Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire

Chapter 154 Giving Wings to a Fierce Tiger! (Seeking monthly votes, recommendations, and continued reading)

"Two years ago, after the merger of Hutchison Whampoa, Wyman made sweeping changes and devoted all his energy to streamlining Hutchison's cumbersome old shipping and real estate businesses, with the sole aim of generating short-term profits to show HSBC and secure his position."

The middle-aged man sighed, swirling the wine glass in his hand. "Our Watsons?"

Now it's like a child without a mother to care for them!
Although Hutchison Whampoa holds a controlling stake, Wiley has no time to pay attention to it, never mentioning it in strategic meetings, completely leaving it to fend for itself!

Director Liu seemed to offer some advice, his voice low.

The middle-aged man raised his voice a few decibels, with a hint of resentment and helplessness: "Let them fend for themselves, at least it'll be peaceful!"

But now Hutchison Whampoa is facing a cash flow crisis, and they're practically bleeding money out of us marginal assets to cover their losses.

Not only do they have to hand over profits according to their shareholding ratio, but they also have to put up with the headquarters' bad temper!

Mr. Liu, to be honest, I'm really feeling disheartened.

There is widespread anxiety within the group, with rumors circulating that Wegota may sell non-core assets to recoup losses.

If a suitable buyer comes along, I'd like to liquidate my Watsons shares for peace of mind and to avoid living in constant fear!

"Watsons Holdings!"

These words struck Chen Bingwen like a thunderclap!

His steps froze instantly, and all the blood in his body seemed to rush to his face!

At that time, Watsons was not the retail behemoth with stores all over the world and annual revenue of hundreds of billions that it would become in later years!
It is now merely a small, disorganized chain business under Hutchison Whampoa.

Including its ParknShop supermarkets, there are only a few dozen stores on Hong Kong Island, which is not a large scale.

but!

Small but complete.

Watsons has a well-established retail network, including drugstores and supermarkets!

It has an established brand reputation and supply chain covering Hong Kong Island!

Most importantly, it owns its own distilled water plant and soft drink production line!

This is simply the perfect shell resource tailor-made for Chen Ji!
Chen Bingwen instantly thought of:

If the acquisition of Watsons is successful, the benefits to Chen Kee will be numerous, and Chen Kee will instantly undergo an epic and magnificent transformation!
Chen Ji's bottled sugar water and "Pulse" energy drink can be produced and bottled directly using Watsons' existing production lines and distilled water channels, which will optimize production capacity and costs to the extreme!
In the future, the distilled water production line can be used to directly launch a series of water products such as purified water and mineral water, with almost no additional investment required.

Once the ParknShop supermarket and Watsons drugstores are acquired, Chen Ji's bottled sugar water, "Pulse" energy drinks, and even all future products will instantly have a golden sales channel that is completely under their control and directly reaches consumers!
The century-old brand "Watsons" possesses a reputation for integrity and a deep level of consumer trust that Chen Ji, as an emerging brand, cannot match in the short term.

Chen Ji's products can leverage this prestigious brand name to greatly enhance their brand image and market credibility.

Watsons' existing procurement, logistics, and store operations management teams, while perhaps exhibiting some of the typical problems of large corporations, possess a complete system, mature experience, and industry knowledge that Chen Ji, in its rapid expansion, desperately needs.

The successful integration will greatly enhance Chenji's management team and lay a solid foundation for future large-scale and standardized operations.

Upon reaching this point, Chen Bingwen felt a surge of electric excitement coursing through his body.

This is by no means an ordinary business acquisition, but a strategic opportunity to achieve instant success!

Once the acquisition is successful, Chenji will transform from a successful product company into an ecosystem-level enterprise that controls the entire industry chain of "product research and development + brand matrix + proprietary channels", thus solving all the core bottlenecks for future development in one fell swoop!
The three core elements of "production, brand, and channel" can achieve a perfect closed loop and a leap in capabilities through a single acquisition!

This goes far beyond "adding wings to a tiger"; it's practically giving a tiger two wings!
opportunity!

Golden opportunity!

Moreover, it's an opportunity where the other party actively wants to sell their shares!

Chen Bingwen took a deep breath, knowing he had to seize this opportunity.

He adjusted his expression, put on a very natural smile, and walked towards the two of them.

The middle-aged man talking to Director Liu seemed oblivious to the attention he was receiving, and continued to pour out his grievances to Director Liu:

"Williams' mind is entirely focused on integrating the port and telecommunications businesses; making the financial statements look good is his top priority."

Our small business at Watsons is nothing to him.

No one on the board spoke up for us, and our budget requests were reduced year after year.

To be honest, Mr. Liu, if there's a suitable buyer and the price is right, I suggest we sell our shares in Watsons, raise the cash, and invest in real estate projects.

That's better than hanging on like this, half-dead.

Director Liu held his wine glass and pondered for a moment before saying, "Old Xu, I understand your situation."

