The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

After Momofuku Ando returned to Japan, he immediately successfully formed the 'Japan Ramen Industry Association' and became the president. The first batch of 21 member units are relatively accepting of the patent fee of US$50,000.

At the same time, Momofuku Ando is also thinking about cooperation with Lin Zhichao. He understood that being able to be friends with someone like Lin Zhichao was indeed an achievement for him.

However, the two cooperations proposed by Lin Zhichao need to consider whether they will affect the development of "Nissin Ramen". After all, the "instant noodles" business is the main force.

In the two and a half years since Nissin Ramen was launched, it has made about 3 million U.S. dollars, half of which was used to expand factories and production, leaving 1.5 million U.S. dollars lying on its account. As for the shareholders of both parties, they are not that strong about dividends. After all, the first priority is to occupy the market in Japan.

"At present, the annual sales volume of Nissin Ramen is still 60 million bags. As long as the tonkotsu ramen comes out, it will definitely rise to 100 million bags again."

Thinking of this, Momofuku Ando suddenly felt that the doll face was very powerful. If it were not restricted by the small Hong Kong market, there would be no place for him to use it.

As soon as Tonkotsu Ramen comes out, Nissin Ramen's profits will skyrocket, because it can avoid price wars; after all, it is the only product on the market, and it can completely avoid price wars.

There are currently many 25 yen ramen on the market, which are not profitable at all. These companies are more interested in bringing down other ramen companies.

"Ajisen Ramen, this is a very good idea. It is to be the 'KFC' in the ramen industry. After becoming famous, it will open up to franchise development and adopt a half self-operated and half franchise model. This industry can be done with an initial investment of 200,000 Dollars are enough.”

"Investing in securities seems to be very reasonable. As a 'shipping king', Lin Zhichao is very sensitive to the economy. Panasonic, Sony."

After careful consideration, Ando Momofuku decided to adopt Lin Zhichao's opinion, and he also understood that if he could cooperate these two times, he would be able to cooperate more with Lin Zhichao in the future and become true friends.

Of course, he could only dream of cooperating with a 'tycoon' like Lin Zhichao.

"Come up with a plan and make an appointment with Lin Zhichao again, and the relationship will get better and better!"

Momofuku Ando suddenly felt that he should firmly grasp Lin Zhichao's interpersonal relationship.

Of course, the so-called interpersonal relationships are all about mutual use. But coincidentally, he knew that Lin Zhichao wanted to get involved in Japan's cause and needed him as a Japanese; and he also hoped to have the support of a big plutocrat, even a foreign plutocrat.

Kwun Tong.

A twelve-story industrial building rises from the ground, with an area of ​​more than 20,000 square feet on each floor. It is very majestic in this area. On the outer wall of the building, there are seven characters "UNIQLO Industrial Building", which is the production factory of Uniqlo Clothing Company.

On the opening day of the Uniqlo Building, Lin Zhichao did not invite friends. After all, it was just an industrial building, so why make a big fuss about it. The only guests who came to attend were the second uncle Lin Yunchu, cousin Li Gaofu, father-in-law Tang Zhongyuan and others.

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Lin Zhichao took everyone to inspect the interior of the building.

Currently, Crocodile Shirt Factory and Traveler Luggage use a total of four floors, more than 80,000 square feet, with a lot of space reserved; as for the remaining eight floors, they are all leased to garment factories and shoe factories, with a leasing rate of Reached 98%, the supply exceeds the demand.

During the visit, Li Gaofu said with a smile: "It seems that investing in industrial buildings has more returns than investing in residential buildings!"

During the last wave of real estate crisis, he did not make much money from the last three real estate projects, which was considered a "loss"; therefore, he did not immediately acquire land after the real estate industry picked up.

Of course, Li Gaofu is playing it safe and steady, a style that is highly appreciated by Lin Zhichao.

Lin Zhichao said: "If you want to invest, just act. A mere industrial building is nothing to you!"

At the same time, he said it in a joking tone, and the people around him laughed immediately. Everyone knows that Li Gaofu was supported by Lin Zhichao, and the two have a close relationship.

But Li Gaofu shook his head and said: "I still won't invest. I have closed down the plastic flower factory, which is embarrassing."

After the plastic flower factory he invested in was cited several times by the Yangtze Plastics Factory as having unqualified products, Li Gaofu simply closed it down and even sold the equipment to the Yangtze Plastics Factory at a low price.

