Chapter 766: Jardine Matheson’s Response

Yang Wendong, who was on the roof, looked at the crowded crowd below and said, "Is there ventilation supply in our mall?"

Qian Yicheng, the person in charge of Harbour City, replied: "Yes, we are currently doing our best to provide fresh air. When there are too many people in the mall, we need to provide it in a timely manner. On the one hand, it is to ensure safety, and on the other hand, it is to prevent tourists from getting tired."

Many people feel weak and sleepy in a crowded closed environment, but feel energetic after going out. This is not due to consciousness, but lack of oxygen;

Once there is enough oxygen, you will feel more energetic. All casinos in Macau have this design. Secondly, ventilation from the outside is also needed.

Yang Wendong nodded and said, "Okay, ensure safety and provide good service. Tomorrow, report today's traffic and revenue to the headquarters."

"Yes, Mr. Yang." Qian Yicheng agreed.

Yang Wendong still attaches great importance to Harbour City, which will also be a huge cash cow for him in the future;
However, as long as the operation is stable, you basically don't have to worry too much. If you do a good job of supporting various facilities, it will be a steady source of income;

The next day, Harbour City's various data also came out. On the first day, it received a total of 35 passengers, several times more than Cathay Pacific Airport, and the total transaction volume exceeded HK$4300 million. Many luxury goods provided huge profits;

"The first day's promotion was pretty good. Next, it's all about normal daily operations." After Yang Wendong put down the report, he said, "The focus in the future will be on attracting overseas tourists. We need to continue to invest in this area and cooperate with tour groups from Hong Kong and overseas."

Although Hong Kong's economy will be good in the future, Hong Kong locals will not come to Harbour City frequently. Such a large project still requires a large number of external tourists.

Qian Yicheng said: "I understand, Mr. Yang, this aspect is already under discussion."

"Okay, I'll wait until the end of the year to see how Harbour City operates." Yang Wendong nodded and said;
If nothing unexpected happens, the business of Harbour City will remain normal, but he also needs to be a little more careful, fearing that there will be any unusual changes;

After Harbour City opened, countless middle-class people in Hong Kong discovered that this large-scale shopping and dining model was much better than the traditional office shopping malls in Central.

Due to the limited area, the number of shops in any building under the Landmark is limited and the area is very small. The dining area is very crowded, and the dressing room for buying and selling clothes is also very small. However, over time, everyone has gotten used to it. After all, it is the same everywhere.

But now that the shops in Harbour City have opened, everyone has discovered that shopping malls can be so spacious. There are special oil suction devices for hot pot, and there is almost no heavy smell of oil smoke in the restaurant. There is also a lot of space for people to walk. Not to mention the clothing store, two people can do whatever they want in the dressing room.
In addition to the convenient transportation, many people take the minibus from Hong Kong Island to the Victoria Beach, and then take the sufficient number of Star Ferries to be directly sent to Harbour City without having to take a detour through the Hung Hom Tunnel.

As a result, too many people look down on the traditional shopping model and think that Harbour City is more suitable for them to visit;

The flow of people to many shopping malls in the core area of Central immediately dropped by 0%. This ratio may not seem high, but for merchants, it basically means zero profit, or even a loss.

At the end of November, many users of shopping malls in the Central area approached the regional manager of Hong Kong Land and said, "Mr. Lin, there are so few people in the mall now. Our business is not doing well. You have to think of a solution. Either you call people back or you have to lower the rent. Otherwise, we will all lose money."

Mr. Lin quickly consoled them, saying, "Everyone, please be patient. We have been operating in Central Hong Kong for decades. Hong Kong Island is also the economic core of Hong Kong. The Harbour City is just newly opened, so it has impacted our business a little. Everything will be back to normal after a while."

If only a few families came to cause trouble, then given the status of the Landmark, they would definitely not be polite. In a word: whether you want to rent it or not, there are plenty of people who want to rent it;

But now it is indeed because his business is not good and there are many people coming. If this is not handled properly, there may not be any problems with the land, but his future in the land will be over.

"Let's wait until things return to normal. You have to lower the rent during this period, otherwise how can we survive?" An old man shouted, which resonated with many people.

Lin Shengze said, "Everyone, this kind of thing has a contract, written in black and white. Even if you want to change the rent, you have to wait until the contract expires, right?"

Many merchants also know that they are not legally right, but they still come to join in the fun. After all, there is no harm in failure, and the success rate is good for everyone.
The two sides argued for a while, neither side gave in, and finally parted ways. Lin Sheng immediately reported the matter to his superiors, hoping that the higher-ups could make a decision. This was also a way to avoid responsibility. No matter what the higher-ups decided,
Jardine Matheson Group Headquarters:

Henry Keswick looked at his subordinates' reports and sighed, "I never thought that the Harbour City project would have such a big impact on the shopping malls in Central. When we built it, we didn't expect it to be so strong."

