Return to 1958 and build a century-old giant

Chapter 833 Purchasing a Boeing 747
Now that his gold profits have been received, he has the funds to pursue his next business ambitions. The first step is to continue investing in the car retail business in the United States.

This will be his third major investment in a chain in the United States, following Best Buy and KFC. However, Best Buy has already raised funds and has its own capital, so even if he wanted to invest, it would be inconvenient for him to directly inject money. Instead, he would need to work with the shareholders. As for KFC, it also has its own revenue-generating capabilities and is preparing to raise funds to attract other strong allies.

In the future, if this third business can grow significantly, it may also raise funds, and may even go public.

These are all traditional industries, and one's own foresight and expertise are not very effective for them. Since they are still in other people's territory, when they develop to a high level, it is natural to introduce local capital.

“Okay, no problem,” Fang Xianming agreed.

Yang Wendong added, "I'm also planning to invest in this business in Europe. I've discussed it with Goldman Sachs before and asked them to inquire about it. You should also check it out. If there are suitable targets, I'm also planning to make a move in Europe."

Unlike supermarkets, the business of car retail stores is relatively simple. He plans to build a huge chain retail group on a global scale. This business is profitable in itself and can also help his car business if needed.

Fang Xianming said, "European currencies have been quite unstable lately. I suggest you only invest in Western Europe, especially Russia, in case something happens..."

“Okay, let’s start with Western Europe. That’s what I was thinking too,” Yang Wendong nodded.

As a time traveler, he naturally knew that there would be no World War III in the future, but people of this era did not know that in the 80s, Eastern Europe was an unstable factor with serious currency fluctuations. It was not worthwhile to invest his capital there. In any case, the real economic powers in Europe were only Western Europe and Northern Europe.
Although the Nordic countries are famous and have high welfare benefits, their population is relatively small, which is actually the reason why their welfare is so good. In contrast, the UK, Germany, Italy and France are the main players. These four countries are worth half of Europe. I need to seize these four markets first, regardless of what products or services I offer.

"Well, the German mark is relatively stable lately," Fang Xianming said with a smile.

Yang Wendong said, "Don't worry about these things. After the Chrysler deal is finalized, you should go to the UK. Our team, Standard Chartered Bank, Leyland, and the British government have been talking for a long time. We need to finalize the deal as soon as possible, otherwise I'm worried that other European car companies will get involved, and competition will cause problems."

The acquisition of Mini was handled by Standard Chartered Bank in the UK; otherwise, with his own team, he would have been completely clueless.

However, the internal processes within the British government are very slow, and the same is true in Leyland. Moreover, mergers and acquisitions by large companies also require the approval of labor unions, which is extremely cumbersome. Standard Chartered Bank is also working hard to push this forward, but progress is still very slow.
This is actually normal. After all, it's a car brand, and it's common for these kinds of deals to take several years to negotiate. Many mergers and acquisitions of car companies in my previous life also took a long time.

There are many car manufacturers in Europe, not only the BBA (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi) and Volkswagen that were familiar to mainland China in the past, but also a large number of French brands, Italy has Fiat, and even the Nordic countries have several brands.

If one or two of these brands also want to acquire Mini, the British government will inevitably raise the price, which is what Yang Wendong is worried about.
Of course, any attempt to acquire a European or American car brand, whether in the UK, the US, or other European countries, will face these challenges.

Fang Xianming said, "Standard Chartered Bank also told me that they are still arguing with the union. In addition, Leland's demands are also relatively high. As for the British government, Thatcher is in good control. Although a few members of parliament disagree, she controls the majority."

“Thatcher is still very impressive in this respect.” Yang Wendong nodded. After all, she was known as the Iron Lady. How could she not be capable? “As for Leland, Mini has been losing money for several years. He himself has also suffered heavy losses. Now he really thinks he has some valuable treasure in his hands.”

If it weren't for the future mainland market and his desire to get into the automotive industry, he wouldn't have wanted to get involved in the British automotive industry.

