Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire

Chapter 68 Giving Away Lucky Money (First update of 10,000 words a day! Please vote with your monthly tickets and recommendations!)
After dinner, Chen Guofu and Wang Qiaozhen chatted with their cousin Shuisheng, while Chen Bingwen returned to his spacious and bright study.

At this moment, a map of Hong Kong Island was spread out in front of him, densely marked with the locations of Chan Kee's existing standard stores, mobile outlets, franchise stores, and Wellcome supermarkets.

The interweaving red and blue markings outline Chen Ji Dessert's current business landscape.

"Chen's sales outlets are not enough."

Chen Bingwen's finger slowly traced across the map, finally stopping at the scattered streets and housing estates that were not covered by any color.

"We have basically covered the core business districts and industrial areas of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island through standard stores, mobile outlets, franchise stores and Wellcome supermarkets."

He muttered to himself, picking up a red pen and drawing circles on the densely packed small squares on the map that represented residential areas.

"Wellcome, standard stores, and franchise stores are the main arteries, but those that truly penetrate deep into the city, like capillaries, omnipresent and supplying blood to the city, are these..."

His pen tip pressed heavily on the unmarked areas.

"A convenience store!"

"More than 20,000 convenience stores!"

In 1978, large supermarket chains such as Wellcome and ParknShop were emerging on Hong Kong Island, but they were far from achieving the level of monopoly that would follow in later years.

The convenience stores (grocery stores) that are ubiquitous in the streets and alleys and at the foot of public housing estates are the true cornerstone and capillaries of Hong Kong Island's retail industry!
They are numerous, deeply integrated into communities, close to residents, have long operating hours, and facilitate quick purchasing decisions, making them an important and indispensable channel for the sale of daily consumer goods, snacks, and beverages.

More importantly, the owners of these convenience stores are mostly local residents who are familiar with the community, have a strong sense of community, and have high customer loyalty.

If we could get Chen's bottled sugar water into these convenience stores...

That means that Chan Kee's products will truly penetrate every corner of Hong Kong Island and enter the daily lives of every family!

This will be a golden channel with a wider coverage, deeper reach, and more frequent brand exposure than Wellcome Supermarket!
"Capillaries..."

Chen Bingwen wrote these four words heavily in his notebook.

"Wellcome is the aorta, while convenience stores are the capillaries that spread throughout the body!"
Only by connecting these channels can Chan Kee truly take root in Hong Kong Island and become a household name and an easily accessible national brand!

He took a deep breath, and his thoughts became clearer.

"However, there are a large number of convenience stores, which are scattered and have limited sales per store, high delivery costs, and great management difficulty."

Traditional direct sales or large distributor models are inefficient and costly when dealing with such a fragmented retail market.

"We must innovate our model!"

A clear plan gradually took shape in his mind.

Chen Bingwen picked up his pen and quickly sketched in his notebook:
The Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories will be divided into several grids.

Each grid is staffed by a market specialist familiar with the local area, who leads a team of two temporary promoters.

The team carried a small number of samples and distributed them free of charge to the target convenience store owners.

Payment will be settled after the goods are sold; if they are not sold, a full refund will be issued.

Chen Bingwen put down his pen and stared at the sketch of the "grid group" model he had just drawn in his notebook.

"Free product placement, payment upon sale, unsold items can be returned."

He repeated these keywords in a low voice.

This seemingly simple model is essentially about completely eliminating the concerns of convenience store owners about inventory risks.

Those elderly people who have been running small businesses for decades are most afraid of losing money due to unsold inventory.

For them, a bottle of unsold sugar water represents a real financial loss.

"Free distribution" means that Chenji pays upfront and takes on the risk himself.

"Settle after sale" means that the convenience store owner does not need to pay a penny in advance. Payment is only required after the goods are actually sold and a profit is made.

This greatly reduced their financial pressure.

The promise of "refundable if unsold" gave them peace of mind.

