When he heard Sun Tao say that someone was deliberately targeting Far away, Li Dong knew trouble was coming.
And this trouble was inevitable. It was not something that could be solved by giving in and taking a step back.
The business world was like a battlefield. The market was only so big. If you wanted to make money, others also wanted to make money. If they did not kill you, they would be the ones dying.
Li Dong wanted to monopolize Pingchuan and even Jiangbei. This was the source of the conflict.
And this conflict could not be resolved unless Li Dong was willing to give up most of his profits. But this was not something that Li Dong could do.
Li Dong thought for a while and said, "Do you know which family did this?"
Sun Tao smiled bitterly. "It's not just one family. I suspect that all of them are involved."
This was not just a matter of one or two families. If the dozens of shops Far away were to open up, there would be no room for others to survive in Pingchuan.
At this juncture, the weak would naturally form an alliance.
They did not even need to show up to do anything. Everyone was on the same side. They could not let Far away continue to have such a smooth sailing.
There were more than 30 shops. Including the few that were open now, there were more than 40 shops in total.
Pingchuan had four districts and five counties. The area was only so big and the population was only so big. If Far away were to gain a foothold, the others would not be able to survive.
When he heard Sun Tao say this, Li Dong felt a headache.
One or two shops were fine. But if all the large supermarkets in Pingchuan were to get involved, it would be hard to deal with.
In terms of strength, the current Far Away was naturally stronger than these branches.
But don't forget, they had a strong backing. They had a strong backing and deep pockets. If they really wanted to go all out, Far Away might not be their match.
Although it was a headache, this matter had to be dealt with in time.
Otherwise, if it dragged on, it would be even more troublesome.
Li Dong tapped his fingers on the table. He picked up a map of Pingchuan and looked at it for a while.
Then he said to Sun Tao, "Tell me about the progress of the new shops."
Sun Tao immediately said, "There are currently 34 stores under construction in Pingchuan. Including the Longhua store and five convenience stores, there are a total of 40 stores."
"There is one first-level store in Longhua, three second-level stores, five third-level stores, sixteen fourth-level stores, and fifteen fifth-level stores …"
"The 34 new stores were divided into two batches and 18 of them are nearing completion. The other stores should be finished by the end of the year. "
Although Sun Tao had handed over the construction of the store to Wang Yue, he had never let go of it.
When Li Dong asked, Sun Tao's answers were clear and logical. He knew all the data like the back of his hand.
As he listened, Li Dong made marks on the map.
Soon, the map was filled with all kinds of small dots, some red, some green, and some black.
Sun Tao glanced at the map and compared it to reality. Soon, he could tell what each dot represented.
The red dots represented the supermarkets in Pingchuan other than Far away. The green dots represented the supermarkets that were already open or close to completion. The black dots represented the stores that could not be completed yet.
Usually, Sun Tao did not care. But now, Sun Tao frowned.
The distribution of these green dots was very interesting. Besides the unique Longhua store, the rest of the green dots surrounded the red dots.
The other green dots surrounded the red dot one after another. At a glance, the red dot was particularly eye-catching.
Sun Tao frowned at first, then he understood. Soon, he sighed in his heart.
Am I really getting old?
When the stores were built in batches, Sun Tao thought that Li Dong had randomly selected the stores. Now, it seemed that Li Dong had the intention to force him to abdicate.
Once these stores marked with green dots were opened, it would be impossible for them not to fall out.
Li Dong had gone too far. He was obviously not giving them a way out.
At this time, they could not blame others for causing trouble. They could only blame Li Dong for being too ambitious and having the intention to kill them all.
Li Dong did not care what Sun Tao thought. Sun Tao had guessed correctly. He had wanted to deal with the other supermarkets long ago.
Even if he could not force them to close down, he could not give them a chance to expand.
Forcing them to withdraw their claws and trap them in a corner. This was Li Dong's intention.
But Li Dong did not expect those people to retaliate so quickly. Before he opened for business, they had already started.
Of course, the others were not fools. After a careful analysis, most of them could guess Li Dong's intention. It was certain that they would retaliate.
Li Dong thought for a moment and said, "How is the recruitment going?"
"We have recruited 100 employees. Now, they are training at the branches."
"Not enough!"
Li Dong frowned. "100 people is too little. A level 3 store needs about 100 people to support it. Level 2 stores need more people. Recruit more people. At the beginning of next month, all 18 stores will be open for business! "
"General Manager Li!"
Sun Tao's face turned pale. He smiled bitterly. "This is too urgent!"
18 stores. How many people would be needed? How could they be satisfied in such a short time?
Even if there were level 4 and 5 stores, there were still level 2 and 3 stores. 18 stores would need at least 700 to 800 people.
Recruiting so many people at once was not only difficult, but also the financial pressure.
So far away's funds were almost depleted for these stores and the land in Washington. The bank loans were also almost used up. So far away's profits this year were all invested into these stores.
