Japan right now.

Even Masato Takeshita, who was not interested in this, had to learn a few tricks.

Just like after Trump became president, leaders of small countries had to learn golf.

Everyone else is playing but you don’t. Do you still want to stay in the circle?

"Okay, let's continue playing Tank Battle?"

The young man thought about it.
"Well, let's change the game and play Double Dragon first."

"No problem, watch me take you flying."

"Okay, I'll watch your performance later."

Masao Nagasawa is an expert at Double Dragon and can easily clear the game with one life.

Masato Takeshita is an ordinary player who can only complete the game once in a while.

There is no way, people’s innate physiological conditions are different.

The eyes can perform many operations, but the hands cannot.

(End of this chapter)