America: My Time

Chapter 172, Sections 7-11
Chapter 172, Sections 7-11
John's biggest concern in Taiwan is ASUS. The issue of chip manufacturing is his biggest concern. There can be absolutely no problems with chip manufacturing, as it relates to his future plans in the semiconductor industry, the development of ASUS, and even the financing of Dream World and Nvidia.

ASUS is not just an OEM manufacturer; it is also its own personal computer manufacturer. Only when ASUS has perfected its chip, semiconductor, and electronics manufacturing capabilities and there are no problems will its personal computer production plan begin.

If we cannot produce chips to meet the needs of Nvidia and Dreamworld, we will not start the personal computing production business. We either don't do it at all, or we do it to the best of our ability. We must have control over the major components of personal computer production, and chip production is of paramount importance!

John has invested heavily in ASUS, pouring his heart and soul into it. ASUS holds a crucial position in his plans, serving as a vital link in his operations across the computer, semiconductor, and electronics manufacturing sectors. Although ASUS is still relatively small, his expectations for it are high. Once ASUS has fully expanded, the semiconductor and electronics manufacturing divisions will be outsourced to focus on personal computer production and research.

Of course, there's also the telecommunications industry, which ASUS has been planning for, and mobile phones are also a target for ASUS. These are the future prospects for ASUS! ASUS plays a key role in its overall strategy in Asia.

As her boyfriend, John also accompanied the beautiful Ye to meet her parents and visit her maternal grandparents' family. Although the atmosphere was a bit awkward, the result was still good, at least he didn't encounter any cold reception.

John was also interested in getting involved in communications in Taiwan, but unfortunately, now was not the right time, and he didn't have that much energy. In the short term, he needed to focus his energy on the few investments at hand, rather than frantically expanding in communications. Bell Labs hadn't made comprehensive preparations, and that would take time.

Fortunately, the record, film and television industries were not affected. Although there were some minor problems, none of them affected the development of Phoenix Group. With his American identity and media mogul status, no one would be foolish enough to cause trouble for John. Moreover, the investment here was protected by the Taiwanese government. Those underground forces with any ideas were warned.

Even though Taiwan's underground forces are extremely arrogant, they wouldn't dare to touch American capital. If they angered American capital, they would face devastating consequences. The Americans have never been good people; they weren't called the world's policeman for nothing. They're lucky if they don't cause trouble themselves; who would dare provoke them for no reason? John's investments in Taiwan will proceed smoothly without any overt obstacles.

"Mr. Gao, please excuse my abrupt visit. I wonder what your thoughts are on our acquisition of 7-Eleven convenience stores?" Yes, John has come to visit the founder of Uni-President to discuss the acquisition of 7-Eleven convenience stores in Taiwan!

“Mr. John, before answering your question, I would like to ask you something: why did you want to acquire 7-Eleven convenience stores in Taiwan? For you, such a small business as convenience stores should not be a big deal, and it shouldn't be worth your attention. I really don't understand why you came to visit me in person!”

"Yes, Taiwan's 7-Eleven convenience stores are indeed nothing special these days, but for the 7-Eleven brand as a whole, I have no choice but to do this. You should know that I have acquired Southern Company in the United States, and my management of the 7-Eleven convenience stores under Southern Company is different from before. What I need is a brand that I completely control, not one that is licensed to other companies, as that would not be conducive to my overall strategy for 7-Eleven. Under these circumstances, I have no choice but to visit you in person to show my sincerity! To be honest, not only are 7-Eleven convenience stores in Taiwan being acquired, but 7-Eleven convenience stores in Japan are also being acquired!"

"I see. I wonder what price Mr. John wants to offer to acquire all the 7-Eleven convenience stores in Taiwan? Is it just to take back the operating rights of 7-Eleven, or to acquire all the convenience stores together?"

"Of course, we should acquire them all at once. How about we acquire all of Uni-President's convenience stores at a 10% premium?"

A 10% premium is indeed a good acquisition price, and John's attitude is very sincere, giving Mr. Gao a lot of face. Under these circumstances, Mr. Gao has no reason to refuse!
Of course, if Mr. Gao refuses, other methods will follow – diplomacy first, then force – this is what Mr. Gao can think of. Since this is part of the Southern Company's overall strategy, there will be no possibility of compromise. If Uni-President Enterprises refuses, a major battle between the companies will break out, which would not be good for Uni-President Enterprises.

"Okay, I accept Mr. John's acquisition request, but there's one thing I hope Mr. John will agree to!"