Now, there were too many problems with opening so many stores at once. It was too troublesome.
Manpower, funds, supply …
All these problems were troublesome. If it was not handled well, it might backfire. So far away would not be able to suppress other supermarkets.
According to Sun Tao's plan, they should proceed step by step, opening two or three stores at once. By the end of the year, all 18 stores will be open.
As for the remaining stores, they would have to wait until the beginning of next year. At that time, it would be easier to recruit people. The employees at the front would have two to three months to adapt. That would be a suitable opportunity.
There was also the problem of supply.
By opening so many stores at once, the previous suppliers would not be enough. They were not a treasury. So far away did not have that much money to spend.
At this time, they would need to redevelop their supply channels. All these would take time.
It was already early November. There were only slightly more than 20 days left until the next month. Li Dong's request was too unreliable.
Li Dong's frown deepened. Naturally, he also knew that it would be very difficult.
But the longer he delayed, the more trouble there would be. Those people had already started to fight back. If he delayed any longer, there might be some changes.
According to Li Dong's plan, he should open all 18 stores at once. After that, he would launch a thunderous attack. It would be best if he could defeat the other party in one fell swoop.
Of course, Li Dong knew the possibility of this was not high. But how would he know if he did not try?
After thinking for a while, Li Dong said, "If 18 stores are not enough, then let's start with these 10 stores. Ten stores should be enough."
Sun Tao looked at the map Li Dong was pointing at. He thought for a while and said, "If we put in some effort, it should be possible."
"But why these few?"
Now, there were a total of six large supermarkets in Pingchuan. Carrefour, Tesco, Lotus Mart, RT-Mart, Yonghui, and Century Lianhua.
The 10 stores Li Dong chose were surrounded by Carrefour, Tesco, and Lotus Mart.
Lotus Mart was not very famous at this time. Sun Tao did not think much of it.
However, Carrefour and Tesco were both powerful. Wouldn't it be asking for trouble if they fought with them?
Li Dong replied calmly. "Because these are all exclusive stores!"
Sun Tao understood what Li Dong meant.
At this time, Carrefour and Tesco had not expanded yet. In Jiangbei, these three had only one store in Pingchuan.
Pingchuan's store should be the bridgehead for these three supermarkets. If they could force them out of their footing, they might not continue to invest in Jiangbei and might even retreat.
As for the other three supermarkets, they were considered established supermarkets in Jiangbei. They had branches in almost every city.
They had already established a foothold in Jiangbei, and they will not back down easily. Also, their foundations were stronger than Far away. If they were to fight, who knows who would die?
The more Sun Tao thought about it, the more he felt it was feasible.
But the more Sun Tao thought about it, the more he felt it was not reliable. Li Dong was too ambitious.
In this era, if they want to force the other supermarkets to give up, they will still have to fight a price war.
Fighting with so many supermarkets at once would require a lot of money. It was too much of a loss. Both sides might suffer a loss. Far away might suffer a huge loss.
If they could force the other party to leave, it would be fine. But if the stalemate continued, they would suffer a huge loss.
The main reason was that Distance Shooting Range did not have much capital. They would not be able to continue fighting until the end. If the other three companies tried to take advantage of the situation, then Distance Shooting Range would be in big trouble.
Sun Tao advised. "General Manager Li, why don't we talk to them? When doing business, harmony breeds wealth … …"
Li Dong glanced at Dong Xuebing. "Do you believe what you said?"
Sun Tao was slightly embarrassed, but he still said. "But we really do not have any money!"
The expansion in 2005 was too fast. The original plan was to open 30 stores, but the number had more than doubled. Now, there were almost 70 stores.
Also, there were two investments. Baidu's 70 million RMB and Washington's 80 million RMB.
All in all, the total expenditure in 2005 had exceeded 300 million RMB and was close to 400 million RMB.
In fact, Far Away's revenue was at most 100 million RMB. Other than the 60 million RMB from the bank, Far Away had overdrawn 200 million RMB worth of payments!
Luckily, Far Away was not a listed company. If not, the company's share prices would plummet.
Now, Li Dong still wants to fight a price war. Far Away could not hold on any longer.
Li Dong had overdrawn their payments. Now, Li Dong was walking on a tightrope. If not for Baidu's shares, Sun Tao would have died.
"We have to do it even if we do not have the money! It's not that I want to fight them. It's them who are not giving us a chance. If we don't fight them now, all our efforts will be in vain. You were the one who proposed the plan to cover all the stores in Pingchuan. If you back off now, how can you face me? "
Sun Tao smiled bitterly. Fine. Don't say anything else.
Although Li Dong's words were harsh, it was the truth.
When he proposed to cover all the stores in Pingchuan, he had already put Far Away and the other supermarkets on the opposite side.
It's fine if you are stronger than others. Everyone can still make money.
But if you are so much stronger than others, others will not let you live a good life when they have no money to make.
At this time, even if Dong Xuebing did not risk his life, those people would not let Far Away eat into their market.
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