Chapter 278: Traditional Pickled Cabbage Noodles

April 3nd, Monday.

In the morning, Hao Qingwen came to Liu Zhicheng's office.

“Boss, the third batch of 1100 residential units in Huijing Garden have been sold out in three days!
The sales of other properties are progressing very well, and we should be able to achieve the average sales of the first four months by the end of this month." Hao Qingwen reported seriously.

Liu Zhicheng said with satisfaction: "Well, Hong Kong's real estate market performed well in the first quarter of this year, which is why I asked you to sell more properties.

However, the measures taken by the Hong Kong government last year to combat property speculation are not without effect, but have not yet come into effect. In particular, the policy of 70% of properties being mortgaged cannot be underestimated.

Therefore, the Hong Kong property market should soon become calm and prices will also be adjusted downwards (minor adjustments).”

Hao Qingwen had to admire his boss for his smart accounting. He thought that a small analysis and response would bring more profits to the company.

Every investor knows that Whampoa Group is the most efficient in real estate development in Hong Kong. Every year, the Whampoa Group earns significantly more per square foot from the properties it develops.

In addition to the fact that Huangpu Group's land reserves are cheap, Huangpu Group is also good at "calculating".

Hao Qingwen said: "Currently, the price per square foot of major large private housing estates in Hong Kong and Kowloon is over HK$4000.

The average selling price of our Huijing Garden batch is as high as HK$4100, which has increased by about 2% compared with February last year.

This fine-tuning is human intervention, but Hong Kong's overall property market and economy are improving."

Liu Zhicheng nodded and said, "You are right! So what other areas of real estate do you think will rise in this environment?"

He believed in Hao Qingwen's vision, so he gave him a small test.

Hao Qingwen thought for a moment and said, "First of all, it must be office buildings. With the opening up of the mainland, Hong Kong capital in Hong Kong will probably follow the boss's example and invest in the mainland.

In this way, we can judge that the foreign capital that left Hong Kong three years ago will return to Hong Kong, and there will be more foreign capital coming this time.

They all hope to use Hong Kong as a springboard to invest in the mainland; in this way, office prices will probably start to rise in the second half of the year.

Secondly, there are shops. Hong Kong's tourism industry will be booming, not only with tourists from overseas, but also tourists from the mainland."

Finally, it should be large luxury residences. After all, the Hong Kong government is targeting ordinary residences, while the consumers of large luxury residences are the rich, overseas employees, businessmen, etc. Foreign capital coming to Hong Kong always has to rent properties to live in. "

Liu Zhicheng said with satisfaction: "It seems that your vision is not worse than mine!"

Hao Qingwen quickly said, "Boss, you are joking. I have learned a little bit from my surroundings, and these are not big secrets. Anyone who is sensitive to the market can feel it."

Liu Zhicheng smiled and said: "Only a few people have this ability!"

After Hao Qingwen left, Liu Zhicheng took a look at the stock price on the computer and couldn't help but smile.

The market value of Whampoa Group has exceeded HK$950 billion (with assets worth over HK$1100 billion), while the two real estate companies, New World and Henderson Land, are only around HK$250 billion, Sun Hung Kai and Cheung Kong are only around HK$350 billion, and Hang Lung has only a little over HK$100 billion.

It seems that Huangpu Group is indeed a giant group!

This is also the reason why the office market has not been fully developed. It should be noted that the proportion of development properties of Huangpu Group is quite large.

The threshold for commercial real estate is low (as long as it is an open country), and the rate of return is stable (the key is to buy at the right time).

Of course, this does not mean that we will not develop other industries, but we can say that the development of commercial real estate is the core.

Only when real estate continues to generate profits can the Huangpu Group's foundation be stabilized and then it can expand outward.

In early April, Liu Zhicheng, Yuan Tianfan and others came to the mainland for inspection again.

The purpose of this inspection is to invest in the beverage/food sector;

As for his ambition in this regard, Liu Zhicheng plans to build a business empire similar to Wanglaoji + Nongfu Spring + Master Kong + Red Bull in his previous life.

Of course, he also knows that this goal is a bit ambitious, so everything depends on the efforts of the company's talents.

As for him, to put it bluntly, he can only provide support in terms of funding + development/planning direction.

Years ago, 'Huangpu Beverage and Food Company' was established after integration, and currently has three brands: Jinmailang, Wanglaoji and Nongfu Spring.