It turned out that he was focusing on real estate, but he was not in the mood for plastic flowers. The reason why he was willing to invest in the first place was because he was worried that the real estate business would not be successful and he would have another channel for funding. As a result, the real estate business was successful, and he no longer looked down on the plastic flower business that was worth hundreds of thousands a year.

Tang Zhongyuan asked: "Gao Fu is still suitable for real estate, he can make money quickly!"

Li Gaofu quickly said humbly: "Uncle Tang, don't laugh at me. I also suffered a lot from the last real estate crisis. I spent more than two years working on three real estate projects in vain."

Tang Zhongyuan was an elder and Lin Zhichao's father-in-law, so naturally he didn't dare to trust him.

Lin Zhichao said: "If you don't lose, you will make a profit! There are many people who spit out profits; there are also many bankrupts."

Li Gaofu nodded. After all, he had made 20 million in the past, and he had the financial strength to "cover up" the last three properties. The only pity was that when the real estate industry picked up a little, he sold the three properties and made a total of 10 million. More than a million.

The reasons for this are: first, he seeks stability and firmly believes in what Lin Zhichao said at the time, "Goods rotate"; second, he seeks stability and is more interested in investing in commercial buildings.

"Recently, I am negotiating to build a Central building at 20-20B Queen's Road Central, Central!"

Everyone was immediately attracted. Unexpectedly, Li Gaofu was already involved in the building in Central!

Lin Zhichao thought about it for a while, and immediately got the information of No. 20-20B, Queen's Road Central, and said, "The site area is not big, right?"

After real estate booms, some sites will be released in Central. Lin Chi-chao will not specifically pursue investment in this type of building; unless it is more than 20,000 square feet and is located in the core business districts of Central such as Queen's Road Central and Des Voeux Road. He will take action only if he needs the territory.

Li Gaofu nodded and said: "It is more than 5,000 square feet in total. The owner wants to pay 3.8 million yuan, and needs to subsidize the tenants 500,000 to 600,000 yuan. The total cost is almost more than 4 million yuan in land fees."

A total of 800 Hong Kong dollars per square foot, if before the slump in 1957, the unit price should be worth 1,200 Hong Kong dollars per square foot.

Lin Zhichao said: "Then if you want to build a building, I'm afraid it will only have 12 floors, and the total rentable area will only be 50,000 square feet."

Li Gaofu said: "Well, it's good. After the design is completed later, let Poly Construction undertake the construction!"

Lin Zhichao said no more, this kind of building is normal, merging buildings may not be feasible, and merging buildings depends on fate.

The site purchased by Li Gaofu was the "Taipingxing" in his previous life, and the 12-story building he built has not been successfully merged as of 2023.

Returning to the Crocodile Shirt Building, Lin Zhichao organized a conference room. In attendance were Crocodile Shirt general manager Zhao Mingyi, Traveler Suitcase Hong Yunhao, and other senior executives of the two companies. Tang Caiyun also attended the meeting.

"The content of today's meeting is: I plan to merge Crocodile T-shirts and Traveler's Luggage, both of which will become subsidiaries of Uniqlo Clothing Company. Zhao Mingyi will serve as the deputy general manager of Uniqlo Clothing Company and concurrently as the General Manager of Crocodile Shirts. Hong Yunhao will continue to serve as Traveler As the general manager of Luggage, I will serve as the general manager and Tang Caiyun will serve as the assistant to the general manager."

Zhao Mingyi and Hong Yunhao were delighted. The boss suddenly made such an arrangement, indicating that UNIQLO will become an independently developed enterprise.

In fact, although Uniqlo used to belong to Cheung Kong Holdings, it actually developed independently. Today's arrangement clearly clarifies this point.

Next, Lin Zhichao asked the heads of the two brands to report on the company and financial situation so that everyone could get to know each other.

Zhao Mingyi immediately reported seriously: "Crocodile T-shirt currently has 8 stores, including three in Central, one in Causeway Bay, two in Kowloon, and two in Sing Tao. Last year's annual profit was HK$1.55 million. This year, one store has been added, and the profit is expected to increase. 10% Crocodile T-shirts has 88 employees and 460 skilled garment workers. It has current capital of HK$7.2 million and fixed assets including Causeway Bay Embassy Building (valued at more than 5 million), factory equipment, etc.”

