The Birth of the Hong Kong Island Family.

Kowloon, Nathan Road.

The Miramar Hotel topped out today, and a 'topping ceremony' was held on the site.

The so-called "capping" means that the main structure of the building has been completed, and the subsequent renovation of the "Miramar Hotel" and "Miramar Shopping Center" will take about 12 to 14 months. The final opening time is expected to be New Year's Day in 1961 .

I saw that an 18-storey hotel building and a 5-storey shopping mall formed a huge building with a total floor area of ​​80 square feet, of which the hotel area reached 52 square feet. The center is 28 square feet.The hotel has 680 rooms in total, according to the size of the five-star standard; the shopping center has 168 shops, a central stage for performances, and a playground on the roof.

Lin Zhichao asked: "Have you got in touch with the American Western Hotel Group?"

The American Western Hotel Group, also known as the "Best Western Nationality of the United States", is the world's largest single hotel brand; Miramar Hotel intends to become a member of its subsidiary, enjoy its reservation system, and management guidance, and need to pay about 4% Management fee (turnover).

Liang Guangchang, the general manager of Miramar Hotel Group, said: "We have contacted them. They are very interested and plan to send people to Hong Kong for inspection soon!"

Lin Zhichao nodded in satisfaction!
Two hotel management giants are valued, one is the InterContinental Group and the other is the Western Hotel Group.Let’s talk to the Western Hotel Group first. After all, this company’s reservation system is connected to giants such as Pan American Airlines, which can bring more guests to the Miramar Hotel. The advantage of the InterContinental Hotel is luxury, so it is the second consideration.

The Miramar Hotel can barely be regarded as a five-star hotel. It is designed according to the standard of a five-star hotel, but it is definitely not the best five-star hotel.

"The next step is to enter the decoration process. Manager Liang, you come from a real estate background, so you have to pay more attention. Miramar Hotel Group will operate independently as a subsidiary of Changjiang Industrial in the future, and Miramar Hotel and Miramar Shopping Center are also owned by this group. In two parts, I will appoint general managers of two grandchildren companies."

After Lin Zhichao finished speaking, many managers behind him showed a hint of "hope". After all, there are two more general manager positions, and it is not known who will get them.Among them, there are hotel professionals recruited in the past one or two years, as well as real estate management talents trained by Cheung Kong.

And Lin Zhichao's meaning is also very clear, that is to promote from within.

To manage a five-star hotel is a great honor for the Chinese.

And why didn't Lin Zhichao choose to hire a foreigner as the general manager of the hotel?

This is because he thinks it is not necessary, and the Chinese can manage a luxury hotel well, not to mention that he has also bought an insurance-Western Hotel Group.Once the two parties cooperate, the other party will also send a management consultant team.

Liang Guangchang quickly said: "Boss, don't worry, I will supervise the construction and ensure that it will be completed on time and with high quality."

It can be said that he has been promoted very quickly in the group in recent years. Everyone knows that the Miramar Hotel project is huge, and more importantly, the project's "uniqueness". Whether it is a five-star hotel or a shopping mall, it is the company's unique asset.

Now, the boss has allowed this group company to develop independently, which shows that there are still opportunities for expansion in the future.

In fact, Liang Guangchang guessed it right. The Miramar Hotel will be listed separately in 1972 and will be affiliated to "Cheung Kong Holdings". At that time, it will become a brother company with "Cheung Kong Industrial Group".

After the stock market plummeted in the 80s, Lin Zhichao arranged for the "Cheung Kong Industrial Group" to privatize the remaining shares with stocks or cash, and then returned to the Cheung Kong Industrial Group; of course, the shares of Lin Zhichao's personal family will definitely be arranged in advance Cash out a lot.

After a series of combined punches, Lin Zhichao not only got cash, but also his business.

Chen Ping, the general manager of Doll Noodles, came to Lin Zhichao's office to report on his work.

"Boss, we have recently investigated and found that there are about 21 instant noodle brands in Japan with a certain scale. Here are their detailed information!"

Lin Zhichao took the information, looked at it casually, and asked: "How much patent transfer fee do you think is appropriate?"

