Chapter 415 - 240: Chen Xiao’s "Incognito Visit" (Part 2)

Chapter 415: Chapter 240: Chen Xiao’s "Incognito Visit" (Part 2)

A moment later, a young, handsome man wearing the mall’s standard uniform entered Starbucks. Just then, Zhang Hua’s phone rang!

He quickly stood up and waved at the young man walking in. "President Lu?"

The handsome young man was none other than Lu Guangming.

"I never thought President Lu would be so young and handsome!"

Lu Guangming smiled, accepting the flattery.

After sitting down, however, he glanced at the next table and felt a surge of irritation. ’Why is there some ridiculously handsome bastard sitting here!’

He had always prided himself on his good looks. Standing at 180cm tall and holding a key position, he was quite popular with the young ladies.

All this had given him a great deal of confidence. But now, with an even more handsome and charismatic man sitting nearby, he couldn’t help but feel annoyed. ’Am I just part of the background now?’

"Are there no other seats?"

Zhang Hua gave an awkward smile. "Business is booming. This is the only spot left."

Lu Guangming knew that; he had just been grumbling.

"So, President Zhang, first time in Luocheng?"

Zhang Hua nodded. "Yes. Our brand only recently arrived in the Han River area."

"How many stores do you have nationwide?"

"Not many, just over a hundred. We position ourselves as a mid-to-high-end brand, so we’re very selective about the malls we open in."

"Heh, selective? We’re not short on brands right now. As for mid-to-high-end, we’ve got plenty of well-known names lining up. You only have a hundred-some stores nationwide. That doesn’t exactly scream ’powerhouse,’ does it?"

Zhang Hua quickly clarified, "President Lu, please don’t misunderstand. I mean that our company has to consider the return on investment, so we’re cautious about opening new stores. We try to pick projects where we can see a quick return of capital. It’s not that our brand is so amazing we get to pick and choose malls!"

He nodded. "It seems your company does have some issues with capital. The retail business is all about turnover. Without strong cash flow, rapid development is very difficult."

Zhang Hua was starting to get annoyed. ’I’ve been buttering you up this whole time, and you just keep trashing my company. What is your deal?’

"President Lu, our company was only founded less than two years ago. Our growth rate has already been very fast! Besides, our big boss’s portfolio isn’t limited to this sector. He’s also in entertainment and hospitality. We have plenty of backing!"

"Heh! Our Junxiao Group has hotels too, but we only deal with five-star and above."

Zhang Hua could see it now. This Lu Guangming liked to talk down to people, to constantly assert his superiority.

’I casually mention that my company is in the hotel business, and he immediately has to bring up Junxiao Group’s hotel management to one-up me. Was that really necessary?’

But he had recently been in Jiangzhou and heard plenty about the Junxiao Group’s power. Their might was truly on another level, so daunting that one could only sigh in awe. He couldn’t afford to be disrespectful.

He was here to negotiate, which meant he was the one asking for a favor. He had no choice but to smile politely. "The Junxiao Group’s power is known far and wide, of course!"

Lu Guangming beamed, as if he owned the Junxiao Group himself.

"President Zhang, I’ve looked over your brand’s materials. How should I put this... they’re just so-so. Getting into Luocheng Junxiao Square is going to be extremely difficult. I have no reason to tell my superiors to pass over the other brands already in line to choose you."

At that moment, Zhang Hua passed over a product brochure.

He held it with one hand and flipped open the cover with the other. The upright cover conveniently blocked the line of sight from the handsome man at the next table.

It also allowed Lu Guangming to immediately spot the shopping card tucked inside.

"President Lu, this is our product brochure. Please take a look when you have a moment."

Lu Guangming smiled. He took the brochure, closed it, and said, "A very exquisite brochure. I’ll take it back and study it. But from a quick glance, I can tell your company is serious about its products. There’s definitely a chance for us to cooperate!"

The atmosphere of their conversation improved significantly after that.

Zhang Hua asked tentatively, "President Lu, I heard that all the Junxiao Squares are downsizing their gold and jewelry sections this year to make room for more retail and experiential brands."

"That’s right. You guys are pretty well-informed. But there are too many wolves and not enough meat to go around."

Zhang Hua understood immediately. The 5,000-yuan shopping card would, at best, just get his foot in the door.

He thought for a moment before adding, "I was just walking around the first floor, and I noticed that the positioning of a few brands doesn’t quite match the mall’s overall ambiance. I imagine they’ll be part of the adjustment too?"

Lu Guangming gave a mysterious smile. "You mean ’Bambury’?"

Zhang Hua nodded. A high-end mall like this had a few of them. Regular consumers might not know the difference, but people in the business could spot a knock-off like that from a mile away.

It was leeching off a famous brand. The name sounded foreign and chic, and at first glance, you might even mistake it for a premium line of Burberry.

A low-tier brand like that might be fine for a local shopping center, but it was clearly out of place in Luocheng Junxiao Square.

"But they pay high rent!"

Lu Guangming explained the reason in a single sentence. The old Wansheng Square management prioritized rental income above all else. Whenever they were struggling to meet their targets, a knock-off brand willing to pay high rent became their saving grace.

Zhang Hua asked, "How much rent do they pay?"

As he saw it, if the rent was comparable, his company would be willing to pay a certain price to get in. After all, he had used the sales figures from their Junxiao Second Store to successfully convince his management to prioritize expansion into Junxiao Squares.

Lu Guangming replied, "I don’t remember, but it isn’t low. Don’t even ask about those stores. We can’t give them to you. Those waters run deep."

That one phrase—"Those waters run deep"—was enough to stop Zhang Hua from asking any more questions. He knew it touched on private dealings.

He knew that many good locations were tied up in the mutual interests of various parties. He wasn’t about to be the one to expose it, and no one else would dare to, either—not unless they wanted to be blacklisted from the industry.