The Industrial Giant Reborn

"It's great to have twins, twins. They will have both children." Wu Xiuling almost closed her eyes with a smile.

After a while, the two children were pushed out. This was also the first time that Chen Zhiwen had such close contact with his children. In his previous life, he had no offspring, and he became a father for the first time in two lives.

Chen Zhiwen had no experience in holding children, so he just put his fingers on the hands of the two babies. The baby girl instinctively grabbed the fingers. Her hands were so small that it felt like she was grabbing a pillar. generally.

The boy next to him suddenly started crying, which caused Chen Tianfu and his wife to panic. Although they had raised children before, it was decades ago, and at that time, it was completely different from now.

Several nannies who had been on call for a long time quickly came forward and judged that the child must be hungry. After feeding the prepared goat milk powder, he felt much better.

After a while, Liu Xiaoli was also pushed out of the operating room by the doctors inside. Everyone also placed the two children on both sides of her. It seemed that they smelled their mother's scent, and the two of them quickly became completely quiet. down.

After just giving birth to her child, Liu Xiaoli's body was relatively weak, and it was also late at night. After everyone interacted for a while, they sent the three of them to the rest room that had been prepared. As super VIPs, they had just arrived at the hospital. When it was built, this place had already been designed to serve the Chen family, and the relevant personnel were naturally ready.

The birth and subsequent care of the Chen family's heir are huge matters. Even a billion-dollar business has to be postponed.

Chen Zhiwen stayed in the hospital for the next few days and did not need to participate in care. However, it was good to play and interact with the children when they woke up.

Liu Xiaoli's parents and family were also arranged to come to Hong Kong, and all the family members celebrated the birth of two new lives together.

Time also flies by, and half a month has passed in the blink of an eye. Chen Zhiwen feels very happy accompanying his child's growth. He has put aside all business matters and feels a lot more relaxed.

However, as the top entrepreneur in Hong Kong and even the world, many responsibilities are unavoidable. For example, in Hong Kong alone, there are tens of thousands of employees who directly depend on his industry for their lives. In addition, there are dozens of employees in the mainland and overseas. Ten thousand. Indirectly, it may be multiplied by 10.

If it were just a company like Land, he could just leave it alone. Anyway, he could just collect rent and wait for appreciation, as long as he didn't encounter a real estate crisis. However, he had many companies of various types under his umbrella. Although he had professional managers, he could As the boss, he still needs to get to know him regularly.

On May 22, Chen Zhiwen met Henry Morgan, who had come from the United States, in a private room of a coffee shop next to Huagang Hospital.

"Eric, congratulations on becoming a father and having twins. This is my gift to the two children. Please keep it." Henry Morgan took out a mahogany-colored gift box from the bag beside him and said with a smile.

"Thank you." Chen Zhiwen was not polite and accepted it directly. No gift has any actual value to these people. It is just a manifestation of friendly relations.

After opening the box, there were two jade pendants inside, which were shaped a bit like cows.

"Is this a cow?" Chen Zhiwen asked curiously.

"Yes, it's the Ox." Henry Morgan laughed and said: "I know that you Chinese have something called the zodiac, which is based on 12 animals. According to this rule, this year is the Year of the Ox, so I specifically found an expert on jade. Based on the shapes recorded in ancient Chinese books, we created this pair of cow-shaped jade pendants. If you like them, you will like them."

"It's very good, I like it very much." Chen Zhiwen smiled and nodded. The gift itself was not bad, and it was quite thoughtful, even if it was not necessarily the idea of ​​Henry Morgan.

"Actually, I like cows very much, but it's a pity that they are too big. Otherwise, they would be great as pets." Henry Morgan said with a smile.

"It's true." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said. In terms of contribution to human civilization, cattle are definitely the greatest, especially in ancient China with agricultural civilization. In ancient times, even killing cattle was illegal. In modern times, it has changed. Became food.

