Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1287 Countermeasures

Several people nodded.

By mid-95, during this commercial boom, the market was indeed more prosperous, and many competitors, both large and small, emerged.

Xiao Hong said, "In the past few years, it has always been a seller's market. I feel that it will soon become a buyer's market. The products are all very similar, and there are more and more businesses of all sizes. Moreover, I have seen from internal documents that many foreign retailers, hotels and the like have also set their sights on this market."

Xiao Wei turned his head and asked, "Going to Fengtian? Or somewhere else?"

Xiao Hong said, "Several South Korean companies are in talks to enter Fengtian (Shenyang), and I heard that Xidu and Bingcheng (Beijing) have them. France and the United States have already started in Shanghai and Guangzhou, and it's only a matter of time before they come to the north. In the future, we will have many competitors, and they have a solid foundation and are better than us in terms of management and operation."

"We know our own situation best. We've only been around for a few years, we've been figuring things out as we go, and it's still very immature. Foreign companies have been doing this for decades. I'm not trying to belittle ourselves, but we're far behind them."

Chen Hui said, "We won't consider the south, and we won't go there. According to this, Kyoto is definitely the first battlefield, followed by Fengtian. We have a deep-rooted presence in the Northeast, and our layout is in place. We still need to think carefully about Kyoto."

Little Hui couldn't sit still if he wasn't eating. He pulled Wang Yan and Xia Gensheng along, called Bei Bei, and ran off to the side to dig in the dirt and play. They were looking for ants.

Xiao Wei said, "I don't think so. According to Xiao Hong, Fengtian is the first battlefield. Koreans have invested a lot in Fengtian, so they will definitely be the first to enter, and Fengtian will definitely be the first step."

After a moment's thought, the group all nodded in agreement. It was indeed true; the largest number of South Koreans coming to China were from Fengtian (Shenyang), followed by Qingdao (Qingdao), but the number of companies established in Fengtian far exceeded those in Qingdao.

Currently, most of the companies and enterprises in Fengtian run by Koreans are in the printing, food, clothing and footwear, and entertainment and catering industries. With the local economy improving and the market gradually booming, there is a high probability that large supermarkets will enter the market.

"Our supermarket has the most outlets in Fengtian, and Lao Chen plans to continue expanding this year, which I have agreed to. Our current weakness is in procurement."

The biggest difference between South Koreans and us is that they bring in foreign goods. Even a rag from South Korea is considered an import, while the finest items we purchase are still domestically made. That's the difference.

Imported goods still hold considerable appeal for ordinary people as long as their prices don't skyrocket. Take, for example, delicate garments.

We need to discuss imported goods with Sister Liu. Since we're competing with South Koreans, our supermarkets and stores need to increase the variety of imported products—from Japan, Hong Kong, the US, France, and the UK—and the prices can't be too high.

Geng Hui said, "Yes, we still have them now. We've always had Hong Kong and British goods, and although American goods are less common, we do have them too."

Xiao Wei shook his head: "Before, it was just clothing, belts, lighters, and the like. The variety was too limited. We need to add food and beverages too."

Chen Hui said, "Should we clear out the Korean goods? Take them off the shelves. We have quite a few Korean products in our supermarkets and shopping malls."

Xiao Wei glanced at Chen Hui: "Why clear them out? Are you giving up the market? Not only can we not sell them, we also have to increase the variety and lower the prices."

After thinking for a moment, their eyes lit up. Xiao Hong reached out and rubbed Xiao Wei's head: "You really are a traitor, you've got some nerve."

Xiao Wei said, "It's not something that will happen overnight for him to come in. If he's going to open a business, it will definitely be a large-scale one. There aren't many places in Fengtian that are ready to use, and it will also take time to set up the company, organize the supply of goods, and so on. We need to make good use of this time to enrich our selection of imported goods."

Especially Korean and Japanese goods. We need a wide variety; with so many stores, bargaining shouldn't be difficult. Department stores and supermarkets should be reorganized, adding imported goods sections, organized by country, like the old boutique shops.

People's spending power is increasing just like it was two years ago, so it's probably about time; they won't lose money.

If we manage to secure the deal in time, by the time he opens, people will have already gotten used to having everything here, and he won't find it novel anymore. That's one point. The second point is that once he opens, we'll lower the prices of similar products and have daily promotions.

When he opens, we'll hold a Korean goods festival for a month, then a Japanese goods festival. Anyway, there are so many countries involved, so we can go around in circles and half a year will have passed.

Also, have Manager Zhang and Lao Chen discuss the layout, get a map of Fengtian, print all our shopping malls, supermarkets, and convenience stores on it, and give them away for free.

Xiaohong said, "I saw in the information that large supermarkets abroad have their own free shopping shuttle buses. Should we do that? As long as you have a shopping receipt, you can ride for free within the city limits. The start and end times are the supermarket's opening hours."

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and shook his head: "There's no rush, we can start anytime. Actually, I feel that he's only hiring because he has fewer stores. What do you guys think? There's a lot of competition, it's obviously poaching people."

Currently, we have no competition, and the number of stores is sufficient, so we're not considering that for now. We're still opening new stores, so we'll consider the layout and whether to add that later. Right now, we're focusing on increasing our product range as much as possible.

After thinking about it, everyone nodded in agreement.

Xiao Wei looked at Xiao Hong and said, "Let's have Sister Liu come over. We won't go back; let her come and have a few days of fun. And Zhang Li too, let her come along. I plan to have her take charge of things in Kyoto and also manage Hainan. That girl is Sister Liu's protégé."

Chen Hui said, "I feel we should set up a procurement center in Shenzhen or Hong Kong, preferably Hong Kong. We can't stay here to sell foreign goods long-term. And since we're a British company, why not set up our 'headquarters' there?"

Everyone laughed, and Xiao Wei said, "That actually works. Let's get one then. Should we buy or rent?"

Chen Hui said, "If you're going to do it, just buy it. Let the British do it. Lao Liang has the resources. If you're going to do it, do it properly. Hire a few British employees, and then announce that the company headquarters is moving from there to Hong Kong. Maybe it'll even make the newspapers."

Everyone agreed, and the matter was settled. Just then, Liang Gaoyou was in Hong Kong with his team conducting research, and a single phone call was all it took.

Xiaowei said to Xiaohong, "Get me a copy of the information you have about these foreign companies, and make sure it's detailed."

Xiao Hong nodded, a little embarrassed: "I didn't think that much about it back then, and I felt it had nothing to do with us. I'll bring you all the information on this topic from now on; there's a lot of data on this in the province."

Xiao Wei looked up and thought for a moment: "It seems we need to find a few more people to collect this information."

(End of this chapter)