Slow to sell?
No problem, return it exactly as is, you won't lose a single penny.

For convenience store owners accustomed to the traditional wholesale model of "cash on delivery," this model is an almost risk-free and barrier-free endeavor.

Chen Bingwen meticulously studied the details of the grid management team, writing and drawing in his notebook until late at night.

Once the last question was cleared up in his mind, he closed the notebook, having made up his mind.

The next morning, it was just dawn.

After washing up, Chen Bingwen changed into a shirt and trousers, packed the convenience store channel expansion plan he had prepared the night before into his briefcase, and prepared to go to the Kwun Tong factory.

As soon as I entered the living room, I saw my cousin Shuisheng, already dressed and standing nervously at the door waiting for me.

He was wearing a set of slightly worn but clean work clothes belonging to Chen Guofu. Although they didn't fit him perfectly, they were washed until they were almost white, giving off a simple and neat vibe.

"Good morning, cousin." Shui Sheng greeted Chen Bingwen as soon as he came out. "Shall I go to the factory with you?"
"I'm strong, I can do any kind of work!"

“Cousin, no rush.” Chen Bingwen smiled gently and gestured for him to sit down. “You’ve just arrived in Hong Kong and gone through such a tiring journey. Take a few days to rest at home, get familiar with the environment, and recharge your energy before we talk about it.”

At this moment, Wang Qiaozhen came out of the kitchen with breakfast and quickly chimed in, "Yes, Shuisheng, listen to Awen."

You just arrived yesterday, and you haven't recovered yet. Take a couple more days to rest.

"Things at the factory aren't urgent; Awen has everything arranged."

Chen Guofu also put down his newspaper and advised, "That's right, health is the foundation of everything."

You need to be well-rested to have the energy to work.

Shui Sheng shook his head vigorously and said with unusual determination, "Uncle, Aunt, Cousin, I'm not tired!"
Really!

Back in my hometown, I do much harder work every day!
I came to Hong Kong Island to make money!

My wife and kids are waiting for me to send money home!

"I can't rest. Every day I rest means one less day of money I earn!" His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable determination.

"Cousin, please let me go!"

"I promise I won't cause you any trouble. Moving goods, carrying bags, sweeping the floor—I can do anything!" Shui Sheng pleaded, looking at Chen Bingwen.

Chen Bingwen was deeply moved by his cousin Shuisheng's persistence.

“Okay.” Chen Bingwen nodded and stopped trying to dissuade him. “It’s good that my cousin has this intention.”

"Then come with me to the factory today."

Shui Sheng smiled with relief and nodded repeatedly, "Thank you, cousin! Thank you!"

Chen Bingwen turned and went into the room, and came out a moment later with a thick envelope in his hand.

“Cousin, this is HK$1,000.” Chen Bingwen handed the envelope to Shuisheng. “Consider it an advance on your first month’s salary.”

Shui Sheng stared at the thick envelope, his eyes widening instantly. His hands trembled slightly, and he instinctively took a step back, waving his hands repeatedly: "This is too much!"

"Cousin, I haven't started working yet, you can't take it! You can't take it!"

"Take it." Chen Bingwen's tone was gentle but brooked no refusal as he stuffed the envelope into his hand. "This is what you deserve."

Once you're settled in Hong Kong, you'll need some money to tide you over.

He paused, then took out a slightly thinner envelope: "There is one hundred yuan in here."

"On your way to the factory, you'll pass the post office. Write a letter and mail it back home in this envelope."

Shui Sheng was stunned and looked at Chen Bingwen in confusion.

Chen Bingwen explained, "Cousin, you're new here and don't know anyone."

It's right to send money home to let people know you're safe, but you shouldn't send too much at once.

One hundred yuan is enough to let your family know you've arrived safely and can also slightly improve your life.

Sending too many things is risky; firstly, it might attract attention, and secondly, it's unsafe.
Secondly, receiving a large sum of money suddenly at home may not be a good thing, as it could lead to unnecessary trouble.