"Eric, this is the final offer from the Huberline Group. Can you take a look at it? If it does, you can trade it directly." Henry Morgan said again. Although Chen Zhiwen is his important partner, he doesn't really want to make him come all the way from the United States just to give him a gift. The main reason for coming here is for the acquisition of KFC. This acquisition is a big deal for Morgan Stanley. , it can be regarded as a medium-sized acquisition.

"$515 million, it seems they have made a lot of concessions." Chen Zhiwen took the envelope and took a look at it.

"It may also be caused by the deteriorating financial situation. As far as I know, they have also contacted several large food companies in Europe and the United States, but they have never received a response, so they probably can't wait any longer." Henry Morgan said.

"No response? Which companies?" Chen Zhiwen asked.

"Nestlé and Danone in Europe, PepsiCo here in the United States, and a large fund company on Wall Street." Henry Morgan replied: "Huberlein has been in contact with them for several months and wants to bring them in. Then I competed with you for KFC, but they seemed to be unsuccessful. I also asked through my connections.

In fact, it’s not that these companies don’t like KFC, but they may not be willing to have an acquisition conflict with you, and the internal disputes are relatively large. You also know that listed companies have too many shareholders and directors. If a small number of people object, just do it. He couldn't get up, so in the end it was settled. "

"It seems that my name still has some effect in Europe and the United States." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile. This is also one of the benefits of being a well-known figure. When doing anything, when others want to get involved, they need to consider the pros and cons. For example, generally Unless they encounter a strategic acquisition target, no one is willing to confront another large consortium, and doing so will not be good for themselves.

Even Chen Zhiwen himself will be the same. There is no need to conflict with other consortiums over things with low returns. The fundamental purpose of everyone in the shopping mall is to make money. In a small place like Hong Kong, the market is too small. There are only so many benefits, and there are only so many good things, so there are often multi-party acquisition wars. In the international market, although there are many acquisition cases, there are rarely confrontations between consortia, because there is no need, and other similar There are many companies that can be acquired.

Although KFC's scale is not small, it is not irreplaceable. There are many companies of the same type, and the untapped market is huge. Even if a company starts over, there will be certain opportunities. If it were McDonald's, which is already very well-known and almost the largest in the world, it might really be able to attract a large number of wolves to fight for it. Otherwise, no one would make enemies at will. This can be regarded as a potential Rules are in place to prevent the acquiree from ultimately taking advantage.

"Your name is very famous on Wall Street. I don't know how many big investment banks want to establish relationships with you." Henry Morgan said with a smile.

This is the truth. Chen Zhiwen’s entrepreneurial history is no longer a secret on Wall Street. From the initial start-up to the subsequent major global mergers and acquisitions, almost none of them failed. They can be said to be very successful, and the income from each investment is also It is very big. It can be said that it has stepped on the most suitable node. This can make people on Wall Street red-eyed. They want to establish a relationship but have no chance.

Of course, as a major investment bank, it is actually easy to meet Chen Zhiwen, but what is the use of meeting? It requires cooperation. Therefore, Costco’s subsequent listing in the United States has become the target of many investment banks.

Morgan Stanley has an advantage in this regard, but it cannot be said to sit back and relax. The Morgan consortium also values ​​Chen Zhiwen very highly. Especially a few years ago, they invested in U.S. junk bonds based on Chen Zhiwen's advice. Now that the economy is picking up, These once worthless junk bonds suddenly multiplied in value several times, making those who originally invested regret not investing more. However, this was impossible. In that situation, how could everything be lost because of an outsider's advice? What about in?

Now, the opportunity for junk bonds has passed, and the family also wants to know whether there will be any good opportunities in the future. This is why the group also attaches great importance to the acquisition of KFC and has concentrated a lot of manpower and material resources on this acquisition. You don’t have to make money, as long as you get Costco’s listing contracting qualification or another good investment opportunity, the intermediary fee is just a drop in the bucket.

"Then let's make the deal this way, but it's still a little higher than I expected. Let's extend the payment a little longer." Chen Zhiwen nodded and made his decision.