After Chen Ping thought for a while, he said seriously: "Instant noodles are of great significance to Japan. They are one of the best channels to solve the food crisis. If the income is too high, it may cause the government's resentment. Fortunately, the Japanese instant noodle brand There are many, I suggest that it is more suitable to charge 5 to 8 US dollars, and the specific amount should be determined according to the size of the company."

It can collect more than 100 million US dollars, which is fine, after all, it is the profit of more than five years for the doll noodles.

Lin Zhichao said: "Okay, you can continue to do this matter! It's right to focus on the big and let go of the small. It doesn't look ugly like this."

At the beginning of this year, Doll Noodles obtained the "copyright of instant noodles" through legal means in Japan. In this regard, the Japanese government still dare not be unreasonable for small profits.

Now that the 'Instant Noodle Copyright' has been obtained, it is natural to charge a patent transfer fee.

Chen Ping said: "Okay, I will definitely do a good job in this matter! At present, the Japanese instant noodle market is about 3 million bags (annual sales volume), and the per capita annual consumption is 5 to 6 bags. Even though the competition is fierce, the price also ranges from 35 yen A bag, down to around 25 yen (7 cents, 0.4 Hong Kong dollars)"

Lin Zhichao immediately said, "Isn't it a difficult time for Nissin Ramen?"

Chen Ping nodded and said: "Many financial groups have also entered this industry. With their strong capital and low prices, Nissin Ramen's life is not easy. But after all, it has earned more than 1000 million Hong Kong dollars, so it is also the most competitive A wave of force."

Lin Zhichao knew that the Japanese were very aggressive in doing business. First, they desperately lowered prices to drag down their competitors. After gaining the market, they began to raise prices in search of higher profits.

In the previous life, the doll noodles in Hong Kong were competed by Nissin Ramen in this way, and happened to encounter a "political incident", the original owner Zhou Wenxuan sold the doll noodles to Nissin.

In this life, Hong Kong doll noodles are not for sale, and no one can compare with Lin Zhichao's wealth.

After Lin Zhichao pondered for a while, he asked again: "What do you think of Momofuku Ando?"

Chen Ping also thought about it, and said: "Probably he is a Chinese and naturalized Japanese, but he is kind. He also helped us a little this time. The ability to manage is also very good. Under his leadership, Nissin Ramen , is still very powerful. In other respects, he knows your strength, boss, and he would never dare to come to Hong Kong to fight a price war, not to mention that our two companies are in a cooperative relationship."

At present, the Hong Kong market still only has doll noodles, dominating the entire market.

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "Well, I see!"

Chen Ping then left the office to go about his own affairs.He is also very busy all day. Doll noodle factories have been set up in Hong Kong and Sing Tao, and they are sold in both places; and doll noodle has to go to court in Japan to collect patent transfer fees.

Lin Zhichao will not directly participate in the operation and management of this small business, at most he will listen to the reports of his subordinates and give some pointers.Of course, Chen Ping is also managed by the Yangtze River Industry Group, and will also be managed by the Yangtze River Industry Group in the future.

Japan, Itsuki Ramen Co.

"President, this is a letter from a law firm to our company!" A staff member came to the president's office and handed over a letter.

As the founder and president of Itsuki Ramen, Matsumoto Ichiro suddenly had a bad feeling, so he read the letter immediately.

"What? A patent transfer fee of 8 US dollars? Baga, why don't they grab it!"

The current monthly sales volume of Wumu Ramen is only 80 bags, which is less than 1000 million bags a year; and the price has reached 25 yen per bag, and they only earn 5 yen per bag.

In other words, their annual profit is only 10,000+ US dollars, and the patent fee is more than half of the annual profit.

The staff asked curiously: "President, is it the letter from the law firm entrusted by the Hong Kong company?"

Ichiro Matsumoto nodded and gave the letter to his subordinates to read, while his anger still persisted.

After reading it, the staff member said: "President, there are dozens of instant noodle brands in Japan, and each of them charges [-] US dollars. This doll noodle company thinks too well, and it can easily obtain a million-dollar patent fee. Let me Said, everyone simply join forces and don’t pay the patent transfer fee.”