However, Watsons isn't a small company; it involves stores, employees, inventory, and brand continuity. Finding a buyer who can both take over and manage it well isn't easy. The middle-aged man, referred to as Old Xu, sighed, "Who can argue with that?"

Chen Bingwen, who was listening nearby, was overjoyed.

Judging from their conversation, it seems that Director Liu of Vantone also holds shares in Watsons.

In this way, as long as the two people are persuaded, a considerable proportion of Watsons' shares can be acquired in one fell swoop, which will be enough to gain an advantageous position in future negotiations, and may even be able to leverage the entire acquisition!
This discovery made his heart pound.

Moreover, he was now less than a meter away from the two of them, which meant he could no longer listen.

He adjusted his expression, a very natural smile on his face, and naturally joined the conversation: "Director Liu, good evening."

I am Chen Bingwen from Chenji Foods.

I think I overheard you and this gentleman discussing some business matters. Excuse me for interrupting!

Although Liu Zhitang was not very familiar with the name "Chen Ji Foods", he naturally would not neglect the young man who was personally accompanied by Li Guowei at the China Resources party and who seemed to know him. He introduced him with a smile: "Mr. Chen, good evening."

This is Xu Shiwen, one of the directors and shareholders of Watsons, and Manager Xu, who is in charge of Watsons' daily operations.

Upon hearing "Chen's Foods," Xu Shiwen's eyes flashed with a hint of doubt, clearly indicating he wasn't familiar with the brand. However, out of respect for Director Liu, he still politely shook hands with Chen Bingwen, saying, "Mr. Chen, hello."

With a sincere smile and a humble tone, Chen Bingwen said, "Manager Xu, Director Liu, please forgive my intrusion."

I overheard you two talking about Watsons earlier. I've always had great respect for this century-old brand, and I never expected to have the opportunity to meet a Watsons manager today.

It would be a real shame if such an excellent brand and distribution channels failed to reach their full potential due to the group's strategic adjustments.

His words not only explained why he interrupted, but also precisely expressed empathy, instantly bridging the psychological distance between him and Xu Shiwen.

Xu Shiwen was indeed touched by his thoughts and gave a wry smile: "Young Chen is quite insightful at such a young age."

It's a pity. The group's senior management now values ​​core assets that can quickly generate cash flow, so our traditional businesses are inevitably being neglected.

“Perhaps this is where the opportunity lies?” Chen Bingwen said casually, gently swirling his wine glass. “Sometimes, a pearl that goes unnoticed can shine with its due brilliance in the hands of someone who truly appreciates it.”

Manager Xu just said that if a suitable buyer comes along, they might consider selling the equity.

Xu Shiwen was slightly taken aback and looked at the young man in front of him again.

He hadn't expected the other person to be so direct, but judging from their composed demeanor and refined speech, it didn't seem like a joke.

After exchanging a quick glance with Liu Zhitang, Xu Shiwen cautiously replied, "This is indeed my personal idea, and it is also for the overall benefit of the company."

Of course, the final decision rests with the Hutchison Whampoa Group board of directors.

“I understand.” Chen Bingwen nodded, his tone becoming serious. “To be honest, although Chen’s Food has not been established for long, it has developed quite rapidly. We mainly produce functional beverages and ready-to-drink sweet soups. We are currently making every effort to expand our market, and our products sell well in Hong Kong Island, as well as in Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia.”

We have a deep understanding of and a strong desire for the value of premium retail channels and century-old brands.

"If, and I mean if, Hutchison Whampoa were truly interested in selling part or all of Watsons' business, we at Chan's would be very interested and believe we have the ability to revitalize Watsons."

His words contained a great deal of information.

This not only demonstrates the company's business scope and flexes its muscles, but also directly expresses a strong intention to acquire.

Xu Shiwen and Liu Zhitang were both somewhat surprised.

Director Liu was surprised by Chen Bingwen's boldness and ambition.

Xu Shiwen was surprised, but his mind immediately started racing. Could this really be a potential opportunity?

"Mr. Chen, is this really true?" Xu Shiwen was somewhat intrigued and asked again for confirmation.

“In the business world, there is no joking.” Chen Bingwen smiled and answered with great certainty, “I value Watson’s century-old history, brand reputation and retail network very much.”

If possible, I would like to have an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Watsons' current situation and future possibilities.

Of course, all of this is predicated on the premise that Hutchison Whampoa actually has this intention.

He didn't rule out any possibility, but cleverly passed the buck back to Xu Shiwen, letting him confirm the true attitude of the group's upper management, while also expressing his own sincerity and strength.

Xu Shiwen took a deep breath, his attitude becoming noticeably warmer: "Chen Sheng is quick-witted and straightforward, which is admirable."

I cannot give you an immediate answer to this matter, but when I return to the company, I can try to find out from the board of directors, especially Mr. Wei Li's true thoughts on disposing of non-core assets.

Is it inconvenient for Mr. Chen to leave his contact information?

(End of this chapter)