KFC's current annual net profit is close to 25 million US dollars. According to the general price-earnings ratio, it is more than 400 million US dollars. This is an acquisition. If the price is a little higher, it will be almost 500 million US dollars. It should be about the same. , you always have to pay more for acquisitions. If you get it early, it can be considered as a matter of implementation. Otherwise, if any food giant really joins in, it will be troublesome. Although this possibility is not high, and acquisitions After that, the current time is considered suitable and we can start to enter the country. At least those cities that have been opened will be no problem.

"Okay, then when I go back, I will immediately start preparing the acquisition agreement, and I will show it to you after the agreement is completed." Henry Morgan said.

"Okay, that's hard work." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said. Morgan Stanley is responsible for all this matter, from front to back, including the drafting of the contract. Even after the acquisition, there will be follow-up after-sales service. Service, although investment banking in the United States is not a good thing, as long as you want to do long-term business, you must provide good service. This is true in the capital world. Supermarkets have good service because they know you will come to shop. Poor service will affect the business. , and real estate companies or automobile companies are another matter.

"Yes." Henry added: "KFC's current CEO, Mr. Sean Mosby, wants to meet with you before the acquisition to understand the future development. What do you think?"

"Okay, just let him come to Hong Kong directly." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said. Although KFC is currently in the middle of the American fast food industry, it also involves thousands of jobs. If suppliers or franchisees are included, there are tens of thousands of people. , it is a very important thing for such a company to change ownership at the capital level. The existing management will inevitably need to communicate with the new boss to understand the new boss’s requirements for the future company, the help or reverse it can provide Questions such as how much resources the company will ask for.

"Okay, then he will come to Hong Kong in the next few days." Henry Morgan nodded and said.

Three days later, Sean Mosby, the current CEO of KFC, came to Hong Kong. It was still the same coffee shop, and Chen Zhiwen met him here.

"Mr. Mosby, please, the coffee here is not bad." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.

"Mr. Chen, you should call me Sean." Sean Mosby did not dare to be careless. Although Chen Zhiwen proposed to acquire KFC half a year ago, he sent someone to investigate. This Asian super-rich man and professional manager around the world He has a good reputation among the people. He is polite to his subordinates, willing to delegate power, and is willing to strongly support his company, including using his own money to increase capital, etc. However, these are just rumors. He doesn't dare to take a gamble on the specifics. , and even if the future boss is like this, he will still treat those veteran employees differently, and he will be treated differently as a newcomer.

"Okay, Sean, this is more convenient." Chen Zhiwen nodded and asked, "Have you been to Hong Kong before?"

"I have been here, more than ten years ago. I was not the CEO of KFC at that time. I was responsible for developing the Hong Kong market. I have visited many prosperous business districts in Hong Kong. I have to say that Hong Kong has changed a lot in the past ten years. ." Sean said. He came to Hong Kong last night, so it was naturally impossible to find the boss at night, so he had time to walk around Hong Kong's Central District and get some news.

"The changes in Hong Kong will only get bigger and bigger." Chen Zhiwen smiled and asked: "I remember ten years ago, there was a KFC in Hong Kong, but then it disappeared and only McDonald's remained."

"Yes, the operation in Hong Kong was not very successful. The main reason was that after the oil crisis broke out, we did not have enough funds to expand in many places around the world, and later we had to shrink." Sean said.

"The oil crisis, coupled with subsequent inflation and high interest rates in Europe and the United States, did have a great impact on the expansion of enterprises, but this cannot be said to be the whole reason. McDonald's was also affected, but they are still in a stage of rapid expansion in the past ten years. ." Chen Zhiwen said.

"I admit this. In terms of business operations, we can't beat McDonald's. Especially now that their advantages have emerged, it will be even harder for us to catch up." Sean nodded and said, although there were other reasons, but But I just can't beat it. McDonald's is indeed stronger.

"McDonald's has taken the lead in the U.S. market. That's not to say there are no opportunities, but it's not cost-effective to compete in their main market. Even if your main products are different, your customers are the same. In Europe, it's better. , it is still possible to catch up now, and the places I am most optimistic about are places like Asia or South America, which you have not yet touched much." Chen Zhiwen said slowly. (End of chapter)