America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 402 Connecting Offline and Online Platforms

As night fell, when Ernst led Affiliate and Leam into the venue, a subtle silence instantly fell over the room, which had been filled with hushed conversations and the clinking of glasses.

The next second, countless gazes, like spotlights, were cast upon Ernst and his group, some filled with curiosity and inquiry, others with scrutiny and apprehension.

This afternoon, Ernst made a brief appearance at the conference venue. Although he did not interact with anyone and it was just a fleeting moment, the news of Ernst's appearance at the retail industry conference spread at an astonishing speed.

Now that they've met him in person, many are wondering what his purpose is in coming to the retail industry conference.

Ernst was already used to this kind of attention; it had become commonplace since he rose to prominence in the internet field and became the focus of America's attention.

However, Afiel and Liam, who were standing beside him, were experiencing such a scene for the first time, and their faces showed a hint of nervousness and unease.

The event was attended by many important figures, many of whom possessed great prestige and influence. Being watched by so many influential people at the same time, the two men couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, as if every movement was magnified and every expression was being scrutinized.

The feeling was like being covered in tiny ants, so dense and numerous, that it made it impossible to sit still.

"Just think of it as going to a zoo. The people in front of you aren't people, they're just a bunch of monkeys," Ernst's voice whispered in their ears.

Affie rolled her eyes. "That sounds nice, but you think you can just become a monkey like that?"

On the other side, Liam laughed out loud. He had only been in the workforce for a short time and didn't know many people, nor did he have the feeling of being seen through that Aphiel was experiencing.

Moreover, he knew that the eyes of the people present were not on him, but on Ernst, and he was just an innocent bystander.

Thinking this way, Leam's nervousness eased considerably, and he even felt a sense of novelty and excitement because it was his first time participating in such an important event.

Just as the three were about to continue walking towards the core exchange area inside the venue, a teasing voice came from the side, "Ernst, you really are the center of attention wherever you go. With this entourage, people who don't know better would think that Zipperton has arrived."

Ernst didn't even turn around, replying directly, "Zipperton? He's here. Can he have the same allure as me?"

Without even looking back, Ernst knew who this guy was; it was Massim, no doubt.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, the ever-cheeky man strode up to Ernst, casually put his arm around his shoulder, and burst into hearty laughter. "Haha, you're absolutely right! Even if Zipperton came, he might not get the same treatment as you. These guys don't put up with him."

In the retail industry, there are far more people who support elephants than donkeys. Although Zipperton takes a middle-of-the-road approach, trying not to offend anyone, it also means that no one appreciates his efforts.

If you can bring policy support to your industry, everyone will fawn over you. Otherwise, do you think you're so great just because you're sitting in a white house?

Who the hell are you? Who cares about you?

After a few jokes, Massim stepped aside, revealing the two men behind him, and introduced them to Ernst: "Let me introduce you to two friends. This is Howard Davis, CEO of BJ's Wholesale Club. This is Cicero Martin, whose family owns the Stop & Shop supermarket chain."

"Ernst." Ernst nodded slightly, extended his hand, and shook hands with the two men politely, exchanging a few words.

In particular, Cicero's family's Stop & Shop was one of Ernst's targets.

His enthusiasm for Cicero was clearly noticed by Massim and the other two, and their expressions changed accordingly.

Cicero looked visibly surprised; he clearly hadn't expected this renowned internet tycoon to show such keen interest in a small regional retailer like himself.

Howard frowned slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, as if he was pondering Ernst's intentions.

Massim's brows furrowed slightly, his eyes showing not only doubt but also a hint of inquiry.

There is a huge gap between the two in terms of the size of the companies they manage.

Howard's BJ's Wholesale Club is one of the top ten largest retailers on the East Coast of the United States. Its business covers 13 states and operates more than 130 warehouse clubs in these areas, as well as nearly 100 affiliated gas stations. It is one of the largest retailers in New England.

Moreover, BJ's is backed by the retail giant Zayer, which, while not comparable to industry giants like Walmart, is still consistently ranked among the top 20, or even the top 15, of all retail companies in the United States.

In comparison, Cicero's Stop & Shop supermarket chain seems insignificant.

The brand primarily focuses on the regional market of Massachusetts, where it has approximately 100 stores. It is mainly positioned as a community supermarket, serving the daily consumption needs of the surrounding residents.

"Community supermarket" is the American term. In China, Stop & Shop is just a slightly larger community convenience store with total assets of less than one hundred million US dollars.