But right now, he really doesn't have any other suitable options. The Mini itself is also suitable for future demand in mainland China, and its fuel consumption is not high, so he can make a little sacrifice for his daily life.
Fang Xianming said, "Those companies in Leland are all British state-owned enterprises, so they won't take it seriously. I'll go to the UK later, find out more about the situation, and then report back to you."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work." Yang Wendong nodded and said;

Acquiring large companies is indeed a complicated process. Even in Hong Kong, after acquiring a large, complicated company, Yang Wendong still put the original people in charge. For car companies like this, it really can only be negotiated slowly.

Although the total value of the properties he has operated in Hong Kong for many years exceeds the value of this gold gain, this is the first time Yang Wendong has held so much cash.

Fortunately, his large sums of money were held in more than 20 bank accounts in different countries. In the pre-internet era, unless the authorities of various countries jointly investigated him, it would be unlikely that they would discover that he had so much money.

Banks in this era are relatively reputable. For example, Swiss banks are trustworthy. Yang Wendong also put some funds into them. If it weren't for knowing about many future investment projects, his Hong Kong conglomerate would definitely have transferred a lot of funds to Swiss banks.

Chrysler's car retail business could be acquired for a maximum of just over $300 million (excluding debt), which is still insignificant compared to the enormous gold reserves.
In the United States, there are other high-quality stocks, such as Coca-Cola and General Electric, but there is no rush for now. Because of his foresight, he needs to wait for a while longer, and it is not the best time yet.
In Europe, since he is not very clear about the various details, normal investments can still be made; he can simply buy some quality assets at bargain prices.

Of course, small-scale real estate would also be a suitable investment target, but with such a large amount of capital entering Japan, it's impossible to just buy small residences randomly. Instead, it's necessary to keep an eye on some large-scale construction projects, which requires sending people to Japan to look for opportunities later.

After the gold business was completed, Yang Wendong met again in New York with the heads of financial groups such as Goldman Sachs and Citigroup to discuss future cooperation.
However, there are no clear goals yet, and only some general plans have been made. If a good project comes along, the two sides will cooperate.
After everything was settled, Yang Wendong took his private jet to Seattle, the aviation capital of the United States, home to Boeing, the largest aircraft manufacturing base in the United States and even the world.
He came here to see the Boeing 747 aircraft and was planning to buy one.
First, many of the businesses under my control have earned considerable profits in the United States, which are subject to taxation. Purchasing real estate or other consumer goods can be tax-deductible; otherwise, once the taxes are paid, the profits are gone.
Secondly, my Boeing 737 is quite old. Although it's well-maintained, it's already one or two generations behind. And most importantly, the 737 has a limited range, so every time I fly intercontinentally, I have to choose an airport to land and refuel en route.
This not only wastes your precious time but also increases the risk. You should know that no matter what kind of aircraft it is, there are basically no malfunctions when it is flying smoothly. On the contrary, the probability of malfunctions is much higher during takeoff and landing.

Third, as the world's largest aircraft, the Boeing 747 offers significantly higher comfort levels. It experiences less turbulence and has a large enough interior space to accommodate better soundproofing, making the cabin relatively quieter. Fourth, considering the overall safety of the family, future family trips can be undertaken using separate aircraft.

In short, for Yang Wendong, who had just made a fortune, buying an airplane was nothing.

Although Yang Wendong only needed to purchase one aircraft, any one of them would still be a considerable source of revenue for Boeing. In addition, Yang Wendong's reputation in the United States was growing, so Boeing sent its Vice President Thomson to the airport to personally welcome him.

“Mr. Yang,” Thomson said with a smile, shaking hands.

Yang Wendong also shook hands politely: "Hello, Mr. Thomson."

“Just call me Thomson,” Thomson said with a smile. “You have been flying for several hours and it is getting late. You must be very tired. We have prepared a hotel for you. Please go there to rest for the night. Tomorrow morning, I will take you to visit Boeing.”