Matsumoto Ichiro was not happy because of this, but said: "Then we still lose the lawsuit, and the Japanese government cannot favor us for more than 100 million US dollars. After all, if this matter gets out, it will lose the face of Japan as a whole. Others It enjoys international patents, US and UK patents, and if we do not pay patent fees, our Japanese ramen products will never be sold in Europe and the United States.”

If a company refuses to pay tens of thousands of dollars, it will definitely be ashamed internationally.

The clerk said again: "Then the president plans to pay?"

Matsumoto Ichiro said: "Don't be in a hurry, let's see the reactions of other people, maybe we can bargain."

In fact, the patent fee is indeed the highest deliberately, because there is room for negotiation.According to the standard set by Doll Noodles, the patent transfer fee paid by Wumu Ramen should be 5 to 6 US dollars.

Things quickly fermented in the Japanese instant noodle industry. The law firm entrusted by Doll Noodles sent 21 letters, bringing together all large and medium-sized instant noodle companies in Japan.As for the dozens of small instant noodle companies, they will still pay in the future, but at the moment they are focusing on the large and letting go of the small; when the small ones grow up, they will have to pay again.

At the same time, the presidents of many instant noodle companies approached Momofuku Ando of Nissin Ramen, hoping that he would mediate and reduce the patent fee.

Momofuku Ando was immediately overjoyed. He was not afraid of the arduous task, but he was afraid that he would not have influence; he originally wanted to establish the 'Japan Ramen Industry Association', but he did not have enough appeal, and now is the right time.

Therefore, he agreed to everyone's request and prepared to go to Hong Kong to talk about it in person.

Lin Zhichao took the time to meet Momofuku Ando. After all, the two parties are in a cooperative relationship, and Lin Zhichao feels that Momofuku Ando has other functions for him.

"Although the 'tonkotsu ramen' proposed by your company has not yet been successfully developed, I have predicted that it will be as popular as the 'chicken soup ramen'." Ando Momofuku took the lead in expressing his favor.

The two sides have cooperated in the research and development of 'Pork Bone Ramen' and shared the technology. It has entered the experimental stage and is expected to be launched in the market within one or two years.

It takes 2 to 3 years to study a flavor of instant noodles, because it requires a lot of technology to achieve mass production and a 'perfect' taste.

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "Our two companies have a cooperative relationship and are allies, and the doll noodles are limited to a small area, so I also attach great importance to the cooperation with Nissin Ramen."

Momofuku Ando immediately thought that if the patented technology of doll noodles was not very valuable, Nissin Ramen might be able to "reverse customers" and buy doll noodles.

Of course, if the person in front of him wanted shares, he would not do it either, after all, the other party already owns 49% of the shares.

As for Nissin ramen coming to Hong Kong to defeat doll noodles, Momofuku Ando has no confidence at all. Compared with taste and quality, doll noodles are not inferior to Nissin; Strong, comparable to the Japanese chaebol.

Thinking of this, Momofuku Ando shook off the thoughts in his mind and decided to be the leader of Japanese ramen first, and then go to Europe and the United States to develop the market in the future and become the world's largest ramen brand.

"Mr. Lin, I came to you this time. I was entrusted by many ramen brands in Japan. I hope that your patent fee can be reduced. Everyone is willing to pay, but you don't know that the price of Japanese ramen is fiercely competitive, and the price has been reduced by nearly 30%. Profits are already thin."

Lin Zhichao didn't agree directly, but asked Chen Ping who accompanied him: "General Manager Chen, can the patent fee be lowered?"

Chen Ping had a solemn expression, and then said: "It can be lowered, but I'm afraid that after the reduction, Japanese manufacturers will find reasons to shirk, and then we will have to spend energy and money to continue to protect our rights!"

Seeing this, Momofuku Ando immediately said: "I can reconcile it and plan to establish the 'Japan Ramen Industry Association', and then everyone will pay you a patent transfer fee."

Chen Ping asked, "What do you expect?"

Momofuku Ando said: "We hope it will be 5 US dollars, and the first batch will be 21 companies; as for new companies in the future, we hope to lower the standard, 2 to 3 US dollars is enough."