In business settings, attitude is often closely related to the other party's strength, status, and potential value for cooperation.

Logically speaking, if Ernst were to be enthusiastic, it should be Howard, not Cicero, which is quite puzzling.

However, given Ernst's status and position, no matter what attitude they adopted, the two could not question him. After exchanging a few words, they bid farewell to Ernst and Massim and blended into the crowd at the venue.

Shortly after the two left, Massim turned to Ernst and said casually but with a hint of probing, "If you're interested in Howard or Cicero's companies, I can help you make a connection. As far as I know, both companies are currently seeking external funding, and perhaps there's an opportunity for collaboration between you."

Ernst took two glasses of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter, handed one to Massim, and then, without saying a word, wore a wicked grin.

Massim took the champagne, looked at Ernst's expression, and rolled his eyes helplessly. "Okay, I admit it, I'm just curious why you were so enthusiastic about Cicero just now? Logically speaking, a small company like Stop & Shop shouldn't even be of interest to you."

From the moment Ernst expressed interest in attending the retail conference, Massim felt something was amiss after returning home.

This guy, who only acts for personal gain, would never waste his time on his so-called network expansion. He'd rather spend that time in some woman's bed than in the future.

If Ernst wanted to meet people of the Walmart family's stature, he wouldn't need to come here at all. The various high-end cocktail parties and private business gatherings held by the American upper class are much more suitable occasions for meeting such people.

As for figures like Howard and Cicero, was it necessary for Ernst to befriend them?

So, as he just mentioned, both companies are seeking financing, partly because the other party genuinely needs funding.

In events like the Retail Industry Conference, in addition to sharing industry experience and discussing development trends, one of the more important functions is to provide a platform for companies within the industry to exchange ideas and cooperate. Whether it is a large enterprise seeking mergers and acquisitions for expansion or a small and medium-sized enterprise seeking financing support, this is a very suitable place.

In addition, there was Massim's probing.

If Ernst showed interest in Stop & Shop, it means that there must be hidden commercial value behind this small community supermarket chain that is often overlooked.

He certainly wouldn't let such an opportunity slip by. Once he got back, he would definitely seize the initiative and take some shares of Stop & Shop first.

Ernst finally stopped swirling his champagne glass, looked at Massim, a slight smile playing on his lips, and slowly said, "There is an opportunity to make a fortune, but I don't know if you're interested."

Ok?

Massim's eyes lit up instantly.

"How so?"

Ernst did not reveal the answer immediately, but instead looked at Massim with a scrutinizing gaze, which made the latter feel a little nervous, wondering what he was up to.

Just as he was getting impatient, Ernst finally spoke up: "I'd like to know, how many community-based chain stores like Stop & Shop, with a certain number of stores, are there in total on the East Coast?"

Massim was taken aback for a moment, not expecting the other party to suddenly ask about the number of brands in community chain stores, which left him momentarily confused about Ernst's thinking.

However, based on his understanding of the East Coast retail market, he replied, "If we only count community chain stores with more than fifty stores that have formed a certain regional scale, there are at least one or two hundred brands in the entire East Coast region, if not several hundred."

"There can be so many?"

"Don't forget that the East Coast is densely populated and has many cities."

Ernst nodded slightly, quickly performing some calculations in his mind, before speaking again, "Could you acquire or invest in one-third of these one or two hundred community store chains?"

"What exactly do you want?" Massim didn't answer immediately, but instead frowned and asked in a low voice.

Take Stop&Shop as an example. This company, which has nearly a hundred community stores, may not be very valuable, but it still has tens of millions of dollars in assets.

Even if there are fifty companies on one-third of the entire East Coast, that's still a total scale of several billion dollars.

Even if they only hold a 50% controlling stake, an investment of over a billion US dollars is definitely necessary.

Making money by integrating community stores? Isn't that a bit too simplistic?

Integrating into a larger chain brand can indeed significantly reduce costs and create economies of scale.

But the money was earned too steadily, or rather, too slowly, and Massim didn't believe Ernst would be interested in such petty gains.

If there's anything that would be of interest and value to the other party, the only thing Massim can think of is the massive number of employees in the retail industry—that is, those votes.

However, these votes are too scattered, so their decisive impact is limited.

"What for? To bridge the gap between online and offline, of course."

Massim looked completely bewildered, unable to understand what he was saying at all.

Ernst smiled slightly, first gesturing for Affili and the other to go about their own business, then he and Massim sat down in a corner and began their deception.

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