Yang Wendong nodded and said, "Okay, thank you."

The sun was almost setting, and there was really no need to look at any more planes; I wasn't in a hurry either.
Seattle is also a popular tourist destination, and the nighttime views should be quite impressive.

The hotel where the group stayed was a Boeing-owned hotel, which was very luxurious and was specially used by Boeing to entertain potential clients from all sides.

After all, to become a potential Boeing customer, one must be either a dominant player in the aviation industry or a government representative, so the hospitality must be impeccable and have special features, with any needs being met.

The next morning, after having breakfast at the hotel, a Rolls-Royce from Boeing arrived at the hotel entrance to greet Yang Wendong. To his surprise, he also saw a group of Middle Eastern people wearing white robes.

“That’s Saudi Arabian Airlines over there; they’re also interested in buying planes,” Thomson said quietly.

"Oh, that's a great opportunity!" Yang Wendong smiled.
An individual can only buy one plane, but an airline can buy several or even dozens at a time, and Saudi Arabia is a wealthy country.
Thomson shook his head and said, "It's not that easy now. You know the economic situation. Only countries like Saudi Arabia can afford to buy planes. For others, it's good enough if they don't default on their contracts."

"That's true." Yang Wendong nodded;
The oil crisis has not only severely impacted the automotive industry on land, but also maritime shipping and aviation, especially aviation, because airplanes consume a lot of fuel and require the highest grade of aviation fuel. At the same time, the economic crisis has also significantly reduced the likelihood of people traveling for business or leisure.
One important reason he bought the 747 at this time was the sluggish aviation economy. Boeing's planes were not selling, and many airlines were even defaulting on their contracts and abandoning the planes they had purchased. This made things convenient for him, as he could directly buy a finished aircraft if all went smoothly.
Otherwise, at other times, putting aside the cost, the wait alone could be several years.

Thomson suddenly said, "Mr. Yang, I know you've been investing heavily in the US recently, including Chrysler. Why not consider investing in or acquiring some American airlines? That would be a very good opportunity."

"Does the United States allow foreign investment in airlines?" Yang Wendong asked rhetorically.

Thomson said, "Of course, there are many overseas airlines operating in the United States. The United States is very free. In the aviation industry, only airports are subject to restrictions on foreign investment because they may involve the military."

"Oh, I see." Yang Wendong then shook his head and said, "Let's forget about it. I'm not very interested in airlines. This industry is too risky."

For small and medium-sized airlines, a single accident can often lead to bankruptcy, even though the probability of a plane crash is very low.
The main reason is that Yang Wendong didn't pay much attention to airlines in the 1980s and 1990s in his previous life, and he didn't know what great opportunities there were. Rather than investing in such a capital-intensive field, it would be better to invest in infrastructure, real estate, physical industries, or even retail channels in Europe and the United States, etc., where the profits are stable and the risks are lower.

Of course, he is still interested in Hong Kong airlines, especially with the future development in mainland China. These routes are sure to be profitable. However, Swire Group is not listed, and the Swire family holds more than 50% of the shares, so outsiders have little chance.

“I was just saying, haha. But if Mr. Yang is interested, I can introduce you to one or two companies. If you don’t want to manage them, you can just invest,” Thomson added.

Yang Wendong declined, saying, "No need. I don't get involved in industries I don't understand."

He realized that Thomson probably wanted to earn a commission. At this time, many airlines were bound to be short of funds, and in order to obtain funds, they would certainly be willing to give some benefits to the intermediaries.

But he didn't care. Everyone is trying to make money; it's a normal business transaction. He also mentioned that when he met with senior executives at Goldman Sachs, they had a bunch of businesses they wanted him to invest in, but he refused them all.

He is certainly wealthy, but his investments are always targeted and purposeful.

About half an hour later, the convoy arrived at the Boeing factory.

PS: Please give me a monthly ticket
(End of this chapter)