Hong Ji left as quickly as he came.
As soon as he left, Wang Yuzhang, who had just gone upstairs, asked curiously, "Chairman, who was that?"
"Hong Ji from Huarun Resources."
"I said he looked familiar."
Wang Yuzhang reacted and asked curiously, "Director Hong, what is it?"
"It's about Hongkelong."
Li Dong got up and said, "Yuzhang, what do you think about Hongkelong?"
"Me?" Wang Yuzhang paused for a moment and then said, "I don't think we need to compete with Huarun Resources this time. We have just acquired Carrefour, and our business has not been integrated yet. If we acquire Hongkelong at this time, on the one hand, there will be too much financial pressure, and on the other hand, it will easily cause a waste of resources. Moreover, our market share in Gan Province is not low. If we acquire Hongkelong, it will not help us as much as we think. Instead of acquiring Hongkelong, it is better to develop ourselves and have a more solid foundation. "
Li Dong said with a face full of smiles, "That's right, I think so too. Huarun Resources thinks that we will get involved, but in fact, it is underestimating us. Our business in Gan Province has now surpassed Hongkelong, and it does not make much sense to acquire Hongkelong. How much revenue did Hongkelong make in the first half of the year? "
"1.4 billion."
"What about us?"
"2.2 billion."
Li Dong smiled again and said, "That's it. Instead of spending so much money to invest in Hongkelong, it is better to concentrate on our own business. It will only take one or two years."
The few of them chatted as they walked out.
After leaving the hotel, Li Dong said with a relaxed face, "The performance in Gan Province is good. The first half of the year is not the golden period for sales, but we still have 2.2 billion in revenue, which is not low. It should not be a big problem to achieve the goal of 5 billion this year. "
Wang Yuzhang immediately said, "We promise to complete the task!"
"Last year, Gan Province only had 3 billion. Today's increase is good. Yuzhang, you did a good job."
Wang Yuzhang said excitedly, "It is under the leadership of the Chairman that we have today's glory. After acquiring Carrefour this year, our brand Far away has become a golden brand. In Gan Province, people used to only recognize foreign brands and Hongkelong. Now, we are Far away first. "
"Well done." Li Dong praised again, and then said casually, "If the revenue goes up, the profit has to go up too.
There weren't many events in Gan Province, and the rent and labor costs weren't high either.
Your branch company still needs to pay attention to the issue of costs.
Currently, Faraway Supermarket's profit was around 8%, and some areas even reached 10%.
Although Gan Province's 7.5% wasn't a big difference, it was still surpassed by others.
Yuzhang, at the same time, you have to avoid these as much as possible. Save as much as you can. Now, the group is waiting for the supermarket to donate blood. "
Wang Yuzhang immediately replied, "We have also noticed this even if you don't mention it. Recently, we have been carrying out publicity activities. The entire Gan Province is united, and our profits will increase along with our performance this year. The previous stage was mainly affected by the competition. Our store's location is slightly out of the way. If we raise the price, our business will suffer and our sales will be affected. Fortunately, we have more direct suppliers this year. Our costs are lower, and our profits will definitely be higher. "
"That's good."
Li Dong replied and got into the car. "Let's go to Bayi Square to take a look. I heard that the business there is quite good."
Wang Yuzhang didn't reject him. Of course, he didn't reject him either.
Everyone got into the car, and a few cars and a minibus drove towards Bayi Square.
…
On the way.
Zhou Haidong called.
The moment the call connected, Zhou Haidong said softly, "General Manager Li, there's some progress."
"Speak."
"It's mainly about the suppliers."
"Suppliers?"
"Yes, Gan Province isn't the only supplier. Other than Gan Province, many other places are like this.
After all, some factories are too far away from the local area, and they don't have factories there.
Just the logistics costs alone can make up for the discounts they give.
Under such circumstances, we will choose some local suppliers to work with.
