Chapter 25: Merchant Aircraft Carrier

  In Nie Zhenbang's view, the department stores of this era are only in their primitive stage. They can't be compared to those super-large and giant department stores of later generations. As for those gigantic department stores with tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of square meters of business area, there is no need to mention them. Looking at Yang Anbang and Xiao Yali's bewildered expressions, Nie Zhenbang felt a sense of enlightening others. He explained: "This is not the real department store. In my vision, our department store should not only have clothes, shoes, hats, toys, etc., but also be a comprehensive shopping mall that integrates clothing, food, housing, and transportation as a whole. Moreover, our department store must differentiate itself from the current mass-market stores and take the high-end route."

  Another new term. Xiao Yali heard it vaguely. But Yang Anbang had a thoughtful expression.

  Nie Zhenbang secretly sighed, this person is really more annoying than others. Yang Anbang's talent, indeed, did not rely on background and boasting, this person, is genuinely skilled.

  Is taking the high-end route not advocating for a corrupt bourgeois lifestyle? This made Yang Anbang somewhat hesitant. Although the Yang family was also a core force of the reform faction, they were taking such big steps. Yang Anbang felt some trepidation and immediately asked: "Zhenbang, I understand that the high-end route means buying the most expensive things. But won't this raise suspicions of being bourgeois? Moreover, does the capital have the consumption capacity for this?"

  Nie Zhenbang smiled, in this era, reform and opening up had just started a few years ago. Other places in the country may not have had the consumption capacity. But Beijing and Shanghai were completely worry-free. Especially Beijing, as the center of national power, the people with the highest income in this era were almost all concentrated here. If Beijing didn't have consumption capacity, other places would be even more impossible.

  As for the life of the bourgeoisie, it may be a bit bolder at present. However, this has nothing to do with business. On the contrary, Nie Zhenbang is even planning to hype it up.

  Nie Zhenbang smiled lightly and said, "Second brother, I understand your concerns. But rest assured, there's absolutely no problem with this."

  The next day, Zhou Chen handed over the site to Yang Anbang in a very pleasant manner. At the same time, Yang Anbang immediately ordered his men to start moving things out. All the goods in the supermarket were transferred to several other stores of WOJIA Supermarket. Some distributors did not show any dissatisfaction. On the contrary, they were delighted that they could enter WOJIA Supermarket because of this.

  However, when the department store actually started operating, Nie Zhenbang only then discovered that it was not easy for a large department store to take the high-end route.

  Clothes? At that time, the whole of China still didn't have a mature brand awareness. Not to mention advertising. Electrical appliances. In this era where black and white TVs dominated the market. All kinds of electrical appliances were luxury goods. Cosmetics. Sorry, this market hadn't been developed yet. During this period, Snowflake Cream was all the rage.

  If it really is to open such a department store, it can be said that more than 80% of the goods need to be imported from abroad. This is not a small difficulty.

  Thinking of this, Nie Zhenbang shook his head, it seemed that Yang Anbang and Xiao Yali would have to show up again. At this time, directly contacting the manufacturer was obviously not possible. Moreover, in this era, information was not well developed. The internet was not as advanced as in later generations. To investigate something, one could only rely on asking around. For example, Versace or Chanel, these world-class top brands, domestically, it's likely that even the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade didn't have their contact numbers. One could only inquire through the embassies of these companies.

  One family's search wasn't a big problem. However, in a department store, there are at least hundreds of brands, if not more. Nian Zhenbang already had a plan in mind.

  ……

  "Second brother, second sister, Jiamin, you three take a look at this business plan I've written. Take a close look and see if you have any opinions?" In the office of WOJIA supermarket, Nie Zhenbang immediately took out the plan he had written.

  After Yang Anbang and others finished watching, the three of them looked surprised. Yang Anbang patted his thigh and stood up: "Great, great! The world's top luxury brands are all here. Zippo, Rolex, Versace, Chanel. Good job, Zhen Bang. These things are rare in China. If we introduce them here, these masters in 49 City will go crazy."