In the ten years since its establishment, it has earned more than 16 million yuan in assets, of which about 3 million yuan is the appreciation of real estate. Of course, the brand value of crocodile shirts is already in the tens of millions, and it has great popularity in Hong Kong and Sing Tao.

This level is already very powerful! The important thing is that the employee benefits of crocodile shirts and the after-sales service of crocodile shirts are very expensive.

Take the Shalilila family's clothing industry as an example. After so many years, it is only worth tens of millions.

Tang Zhongyuan's garment factory has 5,000 workers and its annual profit is only 8 to 9 million; his textile factory has more than 3,000 people and its annual profit is only 3 to 4 million.

You can know how high the added value of crocodile shirts is!

Next, Hong Yunhao also reported: "Travelers' luggage has opened up the European and American markets, and last year's profit reached HK$850,000. Currently, Travelers has collected patent fees of HK$2.8 million. The liquidity on the account has reached HK$3.5 million."

Traveler suitcases have just started. Due to the patent rights of "trolley suitcases", as long as a company produces it, it will have to pay a patent fee of 30,000 to 80,000 US dollars. The patent fee is of course a "transfer", so it is a one-time payment. .

However, as more and more brands enter this industry, as long as they are discovered by the law firm entrusted by the traveler luggage company, they can immediately charge a fee and deduct 20% of the law firm's money, and the rest belongs to the traveler.

After the general managers of the two subsidiaries completed their reports, everyone discovered that Uniqlo clothing company has become so powerful.

Lin Zhichao said: "Later, the group will set up finance and other related departments. Then, it will take out 8 million in cash flow, add the Embassy Building in Causeway Bay, and add 5 million Hong Kong dollars in installments to exchange for the Crocodile Shirt Building and Uniqlo owned by Yangtze River Real Estate. The two properties of the Industrial Building... In other words, Uniqlo will operate independently in the future."

The Crocodile T-shirt Building is worth 15 million, and the Uniqlo Industrial Building is worth 4 million, which are both normal valuations.

Zhao Mingyi immediately said: "It is best to spread it over three years. After all, UNIQLO must also develop!"

Crocodile Shirts is already preparing to open more branches as there are many beautiful buildings on the first floor to choose from.

Lin Zhichao said: "This is no problem, they are all our own companies."

After this exchange of assets, Uniqlo has officially developed independently, and will only be affiliated to "Yangtze River Holdings (an unestablished holding company)" in the future.

The reason why Lin Zhichao did this was that he hoped to develop a business alone, which would provide career options for his daughter in the future. Never be too partial, his daughter is also his child!

Of course, the premise is that the daughter can become a talented person. If she is not an entrepreneur, there is no need to inherit the business. She can be rich for a lifetime with cash and "family living expenses".

Tang Caiyun did not speak during the entire meeting, but she seemed to understand. She has three sons, Cheung Kong Industries, Cheung Kong Industries, and Uniqlo. Could it be that her husband is building a third one?

She misunderstood, Lin Zhichao has not yet built a media group!

Moreover, the hotel group will also be independent of Cheung Kong Holdings (excluding Miramar Hotel).

After the meeting, everyone was very motivated and went to their respective jobs.

As for crocodile shirts and traveler's luggage, Lin Zhichao does not rarely manage them. He is good at business management and corporate culture, coupled with his foresight, which allows him to manage a company well in very little time.

For example, he visits Crocodile T-shirts several times a year. While buying clothes, he can see all the problems in the entire store. Lin Zhichao also knows the fabric, style, after-sales service, advertising, etc. of crocodile shirts.

As for the implementation of management and employees, Lin Zhichao pursues to increase their sense of belonging to the company, implement bonus systems, welfare systems, and transparent promotion channels.

In short, he only needs to formulate various excellent management systems, and the company will naturally develop well.

Just the after-sales service (for a fee) of 'replacing collars and cuffs' that was proposed back then has left many loyal customers; and in terms of advertising, Lin Zhichao has always insisted on investing, and Gu's influence is growing.

Crocodile Shirt's genuine leather shoes, wallets, belts, etc. are also very popular in the market; travelers' luggage is also sold on consignment in Crocodile Shirt stores, of course, mainly export luggage.

It’s the crisp autumn season again.

Over the weekend, Lin Zhichao took his 50-foot (16.6-meter) yacht "Pearl of the Orient" for a vacation at sea, accompanied by his two wives. This yacht is about the same size as the "Mulien" yacht used exclusively by the Hong Kong Governor, and it already belongs to the category of large yachts in this era.