It's the same in Gan Province. The problem is that some local suppliers and factories are offering slightly higher prices than the average price.
Although there aren't many high prices, there are a lot of goods, and the price difference is obvious. "
"So, you're saying that the loophole is here?"
Zhou Haidong thought for a while and said, "We can't say for the time being that it's because of this. After all, an appropriate price difference is allowed by the company. It's actually possible for the branch company to use this authority. However, under normal circumstances, if there's a price difference, the local company will cancel the supply. We also have professionals to conduct market research and audit. This time, there's a problem in Gan Province. "
"Continue."
"Previously, the headquarters also reminded Gan Province, but Wang Yuzhang said that these local suppliers are influential. Working with them will help us open up the local market. At first, the headquarters also tacitly agreed. "
"Really? I didn't see this in the report. Who agreed? "
"The supermarket's board of directors."
"So, you're saying that I've wronged Gan Province?"
Zhou Haidong hesitated for a while before saying softly, "You're not wronged. As I said before, the price difference is not the only factor. In fact, even with this, the gap wouldn't be so big. Last year, the gap in Gan Province was still as high as ten million. "
"Where did the money go?"
"We can't find out for the time being."
Li Dong frowned and said coldly, "Tens of millions of dollars is gone just like that. You said you couldn't find out. Is this how you do things?"
Zhou Haidong also felt a headache as he helplessly replied, "Gan Province's accounts are actually pretty clear, but we can't find out anything even if there are some problems."
"Continue to investigate, then!"
"Understood."
After hanging up the phone, Li Dong shook his head. He had underestimated these people and overestimated the headquarters.
They knew that there was a problem, but they couldn't find out anything.
Just when he finished thinking about this matter, Li Dong's phone rang again.
It was a call from Yu Bo. When Li Dong picked up the call, Yu Bo immediately said, "General Manager Li, you're in Gan Province?"
"Yeah."
"I'm also in Gan Province!"
"You're in Gan Province?" Li Dong was a little shocked. Aren't you breaking in with the team? "
Far away, the company had just been fully staffed not long ago.
In Li Dong's view, he still needed some time before he could launch an attack.
Yu Bo immediately replied, "I saw that General Manager Li is in a rush, so I pulled you out to train now that you're fully staffed. Let's talk to some small and medium-sized enterprises for everyone to get used to each other. We will have experience when we talk to other enterprises later on. "
"Practical training? That's feasible."
Li Dong felt that this wasn't a bad idea. He could talk to some small and medium-sized enterprises first. Even if he spent money, it wouldn't be a lot.
After the team gets used to each other, he could then conduct large-scale negotiations.
This way, he could save a lot of time, and he wouldn't have to feed idlers.
Since Yu Bo was in Gan Province, Li Dong did not think much about it.
However, Yu Bo suddenly said, "General Manager Li, we've been in Gan Province for a few days, and we've also talked to a few small enterprises about the transfer. During this period, we also checked the accounts and found something interesting. "
"Mhm?"
"There's a small enterprise that's our supermarket supplier."
"And then?"
"And then I found out that their inventory is bigger than we thought."
Li Dong frowned. "Be direct. What do you mean?"
"We didn't pay much attention to it at first, and they didn't know that we are actually a subsidiary under Far away. After all, we had just started working with the team, and we didn't use Far Away's name. In the end, some people from this company let it slip. These goods were actually sent to Faraway Supermarket. But the delivery was only in name. In fact, Far Away had ordered this batch of goods, and this batch of goods had even entered Faraway Supermarket's storage center. It had also passed the inspection … "
"Then why did this batch of goods return to the original manufacturer?" Li Dong caught the key point and asked again.
"After the sales period, it's a product that can't be sold, so it's sold at a discount."
Li Dong started to understand. Generally, there were three dates for the products in the supermarket: the sales date, the best date, and the expiration date.
Needless to say, the expired food was worthless.
