America: My Time

Chapter 578 The Shock Caused by the Acquisition

Chapter 568 The Shock Caused by the Acquisition

Neon Bank has no secrets either. Although Sanwa Bank had given orders not to disclose the information, other banks learned of the secret shortly after their professionals went to London. They learned that John intended to borrow money from Sanwa Bank for a new round of acquisitions, which made many people interested.

What kind of acquisition requires a loan? Hurricane Investment and Standard Chartered Bank have both yielded amazing returns, which should be enough to meet the needs of expansion, unless John has other plans. Standard Chartered Bank's funds cannot be used! However, this time John approached Sanwa instead of Mitsui, which clearly shows that he has serious dissatisfaction with Mitsui.

"Mr. Morita, Mitsui needs your strength!" At this moment, the Mitsui boss thought of Akio Morita again. Before the Moon Glory Meeting even arrived, the Mitsui Group bosses gathered together to discuss this sudden event. This incident had a significant impact on them. You know, John had previously been saying that he would repay the loan in advance, but after reaching the agreement, he immediately submitted a loan application to Sanwa Bank.

“I am willing to give everything for Mitsui, but it is too late now. Time and again, things have created a rift between Mitsui and Mr. John. I know you all want me to step forward and persuade them to get some benefits for Mitsui Bank, but I can’t do it. Once I do that, my ‘friendship’ with Mr. John will be over, and we will lose all channels of communication!” Akio Morita, that old fox, didn’t want to take on this big trouble, so he refused from the start.

Upon hearing Akio Morita's words, many people harbored considerable resentment towards Toshiba. In fact, the reason why the relationship between Mitsui and John had deteriorated to this point was all Toshiba's fault. If Toshiba hadn't been constantly engaging in those underhanded tactics, they wouldn't have ended up in such a predicament.

Complaining is useless; what's done is done, and they have to face it. Moreover, these guys are worried that John's changes might lead to the sale of real estate and shares in Neon Global Online next year. These are all matters of interest. They know all about the assets John is selling and want to get a share of the profits, but now this unexpected event has occurred.

This situation is not unique to Mitsui; other Japanese conglomerates are experiencing the same thing, all shocked by this sudden change, and unable to help but have some new ideas.

The British are also in a difficult situation. They are considering whether the other party will agree to their request to pay all the funds in one lump sum. This would be a huge burden for any company, especially during a stock market crash, where the impact would be even greater. However, the British urgently need these funds to save the market.

"So, has Gulfstream Aerospace agreed to our request?"

"Agreed. Gulfstream Aerospace can complete the transaction at any time, as long as we are willing!"

"That's good. Once this transaction is completed, we won't have to worry about insufficient funds. You guys should handle this matter quickly and complete the transaction as soon as possible to resolve our own funding pressure! I have to say, even the heavens are helping this little guy, giving him such a good opportunity. Under other circumstances, I wouldn't have agreed to this sale. Standard Chartered Bank has been expanding continuously. Although it wouldn't be difficult for them to come up with the funds, their own development would inevitably be interrupted. Will Hurricane Investment be responsible for funding this acquisition?"

"No, it's Japan Bank. Gulfstream Aerospace persuaded Sanwa Bank to take on part of the loan for them. Once the transaction is completed, the funds will be deposited into our account."

"It's Japan Bank again. They really trust this kid. In such a short time, they probably haven't even looked at the acquisition documents, yet they dare to grant a loan. When did lending become so easy!"

It's not that lending has become simpler; it's about selecting the right person. For a high-quality client like John, they naturally want to cooperate fully. Furthermore, the Japanese banks aren't worried that John won't repay the loan; they trust John's judgment and capabilities. Anyone who still questions John's judgment is a fool; the stock market crash is the best example.

Although Americans aren't known for their integrity and can turn on you faster than flipping a book, John's integrity is unparalleled in Japan. He's top-notch in Japan; if he just asks for a loan, countless banks will flock to him, offering the lowest possible interest rate—something many people can't do.

Such acquisitions quickly spread throughout Britain. Rolls-Royce was acquired, and Short Brothers and Westland Aircraft were taken over. This storm was far more dramatic than the previous takeover of Manchester United. London newspapers were abuzz with activity, and expert after expert jumped out to criticize the move. Unfortunately, it was all in vain. No matter how much they clamored, it was useless. Gulfstream Aerospace had already signed the agreement and begun taking over the three companies, giving no one a chance to obstruct them.