Of course, there are also large yachts in this era, and there are several that exceed 200 feet or even 400 feet. Some were superyachts when they were built, and there are also warships that were converted into superyachts. For example, Onassis's superyacht was a warship. Modification.

If Lin Zhichao likes to be high-profile and spends money to purchase a 300-foot superyacht, he will only spend about US$10 million (second-hand) at most; this is just water for an owner who is about to have a fleet of more than US$300 million.

But Lin Zhichao obviously doesn’t want to do this, at least not yet!

The yacht 'Pearl of the Orient' has only one deck with a roof, a bedroom, a dining room and a storage room; there are also front and rear decks with fences; the cockpit is on the second floor and is the only one on the second floor. space.

Because the 'flybridge system' has not yet appeared, a 16.6-meter yacht has about 40% less space than later generations of yachts of the same length. The Pearl of the Orient is a combination of steel structure and Burmese wood, costing approximately US$300,000.

It is sailing around the coastline around Hong Kong and Kowloon. Its pure white hull is very conspicuous under the blue sky and blue sea. There were also two female bodyguards standing on the front deck, acting as temporary maids on the ship.

Lin Zhichao, Tang Caiyun and Xu Caiying stood by the fence on the back deck, admiring the beauty of Hong Kong and Kowloon.

"Is that an aircraft carrier?" Xu Caiying pointed at the large ship docked on the Ngau Tau Kok coastline and said curiously.

"Yes, the aircraft carriers sent by the Americans will be dismantled by the Zhongtian Shipbreaking Plant! In the future, the United Kingdom and the United States will let Hong Kong dismantle warships and aircraft carriers."

During World War II, the United States had 155 aircraft carriers and the United Kingdom also had 96 aircraft carriers (with US assistance). These aircraft carriers will be gradually phased out and sent to shipbreaking yards for disassembly. Of course, these aircraft carriers cannot be compared with the aircraft carriers of later generations, which are generally only 10,000 to 20,000 tons.

At the beginning of this year, the ship-breaking business in Hong Kong exploded with the Zhongtian Ship-breaking Factory. Currently, many well-informed people are engaged in the business of purchasing "second-hand ships" in major ports around the world.

At present, there are dozens of ship-breaking factories with thousands of workers; it can be expected that within the next two years, the number of ship-breaking factories will exceed 100 or 200, and the number of workers who rely on ship-breaking to collect scrap metal will reach several thousand.

It's developing so fast!

Hong Kong people are well-informed and fast in doing things, which is famous in the world of later generations.

At this rate, the Zhongtian Steel Plant will close by the end of next year, and it is expected that a total of 100 ships, including 10 aircraft carriers, will be scrapped.

Of course, you can also earn tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars. After all, you are the first to eat crabs, and the price of the boat purchased is very low.

"Aircraft carrier? Americans are not afraid of leaking technology?" Xu Caiying asked in layman's terms.

"The weapons have been disassembled! What's more, these aircraft carriers have no technology at all. The Soviets don't like it. On the other side, they don't care about this. No one studies it when they send it. The aircraft carrier is just there. Someone can go up and take a look. , and no one stopped me." Lin Zhichao smiled.

When the Americans sent the aircraft carrier, they didn't say anything except "a lot of money"!

As for a lot of money?

No matter how low the price is, Americans will sell it.

"That's it!" Xu Caiying was speechless.

Lin Zhichao took a look at the water quality in the surrounding sea areas. There were some oil stains, but it was not serious. Zhongtian Ship Recycling Yard submitted a piece of information to the Hong Kong government at the beginning of the year, which can provide guidance to other ship recycling yards and help them avoid more problems.

Of course, if there are one or two hundred ship-breaking yards in the later period, it will inevitably be uneven.

But fortunately, the ship-breaking business in Hong Kong was very popular until the end of 1961 at most, because with so many ship-breaking yards going to major ports to buy ships, as long as the ship owners are not stupid, prices will soon rise. Moreover, Southeast Asia will also join this ship breaking business, after all, the threshold is too low.

Eventually, the shipbreaking business became thinly profitable.

So after the "hot three years", it will disappear quickly, and the pollution will naturally disappear, after all, the sea water flows very fast.

But the economic contribution to Hong Kong may be in the hundreds of millions.