After the best sales date, the supermarkets would start to think of ways to deal with the food. Discounts and promotions were common occurrences.
Sometimes, the supermarket's profits were very high. Some products could even have a gross margin of 50% or more.
The reason why the net interest rate was not high was because these expired products were also a kind of expense.
Of course, not every product needed to be handled by Far Away.
Some products would be recycled by the original manufacturer.
But if you can't sell it, and you bought too many goods, you can't let the other party bear all the losses. The supermarket had to bear some of the losses too.
When Yu Bo mentioned this, Li Dong said in a low voice, "You're saying that these are unsalable products from Far Away, and the manufacturer has recycled them?"
Yu Bo licked his lips and said, "Not only that."
"Not only that?"
"Yes!" Yu Bo affirmed. "If that's all, I wouldn't be surprised. After all, it's normal for the products to be unsalable. I won't think too much about it."
"What else is there?"
"Far Away, some of these products were already on the shelves. I saw the 'on the shelves' sign. That means these products were actually sold Far Away. But it's just a nominal sale. In fact, they were not officially on the shelves. They were directly taken back by the manufacturer. "
This time, it was Li Dong's turn to be puzzled. He asked curiously, "According to what you said, if these products were on the shelves and sold, there should only be benefits and no disadvantages. After all, the sales performance had increased … "
"Yes, the sales performance had increased, but that doesn't mean that the profits had increased. I've said it before. It's just that the sales period had passed and not expired. For the products that had passed the sales period, we had actually given them a discount. Not only were there no profits, but some products were even making losses. For the products that had passed the sales period, we can actually sell them again. If you're not afraid of the trouble, you can even change the packaging and re-leave the factory. It won't affect the sales and quality at all. "
"You mean …" Li Dong finally understood a little. He deliberated for a moment before saying, "Our products were actually not on the shelves. But on the list of goods, in the warehouse, it was registered with the date of purchase. When the best sales period had passed, this batch of goods would be sold at a discount. And this discount was only in name. The products had never entered the mall from the beginning to the end. At the final stage, this batch of goods was returned to the manufacturer in the name of a discount promotion? "
"Yes."
"So, our sales performance had improved, but the profits had slightly declined."
"I'm not too sure about this, but I think it should be like this."
"And when the manufacturer got this batch of goods, they would change the packaging and sell it again. Even if they weren't black-hearted and sold it to others at the price that had passed the best sales period, or even Far Away, could there still be a second profit? "
"Exactly."
Li Dong raised his eyebrows and said, "This is considered a win-win situation. Far Away's sales improved, and the manufacturer will have a second profit. Am I right?"
Yu Bo said softly, "Yes, what we care about is the sales performance. As for the slight decline in profits, there is nothing we can do. After all, Far Away has always been pursuing revenue and wanting to be number one. It should be acceptable for the sales performance to go up and the profits to go down. As for the extra batch of goods, if we can't sell them, we can't let them rot in the warehouse, right? "
"Yes, there are too many goods. Even if there is a little more in each batch, no one will notice. We have so many stores and so many activities. Who knows if we have enough goods? At least we have to ensure that we don't run out of stock. "
Li Dong laughed self-deprecatingly. This would actually not happen in other supermarkets.
The shortage rate was an important indicator for a retail company.
What did that mean?
In other words, it was better to stock less than to stock more. Only when the goods were almost sold out would they continue to stock up.
However, Far Away had been more active, and they would often cooperate with online shopping malls.
If there were fewer goods, there would be a lot of trouble.
Hence, Far Away, the incoming goods had always been greater than the outgoing goods. There were only stocks, and there were very few shortages.
Of course, even if there were stocks, it would not be a lot. They would conduct research before deciding how much to stock up.
But if there were a little more, they could use the excuse of preparing for the next event or increasing the outgoing goods. It would be natural for them to stock up more.