“Someone is stirring things up. There aren’t many people in Britain who can do this. It seems our old rival Murdoch is up to something again. I wonder if those guys are still behind him this time! But since they’ve jumped out, let’s act immediately and show these guys our power. Robert, is that alright?”

At this moment, John was standing in front of Robert Iger, the CEO of Legendary Entertainment. He had quietly arrived in London, avoiding the attention of the media. Not only Robert Iger, but also other company executives were secretly heading to London.

“No problem, we can launch the acquisition at any time. And this time it’s not just Britain, our goal is the whole of Europe, we want to have enough influence.” Robert Iger calmly faced his boss. He had watched his boss grow step by step to where he was now, and he was filled with endless emotion.

"Then let's get started. Use the fastest means to perfect Legendary Entertainment's layout in Europe and seize the voice we need! Right now, those guys are all attracted by the Gulfstream Space acquisition and won't notice Legendary Entertainment's actions. Complete this expansion in the shortest possible time, and the UK will become our center of gravity in Europe from now on."

With John's order, Legendary Entertainment launched its operation, embarking on a frenzied acquisition spree with lightning speed. One newspaper or magazine after another was acquired, accelerating Legendary Entertainment's expansion in Europe. At the same time, it also began to develop its European television presence, rapidly perfecting its European footprint step by step.

Before everyone had even recovered from the Gulfstream Aerospace acquisition, Legendary Entertainment had already acquired a number of media companies in Europe, and television stations were accelerating their communication with them, showing signs of making a big splash in Europe.

"Good tactics, good strategy. It seems this little guy intends to make Britain their base in Europe. With the acquisition of Gulfstream Aerospace and now Legendary Entertainment, I'm afraid there will be new groups joining in. Once their actions are fully underway, those guys won't dare to criticize us anymore. We have successfully brought vitality to Britain's economic recovery."

"Yes, according to our understanding, not only Robert Iger appeared in London, but CEOs of other groups also secretly arrived in London. It seems that Mr. John is going to use the UK as the core to expand the European market. With this influx of funds, we will soon be able to reverse the many unfavorable situations brought about by the stock market crash."

"We must also be wary. This little guy has big ambitions. Legendary Entertainment wants to further improve itself. It is a media group that is even more terrifying than News Corporation. Once it completes its expansion and self-improvement, it will be a behemoth."

Stopping the acquisition is impossible; it's a normal business acquisition. If you try to stop it, it will immediately cause trouble, especially at this time. It would cause the British stock market, which has just begun to recover, to collapse again. No one can afford that cost. So John chose to act at this time because he knew that those politicians wouldn't dare to break ties and would be at odds with Legendary Entertainment.

Of course, these guys only care about their own interests and don't care about other situations. Not everyone will stand against Legendary Entertainment. They all know that if they do, they will not only be facing Legendary Entertainment, but also Phoenix Group. The pressure of being targeted by two major media groups is unimaginable.

Legendary Entertainment alone was enough to make them cautious, so one more Phoenix Group would be even more daunting. Although some people were stirring things up in this storm, it had no effect on John. Moreover, John had been quietly watching everything unfold from London, seeing that those guys were going to be his enemies.

It must be admitted that Britain has quite a few enemies. The harvest in Hong Kong naturally made those British conglomerates very angry. They couldn't do anything to John in Hong Kong, but it was different in Britain. They all wanted to regain face and stop the expansion. Unfortunately, everyone suffered heavy losses in the stock market crash, so no matter how they tried to stop it, it was useless. Legendary Entertainment's expansion was not affected at all.

As one by one, the hidden enemies revealed themselves, John noted them down, planning to confront them later. He didn't have time to waste now. Soon after, the Southern Group also made its move, officially acquiring Asda Supermarket and entering the European retail market. This sudden surge of activity stunned the British. When did Britain become a hub for group buying? Those who were interested in calculating John's investments in Britain were dumbfounded. Good heavens, this guy had so many investments in Britain! What was this American up to?
(End of this chapter)