His first stop was Guangzhou, where he visited the Wanglaoji factory.

The Yangcheng Wanglaoji Factory (beverage factory), which covers an area of ​​300 acres, is divided into three phases of construction. Currently, the first phase of the factory building has been completed and even the equipment has been installed.

Walking into the modern factory, Liu Zhicheng was in a very good mood.

Wanglaoji is not starting from scratch. Hong Kong Wanglaoji has been sold in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Southeast Asia for nearly a year.

Although it did not become a hit beverage, it gradually became popular and the team also has rich experience.

Liu Zhicheng said to the people around him: "Wanglaoji already has all the factors for success. There is no problem with the product and marketing. Success in the mainland is inevitable.

But there is only one factor missing. Do you know what it is?"

How could I not know? The boss has told me this many times!
Zhang Guocheng, president of Huangpu Beverage and Food Company, said: "It's the sales channel!"

Yuan Tianfan, president of Huangpu Beverage and Food Group, also nodded!
Liu Zhicheng said with satisfaction: "The mainland is vast and rich in resources, and transportation is not very convenient now, so it is not as easy to build channels as in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia.

We can divide the mainland into five major regions: southeast, northwest, central, and northeast, and then set up hundreds of outlets, thousands of dealers, and then hundreds of thousands of sales outlets.
Of course, this is a long-term channel construction plan. Because the investment is huge, but fortunately, all the products of Huangpu Beverage and Food can share one channel.
If the mainland opens up its retail industry, we still have our own terminals. Only by controlling the terminals can we be the ultimate masters! "

These words can help us save ten years of travel!

Although it may seem costly to build channels in the early stages, Liu Zhicheng has multiple brands share one channel, thus saving several times the channel construction costs.

This is one of the reasons why single-product groups find it difficult to succeed.

Good products, good marketing and good channels are the magic weapons to success.

Zhang Guocheng immediately said: "I will coordinate all the brands under our umbrella and discuss the issue of unified channel construction."

Liu Zhicheng nodded with satisfaction. It seemed that each of his brands operated independently, built its own factories, and made its own investments. But they were all under the overall management of Huangpu Beverage and Food Group.

Liu Zhicheng then asked: "How do you plan to promote it to the market?"

This is a very important question. As a time traveler, Liu Zhicheng knows very well that in his previous life, Jiaduobao started marketing in 1996, and its sales in 2001 were only 1 million RMB, but ten years later, the sales had skyrocketed to 150 billion.

The most important factor here is the growth of per capita income of the motherland. Otherwise, no matter how good the marketing is or how good the product is, it will be useless.

Zhang Guocheng said: "My products and marketing are very good, but the mainland's economy has just started, so I need to build word of mouth and fame step by step in the early stage.

We will control advertising expenses within a reasonable range each year, and strive to become a well-known and best-selling brand in five to ten years.”

Without being impatient, Liu Zhicheng nodded with satisfaction.

"Yes, word of mouth is accumulated, and the market is also built step by step. Wanglaoji is not a necessity, so if you want it to become like Coca-Cola, it requires long-term publicity.

"If you are afraid of getting angry, drink Wanglaoji." When a person hears this many times, he will develop the habit of drinking Wanglaoji! Just like Tang Monk chanting sutras, with a gesture, Wukong begged for mercy."

Everyone couldn't help but be "stunned". This is a new marketing concept that they learned today.

"Boss, you are worthy of being in a media communications company. This marketing concept cannot be heard by others. It is a trade secret!" Yuan Tianfan said with a smile.

He really admires his boss!

Moreover, such an almighty boss actually pays more attention to talents.

Logically speaking, Liu Zhicheng's role accounts for almost a large part of the company, and as long as the executives' salaries are above average, no one will have any objections.

But on the contrary, Huangpu Group's salary is at a very high level among its peers, even at the top of the industry.

While chatting, everyone inspected the factory.

The first phase of the Yangcheng Wanglaoji factory covers an area of ​​100 acres, and there are two more phases under construction. It is really too large.

Therefore, Liu Zhicheng added: "Wanglaoji will also build factories in different regions, dividing the country into eight regions, which will save a lot of money on logistics.

Therefore, the second phase of Yangcheng Wanglaoji project (under construction, to be completed in 1993) will be used for Jinmailang’s beverage brands.”

Everyone nodded, but no one asked what drinks they wanted. They probably knew that the boss already had a direction.