"It's a steady, continuous process; I can send some every month from now on."

At that time, cross-border remittance services between banks in Hong Kong Island and the mainland had not yet been launched.

The only feasible way is to put the money in an envelope and mail it back.

"I...I understand! Thank you, cousin! Thank you!" Shui Sheng said excitedly, clutching the two envelopes tightly.

Kwun Tong Food Factory.

Chen Bingwen led Shuisheng into the factory area.

The roar of the machines, the sweet aroma of the sugar water, and the busy figures of the workers—all of this was an incredibly novel and awe-inspiring sight for Shui Sheng.

He was like a country boy who had just arrived in the city, his eyes darting around with wide-eyed awe.

"Ah Hai!" Chen Bingwen called out to Gao Zhenhai, who was directing the workers to load the truck.

"Brother Wen! Good morning!" Gao Zhenhai ran over quickly, looking curiously at Shui Sheng who was following behind Chen Bingwen.

“This is my cousin, Wang Shuisheng. He just came from our hometown,” Chen Bingwen introduced. “He’s a very reliable and strong man.”

Take him to the raw material warehouse and arrange some moving and organizing work for him.

"Understood! Don't worry, Brother Wen!" Gao Zhenhai readily agreed and patted Shuisheng on the shoulder warmly. "Brother Shuisheng, right?"

Welcome, welcome! Come with me, I'll show you around the warehouse!

Shui Sheng nodded somewhat awkwardly: "Thank you for your trouble, Director Gao."

"Hey, just call me Ahai!" Gao Zhenhai laughed. "Come on, I'll take you to get a set of work clothes first!"

Watching Shui Sheng follow Gao Zhenhai toward the warehouse, Chen Bingwen nodded slightly.

We assigned Shuisheng to the raw material warehouse for two reasons: firstly, they really needed manpower there, and secondly, the work was relatively simple, which would allow him to adapt gradually. Once Shuisheng was familiar with the job, we would make adjustments based on the situation.

At 10 a.m., Chen Bingwen was reviewing documents in his office when Ling Peiyi knocked on the door and came in, holding a document in her hand.

"Mr. Chen, the employee bonus calculation plan has been completed. Please take a look."

Chen Bingwen took the document and quickly glanced at it.

The plan is very detailed, clearly listing the performance bonus amounts for employees in each production stage over the previous period.

Bonus calculations will be strictly carried out in accordance with the previously promised principle of "a 10% increase in bonus for every 10% increase in production capacity".

The amounts range from tens to hundreds of yuan, fully reflecting the principle of "more work, more pay".

Among them, several outstanding groups in the contracting center, such as Azhen's group, received an average bonus of 350 yuan per person!
Technical backbones in key positions on the bottling line also receive bonuses of over two hundred yuan.

What pleased Chen Bingwen even more was that the final part of the plan included a separate reward for Professor Zhou's team at the R&D center.

"Professor Zhou's team has been awarded a special prize for overcoming the bottleneck in hot filling technology: a total team prize of HK$15,000."

Professor Zhou received a personal award of 5,000 yuan.

Two core doctoral students will each receive 2,000 yuan.

Technicians and workers who participate will receive between five hundred and one thousand yuan each.

"Good!" Chen Bingwen nodded in satisfaction, picked up his pen and signed his name on the plan. "The plan is very well done and has been thoroughly considered."

In particular, the reward for Professor Zhou's team is listed separately, and the amount reflects their value; let's proceed accordingly!

He put down his pen and emphasized, "The bonuses must be distributed today!"
All cash payments, distributed on-site!
Every employee should receive their deserved reward in person! This is the greatest affirmation of their hard work over the past period!

"Understood!" Ling Peiyi replied solemnly. "The finance staff has prepared the cash. I will personally supervise the distribution process to ensure that all bonuses are paid out before the end of the workday!"

(End of this chapter)