"Mr. Gao, please speak. As long as it's reasonable, I won't refuse!"

“It’s very simple. I hope that Uni-President’s food products can continue to be sold in 7-Eleven, and if possible, Uni-President can cooperate with 7-Eleven in convenience stores worldwide!” Upon hearing this, John hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, “Yes, I can accept Mr. Gao’s proposal for cooperation, but there is a prerequisite: that Uni-President’s food products meet our requirements in terms of quality and are priced fairly!”

"No problem, everything will be based on food safety requirements, and we will definitely offer the most reasonable price among similar products!" Here, Mr. Gao did not dare to use the phrase "most favorable price among similar products," because such a promise was something he could not make, nor could Uni-President Enterprises.

"As long as there are no issues with the quality or price of the products from the unified enterprise, 7-Eleven has no reason to refuse. However, I hope Mr. Gao can also grant me a request: to retain all the talent from 7-Eleven convenience stores to avoid turmoil after the acquisition. What do you think, Mr. Gao?"

"Yes, I can promise Mr. John that there will be no changes to any of the 7-Eleven employees. We will not create any difficulties for the acquisition, nor will we artificially affect the operation of 7-Eleven!"

"Okay, that's good. Thank you, Mr. Gao. It's been a pleasure doing business with you. If it's convenient for you, Mr. Gao, I hope to complete the acquisition as soon as possible. If possible, I'll have someone from the Southern Company come to negotiate with you."

"Sure, I'm ready to complete the transaction with Southern Company at any time!"

John breathed a sigh of relief at the trip's smooth sailing. Things in Taiwan were still a bit troublesome, and there were very few companies he could cooperate with there. It was rare to reach a consensus with Uni-President so easily. Although he had agreed to their conditions in order to successfully complete the acquisition, John didn't see them as difficult; it was a win-win situation that benefited both sides.

For Uni-President Enterprises, this means expanding its product range to 7-Eleven stores globally and increasing sales. For 7-Eleven convenience stores, it provides an additional supplier and allows them to fully control the 7-Eleven brand. Most importantly, Uni-President has agreed to retain all its employees, which saves them the time of retraining talent and accelerates the expansion of 7-Eleven in Taiwan, making its presence in Asia much faster.

With the acquisition of Uni-President Group completed, John's affairs in Taiwan were considered to have come to an end. The funding for the 7-Eleven acquisition would still be provided by Mitsui Bank, a point that had been agreed upon with them. Mitsui Bank was quite shocked by this acquisition. They hadn't yet completed the acquisition of 7-Eleven in Japan, and in their view, it wasn't urgent. However, upon learning that the 7-Eleven acquisition in Taiwan had been completed, Mitsui Bank began to feel anxious.

In Japan, Mitsui Bank held the home-field advantage, but after a month, they had not completed the acquisition of 7-Eleven. However, John himself went to Taiwan, and the two sides reached an acquisition agreement in just a few days. This had a huge impact on Mitsui Bank and was a serious slap in the face for them.

Whether for profit or for face, Mitsui Bank had to speed up the acquisition and complete the acquisition of 7-Eleven in Japan as soon as possible. In the past, they had only seen how crazy and fast John's acquisitions in the United States were, but they had not paid attention to them. Now they were finally affected.

Are there any problems with the acquisition of 7-Eleven in Japan? Actually, there aren't any major problems; it's simply an exchange of interests. Mitsui Bank doesn't want to give up too much, so negotiations have been ongoing. For John, the focus isn't on immediate gains, but on the long term. Therefore, when negotiating the acquisition with Uni-President Enterprises, he directly stated his offer—the maximum he could afford—demonstrating sufficient sincerity, which naturally made things much easier. Mitsui Bank, on the other hand, wanted to complete the acquisition with the least possible cost, thus prolonging the process.

John wasn't too concerned about the time frame for acquiring 7-Eleven. With Mitsui's strength, completing the acquisition wouldn't be difficult, so there was no need to rush them. Even if the acquisition was successful, integration would take time. Therefore, Mitsui had plenty of time and wasn't in a hurry regarding the acquisition.

After sending the beautiful Ms. Ye back to Hong Kong, John returned to Japan. By then, most of the summer vacation had passed, and nearly a month and a half had gone by. The problems in Japan remained unresolved, which John needed to address as soon as possible. Before long, a storm would break out in Hong Kong, and he wouldn't have time to care about developments in Japan.

(End of this chapter)