Chapter 1901

Chapter 1901: Chapter 1901

"A foreign supermarket?" Wu Qiangwei was taken aback.

Song Guanchao said, "Our Jiangzhou, after all, is a provincial city, yet what other provincial cities have, we in Jiangzhou lack. Nationally renowned high-end malls, Jiangzhou has not a single one."

"Those wealthy people go shopping in Modu and Jinling."

"Annual luxury consumption is all contributed to other provinces."

Wu Qiangwei grew more confused as she listened; weren’t they talking about a foreign supermarket? How did it shift to high-end malls?

However, what he said was indeed the case.

Jiangzhou is a standard weak second-tier city, incomparable to even Luzhou, let alone Jinling or Hanwu.

In terms of consumption, it’s about the same as Gusu.

Though Gusu has the highest GDP in Jiangnan, there’s only GDP to speak of; in other aspects, it’s significantly behind Jinling.

Of course, Jiangzhou isn’t much better.

"Did you specifically research this?" Wu Qiangwei asked.

"I learned about it during my survey,"

"What do you mean by a foreign supermarket?" Wu Qiangwei steered the conversation back.

Song Guanchao said, "The high-end market for wealthy consumers can’t be tackled in the short term, but the consumption power of the middle class can be addressed."

"I plan to introduce a foreign supermarket to boost the middle class’s spending power."

This idea had surfaced when the Cultural Industrial Park was being reactivated.

In the past month, he had been pondering it repeatedly and had even called Cai Zixiang for consultation.

Cai Zixiang highly praised his idea, considering it an excellent point for economic revitalization.

Of course, there are challenges.

Foreign supermarkets are vastly different from regular supermarkets.

The recognition of foreign supermarkets among people is incredibly high, directly affecting whether a foreign supermarket will establish itself, mainly depending on whether they recognize your city.

The initiative is with the foreign supermarkets, not with the local government.

So, even if Song Guanchao has this idea, there’s no guarantee they would be willing to come to Jiangzhou.

However, Cai Zixiang analyzed it for him, suggesting a high likelihood of a foreign supermarket settling in Jiangzhou.

Currently, Nanjiang Province doesn’t have a single foreign supermarket, and Jiangzhou is the provincial capital. Once a foreign supermarket establishes itself here, it can attract the middle class from local and nearby cities.

Just like the few foreign supermarkets in Jinling, every weekend, they attract middle-class consumers from surrounding cities to shop.

This group of middle-class consumers has strong purchasing power; once they come, they won’t just shop at the supermarket but will also promote surrounding consumption.

Song Guanchao’s idea is to bring the foreign supermarket to Wensong District, near the industrial park.

Listening to his planning and aspirations, Wu Qiangwei’s eyes grew ever brighter.

"It’s indeed a good idea, but it’s also quite difficult," Wu Qiangwei acknowledged his idea while pointing out the challenges.

Song Guanchao chuckled lightly, "If it were easy, it wouldn’t have waited until now."

He didn’t think that only he had come up with this idea.

Previous leaders surely had considered it too; they might have even attempted to connect with foreign supermarkets.

But the fact that Jiangzhou City still lacks a foreign supermarket shows that the difficulty is not ordinary.

Yet one cannot stop advancing because of challenges.

Moreover, great difficulty also signifies incredible benefits.

"In a couple of days, I’ll contact a foreign supermarket and have a chat,"

After saying this, Song Guanchao left.

Time quickly flew by, and the next day arrived. Song Guanchao had asked someone early to clear out the meeting room and prepare tea in advance.

By nine-thirty, the representatives from Pinghai City’s companies started trickling in.

Song Guanchao stood downstairs, personally receiving each one, giving them proper respect.

At that moment, a charming figure stepped out of a white Bentley car.

The woman’s figure was tall and slender, possessing the grace of an older sister, yet she had an adorable and sweet face, with ear-length short hair adding a touch of smartness.

The weather in April was beginning to warm up, and the woman wore pure white wide-legged culottes and a smooth, silky blouse tucked evenly into her waistband, with the shirt perfectly outlining the curve of her chest.

"Director Song." The woman approached, her smile both gentle and sweet, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling.

"Chairman Qiao." Song Guanchao clasped her fair, tender hand, separating after a brief touch.

This was at the City Government; he needed to keep a distance from Qiao Zi.

Moreover, since that passionate night, Qiao Zi hadn’t contacted him again, and they both tacitly maintained their previous relationship.

Song Guanchao did not narcissistically think she had deep feelings for him; he merely regarded that night as a wonderful encounter.

As he entered the meeting room, Song Guanchao pulled out the chair at the head of the long table and sat down.

A junior clerk temporarily called from the comprehensive department poured tea in front of each company’s executive and then closed the door and left.

Everyone looked at Song Guanchao, and without much idle talk, he went straight to today’s meeting topic: "I hope you all can settle in the Wensong District Industrial Park."

They understood Song Guanchao, who would never misuse his power.

If they were adamantly opposed, Song Guanchao would never force them.

Similarly, since Song Guanchao made this request, he naturally prepared reasons to persuade them.

No one spoke; everyone waited for him to present sufficiently compelling reasons.

"The infrastructure near the industrial park has been completed, and basic living needs are not an issue."

"In the coming years, the City Government will focus on the industrial park, and all companies brought in through external investment will be within the park."

"Currently, three Japanese companies are evaluating Jiangzhou with about a ninety percent chance of settling."

They weren’t dealing with Song Guanchao for the first time; when he said there’s a ninety percent chance, it was a conservative estimate.

These three Japanese companies are almost confirmed to settle.

But three alone aren’t enough.

"The City Government will continue its investment attraction efforts, aiming for 30 foreign companies and 100 medium to large enterprises."

"Furthermore, a foreign supermarket will also be introduced."

At this point, someone asked, "Which foreign supermarket?"

The term "foreign supermarket" is too broad.

Even a small convenience store like Lawson could be considered a foreign supermarket.

Song Guanchao replied, "Costco or Sam’s Club."

The attendees exchanged glances, showing no surprise, only skepticism.

"Director Song, how confident are you?"

"Fifty percent."

Fifty percent... that seemed too low.

"I have no objections," Qiao Zi suddenly spoke.

Regarding the move to the industrial park, Song Guanchao had only mentioned it to her over the phone without going into detail.

Later, she sent someone to inspect and gained a comprehensive understanding of the park’s current situation.

From a business perspective, she didn’t have high hopes for the park, which had been built for years but remained vacant.

But she trusted in Song Guanchao.

Also, she needed to show goodwill to Song Guanchao and fully associate herself with him.

Qiao Zi’s sudden declaration left everyone at a loss.

Her cosmetics company, which has its own R&D department and factory, is the largest among those present.

Every choice made by businesses of this scale isn’t made impulsively.

Her decision indicated her confidence in the industrial park.

Thus, her decision significantly influenced the others.

"I also have no issues," another executive nodded.

This meeting was to make a final decision.

Whether they agreed to move in or not, today, they had to give Song Guanchao an answer.

Setting aside the park’s vacancy, its geographical location wasn’t bad.

The supportive policies provided by Song Guanchao demonstrated sincere intent.

Being outsiders, forming good relations with the government was beneficial.

With Qiao Zi and the other executive’s stance, the previously undecided attendees started leaning towards Song Guanchao.

In the end, the meeting’s outcome matched Song Guanchao’s expectations exactly; all companies agreed to move into the Wensong District Cultural Industrial Park.