Li Dong understood all these and said, "After the factory generates a second round of profits, there will be a rebate, right? So far Away, it has not reached the point of giving a second round of profits to others. "
"Only the boss knows about this. As for the specifics, I am not sure how much they have, and it is not appropriate for me to ask." Yu Bo quickly said.
Li Dong said softly, "Alright, I understand. Do what you need to do. You don't have to worry about this."
"Yes, I understand."
Li Dong hung up the phone with a self-deprecating look on his face. So far away, the factory had a second round of profits, and some people could even get a share of the profits returned by the factory. It looked like everyone was happy!
But in reality?
Where did the money come from?
So far away, it was evenly distributed from the profits of other goods. In addition, because of the increase in sales, taxes would increase.
In short, So far away was the only loss.
Of course, if they only cared about sales, it did not matter if the profits were lower.
Didn't Li Dong want to be number one?
Sure, here you go!
Our sales were very good. Although the profits were low, there was nothing we could do about it. If the sales were good, there would be promotions and discounts. These activities had to be done.
As for this promotional product, it was directly bought by someone else. That was a sign of good business.
What? Make money?
There was no hope of making money. Our current task was to focus on sales. Make money after we became number one.
This was probably not just one person's idea, but many people's.
Who asked you, Li Dong, to want to be number one!
Who asked you, Li Dong, to only care about sales? If the sales were good, you would get more bonuses. You did not punish anyone for a drop in profits.
Moreover, the risk was not high. The goods had indeed entered the warehouse, and they were indeed unsalable.
Wasn't it normal for unsalable products to be sold at a discount?
The only unusual thing was that the buyer after the discount was the original manufacturer.
But no one said that the original manufacturer could not be a customer, right?
There were naturally loopholes, but it was hard to determine whether it was a crime or not.
Of course, if someone took a rebate, it should be so.
But was there any evidence?
No!
Zhou Haidong said that there was no problem with Gan Province's accounts, so there was definitely no problem. That was because all the accounts were there.
There were records of the goods entering and exiting the warehouse, and there were also discounts.
Even the sales were included. The only thing that was omitted was probably the transportation.
The people of Gan Province were very good at doing things. Once the goods were out of the warehouse, the promotion was over, and the money for labor transportation was saved. Saving expenses. What good employees and supervisors!
The lower-level employees did not know if there was a promotion, and the higher-level supervisors did not care about which products were participating in the promotion.
The warehouse was only responsible for the goods entering and exiting. They were not responsible for anything else.
There were not many people needed in the middle, and there were not many procedures.
Of course, there were still procedures and checks when the goods entered the shopping mall for sale. However, these procedures had been reduced to the minimum.
By simplifying a few procedures, this matter was done without anyone knowing. Many people probably did not realize this.
They only saw on the documents that a certain product was participating in the promotion, and the promotion was good. All the products were sold out. This was a very normal thing.
How many people would specially go to thousands of products to see if there was a promotion for a certain product?
Even if they went to take a look, what could they say if they said it was sold out?
Or if it was more troublesome, the products could enter the market directly, and the factory would take them back. Actually, it was the same. It was just that the fees were slightly higher, and their secondary profits would be lower.
If it was a more cautious person, it might not be impossible to do this.
This trick might not work in other supermarkets, but Far away, it could really fool them.
Who asked Distance to be lax all the time? The major departments mainly looked at performance and revenue. Even other things were not taken care of.
When the sales were good, even if the profits were low, many people could accept it.
If everyone did this, Li Dong might not be able to see through it, and it was the same for the others.
But in Gan Province, it was slightly more obvious.
Especially after Chen Ke's arrival, Gan Province's sales suddenly increased a lot. No matter how they looked at it, it felt like they were fooling people.
At this time, of course, Li Dong would be suspicious.
It was not only Li Dong. In fact, the finance department and the supervision department were also suspicious, but they could not find any evidence. After all, all the procedures were complete, and there was no problem with the accounts.
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