Yes, Liu Zhicheng plans to set up a research and development team this year to develop Jinmailang's 'Iced Black Tea' and Jinmailang'Iced Green Tea'. The only pity is that there is no patent for iced black tea and iced green tea.

In the past, Uni-President launched iced black tea first, followed by Master Kong and Wahaha the following year.

However, the first person to try something new definitely has certain advantages.

But in the previous life, Uni-President Group did not seem to have done anything similar to Master Kong in the iced black tea business.

"How many workers have been recruited so far?" Liu Zhicheng asked with concern.

Huang Beverage and Food will be a major employer in the mainland, with the number of employees possibly reaching 100,000 in the future. This will become Liu Zhicheng's confidence and distinguish him from others.

Of course, Liu Zhicheng did not expect to make a lot of money, because he recently proposed the slogan of "taking from the mainland, investing in the mainland" in the name of the Jinmailang brand.

Of course, the slogan is half true and half false. He is the chairman of a listed company, so the slogan is 100% true in the early stage, 70% true in the middle stage, and 50% true in the end (half of the profit will continue to be invested or used for charity). This is already very patriotic!

Zhang Guocheng said: "Currently, 800 workers have been recruited and are being trained by our Xiangjiang management team."

Liu Zhicheng immediately said: "Gradually, we need to cultivate our own mainland management talents, who understand the mainland market better than we do.

A few years after the product is on the market, the mainland management level should reach 70%. This is my advice to you!
The company still needs to value talents, cherish talents, and be people-oriented. This is my philosophy for running a business, and it is also the philosophy of the Huangpu Group.”

He makes money not by taking it from management and employees, but by increasing the profit ratio by relying on the company's efficiency.

The overall welfare of Huangpu Group is better than that of other real estate companies, but its profit ratio is higher than that of other real estate companies. The real reason is that Liu Zhicheng has a good grasp of the timing and direction, and does not exploit the management and employees.

Similarly, the same concept applies to Huangpu Beverage & Food’s operations in the Mainland.

Liu Zhicheng has completely eliminated the internal friction of Wanglaoji and Jiaduobao in his previous life. Instead of the original two advertising investments and channels, he now only needs one. It is easy to imagine how much money he will make in the future.

Therefore, he will always pay attention to the welfare of employees.

"We will definitely remember what the boss said!" the senior executives said in unison.

This is not the first day we have been at Huangpu Group, so we all know this clearly.

What Liu Zhicheng has done, maybe European, American and Japanese companies have done in the mainland, maybe Taiwanese and Korean companies have done in the mainland; if they haven’t done it, think about it yourself.
The factory has not yet been put into operation. It is expected that the first red can of Wanglaoji produced in the mainland will officially roll off the production line on May 1, and the product will be launched in Guangdong Province on July 1.

This summer, Wanglaoji’s goal is to guide Guangdong Province, and the advertisements are also made in Guangdong Province.

At the same time, factories will be built in eight regions across the country (areas divided by ourselves).

Liu Zhicheng and his group's second stop was Jiangcheng (Wuhan).

Jiangcheng is a good place with well-developed transportation. In his previous life, it was New World Zheng Yutong’s favorite place to invest.

In its previous life in 1993, New World Development was involved in various infrastructure, transformation, and manufacturing industries.

Liu Zhicheng and his party came to Jiangcheng with the intention of investing in the Jinmailang Instant Noodles factory.

To invest in such an enterprise, the first choice is of course the country's first 14 national economic development zones, but Jiangcheng East Lake Economic Development Zone is obviously not one of them.

But there is no way, the first batch of 14 economic development zones are not suitable for Jinmailang.

The reason is: in October 1991, the four Wei brothers from Taiwan raised funds, entered the instant noodle field for the first time, and rented a factory in Tianjin Development Zone.

If nothing goes wrong, in a few months, Master Kong, owned by the four Wei brothers, will launch 'Master Kong Braised Beef Noodles' and make it a 'phenomenal' product.

Because at that time, instant noodles in China only consisted of a noodle cake and a powder packet, and the taste was terrible.

The sauce packet pioneered by Master Kong created a huge sensation, and distributors placed orders one after another, so that it was in short supply for several consecutive years.

Therefore, Jinmailang must come up with a surprise strategy and find its own positioning.

Take the Taiwan Uni-President Group as an example. They also invested in instant noodles in the mainland this year, but it ended in a miserable failure.