Lin Zhichao said straightforwardly at this time: "Yes, after all, we don't want to spend too much energy, just to sell Mr. An Teng."

Momofuku Ando quickly expressed his thanks!

After this matter was settled, everyone relaxed and chatted more easily.

During the period, Lin Zhichao said: "Mr. Anteng, are you interested in co-investing in Japanese stocks?"

Momofuku Ando was taken aback, and then said, "Mr. Lin wants to buy Japanese stocks?"

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "I really want to buy it, but the Japanese stock market is not yet open to foreigners, so it is inconvenient to invest. I remember that there are still a lot of funds in the account of Nissin Ramen, why don't we invest in some stocks. In recent years, Japan Electronics Industry and shipbuilding are like the light industry in the early and mid-50s, which has advanced by leaps and bounds, and I believe that stocks will definitely rise sharply in the past two to three years."

The Japanese stock market was opened to foreigners. It seems to be the late 60s. Lin Zhichao is not sure. Anyway, foreigners cannot enter the Japanese stock market at this time.

However, Nissin Ramen has never paid dividends. In addition to investing in a new factory, there are still more than 100 million US dollars in the account!

Momofuku Ando was moved by Lin Zhichao. He felt that Lin Zhichao's analysis was very reasonable, but he still said cautiously: "If you invest in stocks, it is not impossible, but you can only invest a maximum of 50 US dollars. Other funds mainly need to develop ramen noodles." In terms of industry, Mr. Lin also knows that there are too many ramen manufacturers in Japan, and who can break through the most must need strength."

50 is only 50 US dollars, which is better than rusting on the account.Because Lin Zhichao is optimistic about the long-term development of Nissin Ramen, he has not asked for dividends, but the accounts are still very strict.

Lin Zhichao said: "Okay, let's discuss which stocks to buy later. By the way, since Mr. An Teng is so dedicated to the ramen business, are you interested in opening another 'chain ramen' brand?"

Speaking of this, Momofuku Ando became interested, and quickly asked, "Is the ramen chain mentioned by Lin Sheng similar to KFC and McDonald's in Western fast food?"

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "That's right! We all know that eating instant noodles will cause malnutrition and other problems, so I think it must be very good to open a ramen chain. The ramen can be seafood. I even thought of the name, so it's called Ajisen Hand-Pulled Noodle."

Ando Momofuku clapped his hands and applauded. He thought that Lin Zhichao was a business genius. It is of course a very good thing that he can continue to partner now.

In the end, the matter was handed over to Momofuku Ando himself, of course in the name of Nissin Ramen.

As for whether Momofuku Ando will abide by it, it doesn't matter. Lin Zhichao just mentioned a few words casually, which is not worth anything.

Generally speaking, Lin Zhichao still trusts Momofuku Ando and is willing to make friends with him.

Two new collaborations:

One is stock market investment. Originally, Lin Zhichao could not enter the Japanese stock market, but he could get at least half of the stock market through cooperation with the Japanese. The only pity is that the funds are only 50 US dollars.However, no matter how small a mosquito is, it is still meat, and if the stock market makes money, it can give back to Nissin Ramen, which will help Nissin Ramen's future growth.

One is 'Ajisen Ramen'. If Nissin Ramen can develop a chain brand, the brand value will naturally be higher in the future.And for Nissin Ramen, which Lin Zhichao holds 49% of the shares, it is naturally also beneficial.

Lin Zhichao's idea is that in the future, the doll noodles will be injected into Cheung Kong Industrial Group for listing.However, the shares of Nissin Ramen were transferred to "Cheung Kong Holdings" as part of the family heritage.

At noon that day, Lin Zhichao invited Momofuku Ando to have dinner together, and he officially made this Japanese friend.

As for the reduction of patent fees, it was originally expected by Lin Zhichao and Chen Ping to have a patent fee of 100 million US dollars.

Even if it is cheaper in the future, I am afraid that I can still charge nearly a million dollars, that is 200 million dollars.

That's it!
Of course, compared to the contribution that instant noodles have made to the people of the world, a mere $200 million is not much. (end of this chapter)