  In this era, these brands may not be very accessible to ordinary people. However, within the Fourth Ring Road, among those in the circle, their families have elders who have gone abroad and seen the world. Families like Nie's and Yang's, for example, it's almost a routine for the old masters to travel abroad. Bringing back some goods is also considered normal.

  "It's settled then. Zhenbang, I'll take care of this matter. My uncle is in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Let him help me contact the commercial counselors of various embassies." Yang Anbang immediately took charge of contacting the countries where each brand belonged.

  At this moment, Xiao Yali also stood up and smiled: "Then I'll go contact the Foreign Economic and Trade Commission. My uncle just happens to be from the Foreign Economic and Trade Commission. We can issue an invitation letter in their name. I believe these brands will still be interested in coming over to take a look."

  Seeing the two of them leave in high spirits, Nie Jiamin's expression was somewhat worried. Looking at Nie Zhenbang, he said: "Zhenbang, we've made such a big deal out of this. Will it make Old Master angry?"

  When he heard this, Nie Zhenbang smiled. Fire? The old man had already set it off. At this point, I'm afraid neither of them has the interest to do so. Since entering this household, first an article caused the Nie family to be suspected by the hardliners. Then the two brothers were sent to Guangdong at the same time. You know that Guangdong Province is a sensitive area. Without the old man's consent, it's unlikely that they would go to Guangdong. Next, the supermarket opened and I visited the Yang family. All of this, step by step, has pushed the Nie family out of the conservative faction.

  At that time, after Comrade Akatsuki took office, Old Master Nie had to step down from his position. However, this time the Military Commission's duties were not adjusted. This shows that there must have been some contact between Old Master and the Paramount Leader. Moreover, Old Master's mindset has also changed. This business negotiation is just putting another reform hat on top of the Nie family.

  Thinking of this, Nie Zhenbang patted Nie Jiamin's shoulder and said: "Jiamin, you can rest assured now. The Nie family has already become a reformist at this moment."

  Indeed, just as Nie Zhenbang said. With Yang Anbang and Xiao Yali's actions, Old Nie didn't show any reaction. As if he didn't know about this matter at all. His heart was completely focused on the military, busy with his military modernization efforts.

  This business negotiation was also a huge success. After Yang Anbang reported the plan to Old Yang, Old Yang immediately reported it to the Premier. With the support of the Premier, all departments and commissions in the country gave the green light. Soon, a large trade delegation gathered in the capital from all over the world. Under the personal chairmanship of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, the delegation visited the reform special zone in Guangdong, inspected the development of Shanghai, and conducted on-site inspections of the commercial situation in Beijing. They made a detailed evaluation of the five stores of WOJIA Supermarket. After conducting an on-site survey of WOJIA Department Store, many brands signed agreements to settle in.

  After the business talks, the originally empty WOJIA department store also became lively. The decoration teams of various world-renowned brands also started to move in.

  "Second brother, not bad. With this beginning, the following things will be much easier to handle. You've taken care of the mall and supermarket matters. After the New Year, you'll have a lot to do." Standing at the decoration site of Wo's department store, Nie Zhenbang also had a lot of emotions. In his past life, he was poor all his life. This time, he started again from scratch. He finally made some progress. The Nie family also managed to escape the first disaster thanks to his intervention.

  However, Comrade Akira's appointment is still a huge test for the Nie family. Whether they can get through this remains to be seen in two years.

  Yang Anbang did not notice anything unusual about Nie Zhenbang. At this moment, Yang Anbang's business talent had been fully demonstrated, and according to plan, after the New Year, WOJIA Supermarket would open at least 15 stores in Shanghai, Guangdong, and several coastal cities and provincial capitals. This was a new challenge. However, Yang Anbang seemed confident. Smiling, he said: "Tomorrow is the 30th. You go to the airport to pick up Uncle Nie and the others. After the New Year, you also go to Guangdong to take a look. I'll leave things over there to you to handle."