Because they launched Taiwan's best-selling instant shrimp noodles as a product, the mainland was not very receptive.

Therefore, Liu Zhicheng has come up with a clever way for Jinmailang instant noodles to break through, which is to launch the "Laotan Pickled Cabbage Noodles" in the southwest region (a region where people eat spicy food).

In the past, this product was developed by Uni-President Group after the millennium. It was first promoted in the southwest region and then nationwide.

The popularity of this flavor is no less than that of the 'braised beef' flavor back then.

Therefore, Liu Zhicheng chose Jiangcheng, a place with well-developed transportation. It is close to the southwest region, and people here can eat spicy food and have similar tastes and customs. It can be said to be the best place to invest.

The reason why we did not invest directly in Shudu and Shancheng is that the high-tech development zones there are not yet mature, while Jiangcheng East Lake Development Zone was established in 1988.

Jiangcheng.

As soon as Liu Zhicheng and his party arrived, they were warmly welcomed and entertained by the local government. They first had a dinner at the hotel and then had a good night's rest.

The next day, instead of heading directly to the development zone, Liu Zhicheng and his party, accompanied by city officials, took a cruise to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Three Gorges.

The strange peaks and steep gorges on both sides of the river and the mighty and endless flow of the Yangtze River will make you linger.

While enjoying the scenery, Liu Zhicheng and his party also discussed investment with local officials.

“Leader, the people we sent to Jiangcheng to investigate also informed me of the situation in the East Lake Development Zone, and even the factory building has been selected!

Therefore, after the discussion last night, we decided to invest RMB 2 million to establish the Jinmailang instant noodle factory in the East Lake Economic Development Zone.

However, you have to give us preferential policies. We chose Jiangcheng instead of investing in coastal cities because the environment here is very good."

Because of his confidence, Liu Zhicheng planned to invest more and build two production lines, one for bag packaging and the other for bowl packaging.

When the city leaders heard about the 2 million RMB investment, they were shocked. Then when they heard Liu Zhicheng mention the coastal cities, they immediately said:
"Mr. Liu, rest assured that we are sincere in our cooperation with our friends in Hong Kong and will give Jinmailang the greatest preferential policies."

As for any preferential policies, it is natural for subordinates to negotiate.

In fact, Jinmailang’s team did not investigate other places at all and had been investigating in Jiangcheng.

"It is a blessing for the people of Jiangcheng to have officials like you. I believe that more and more Hong Kong capital will choose to invest in Jiangcheng because the transportation here is well developed and the prospects are limitless!"

"Then please Mr. Liu, please promote Jiangcheng and introduce it to our friends in Hong Kong!"

"sure!"

Everyone was communicating very happily. As Hong Kong capital, it basically had an upper hand in this era, and Liu Zhicheng was the largest Hong Kong capital and a patriotic businessman, so naturally he could get the best treatment.

Touring the Three Gorges and singing karaoke are what Liu Zhicheng did during his trip to Jiangcheng.

Of course, the subordinates of both sides began discussions and negotiations on the ship. Du Huilun, president of Jinmailang Company, and Yuan Tianfan, president of Huangpu Beverage and Food Group, negotiated with city officials on behalf of Liu Zhicheng.

Liu Zhicheng chatted and sang with city leaders and enjoyed the scenery of the Yangtze River and its two banks.

However, after getting off the boat, Liu Zhicheng went to Donghu for an inspection and immediately signed an investment agreement with Jiang Cheng, which was quite straightforward.

Before leaving, Liu Zhicheng convened a meeting with senior staff of the Jinmailang team.

"The sauerkraut factory must be modernized and well managed! Once the products come out, we will be the first customers!" said Liu Zhicheng.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Do it well from the beginning to avoid future problems.

Of course, there will still be "Tukeng Suancai" in the future, but it will not be the Jinmailang brand.

There was definitely an impact, but at that time Jinmailang already had various flavors, and Tang Daren had also become popular.

Du Huilun said: "Okay, I'll remember it!"

Liu Zhicheng has already informed the team about the product 'Jinmailang Old Style Pickled Cabbage Noodles'. Now the Jinmailang team is setting up a production line and developing products in order to have it on the market early next year.

Research and development is also being carried out in Hong Kong, but it is mainly focused on the taste of the noodles, so Liu Zhicheng's work is almost done.

According to the current progress, the product will definitely be launched on the market next spring. By that time, Master Kong may not even be sold outside the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

(End of this chapter)