Newby said, "Our expectation is that Harbour City will be able to absorb the consumption capacity of the Kowloon Peninsula. It is also proceeding according to plan. After Harbour City is completed, we will find a way to control KMB and then influence the traffic in Kowloon. In this way, Hong Kong Land controls Hong Kong Island and Harbour City controls Kowloon.

But Yang Wendong is different. He directly uses the Star Ferry and the minibus to send people from Hong Kong Island on a large scale. He even has annual and monthly cards. He basically does not make money, but just promotes people from Hong Kong Island to go to Harbour City. This has seriously affected our business. "Jardine Matheson's original plan was for Hong Kong Land to share Hong Kong's high-end shopping malls with Wharf, but Wharf was acquired and it became a competitive relationship;
Moreover, the popularity of Harbour City far exceeded Jardine Matheson's expectations, and now even the business of Swire Properties has been affected.

"The past is the past. We need to find a way to compete with Harbour City now." Henry Keswick asked, "What do you think?"

Niubijian thought for a moment and said, "In fact, in terms of the variety of stores, we are not inferior to Harbour City at all, and we are even better. It's just that a single building can't compare. But as long as we connect our shopping malls, there will be no problem, and it can also provide consumers with a better experience."

"What do you mean by connecting them together?" Henry Keswick asked in return;

Newby replied: “Harbour City is attractive because it is new and because the whole mall is together. People can buy, eat and play everything without going out.
Compared with our shopping malls, this is much more convenient. If you want to go shopping in Central and change to another mall, you have to go out and face the wind, rain and high temperature frequently, as well as the traffic on the road. Harbour City does not have this problem.

So we can build enclosed pedestrian bridges between the buildings and shopping malls, and have air conditioning inside, so that the experience is similar to that of Harbour City. "

"Pedestrian bridge? That's not very close, is it?" Henry Keswick asked.

There are more than a dozen buildings in Central, but they are not absolutely close to each other. They are connected by sky bridges, and sometimes the distance between them is quite far.

Niubijian nodded and said, "It's not close, and it's definitely not as convenient as inside Harbour City, but this is the best solution for us at the moment. There is no land similar to Harbour City in Central. Even if there is, if we build a similar mall, it will only affect our existing malls."

"Well, you just said that Harbour City is relatively new. Does this problem need to be solved?" Henry Keswick asked again.

Niubijian replied, "Yes, in addition to building sky bridges, the interiors of the various buildings and shopping malls also need to be improved. Now that they are connected, they can no longer operate independently as before. They need to be distributed in a unified manner. There needs to be a plan for what to sell in what place."

"This is a flyover and it needs renovation, the cost must be quite high, right?" Henry Keswick frowned.

Niubijian said: "Yes, but our building is indeed old. If we don't renovate it today, we will have to do it in a few years, not to mention that there is now competition from Harbour City."

"Okay, I will apply to the board of directors for this matter." Henry Keswick nodded, and then said: "You also know that I am going back to England. I have also asked my family members, and some of them are interested in the position of the boss;
But I think their abilities are not as good as yours. Are you interested in taking over the position of the head teacher? If you are willing, I will fully support you. "

"Of course I'm interested." Newbijian was delighted and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Keswick. If I become the boss, you will get everything you deserve."

Like other large listed companies, the Keswick family is slowly profiting from the normal business of the Jardine Matheson Group;

It's just that in a family that has been passed down for more than a hundred years, the people inside have long been divided. Henry is Henry, and the others are others. Everyone has his own little calculations.

"Okay." Henry Keswick nodded with satisfaction, and then said, "I returned to the UK to get involved in politics. When I achieve success in the British government, it will be convenient for the Jardine Matheson Group to transfer some of its assets to the UK. You also know what we are all worried about now."

"I understand." Newbijian nodded.

The future ownership of Hong Kong has now become an imminent issue. Ordinary people may think that 20 years is still too early, but for large conglomerates, they all need to plan ahead.

At the Connaught Building, Yang Wendong was surprised when he saw a piece of news: "Is Jardine Matheson planning to build pedestrian bridges between the buildings in Central?"

Assistant Ah Ying said: "Yes, I guess it is to counter the impact of Harbour City on their business."

"Well, it's possible, but this is also good. This project is also very capital-intensive." Yang Wendong smiled and said, "At this time, it is in line with my plan for the company to put the funds here."

Renovating old buildings is indeed a normal business, but now that Hong Kong real estate is about to soar, it would be a big loss to put precious funds on this;
The normal logic should be to make money first when the land price rises sharply, and then carry out repairs when the land price plummets.
However, few people can predict the future with certainty, so it is normal to miss some precious time;

In the whole of Hong Kong, the only target that interests me is actually Jardine Matheson. If it goes in the wrong direction, it will be a good thing for me.

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

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