Chapter 806 Haishi Development Lu Qingyang stayed in Haishi for two more days.

In the early morning, he took a walk along the beach.

A salty, damp river breeze swept over us, and the deep chimes of the Customs House rang out.

He noticed that, although it was winter, merchant ships from the country were still coming and going in an endless stream, and the dockworkers carrying bags were shouting work songs, creating a bustling scene.

He turned into Nanjing Road, his gaze sweeping over the time-honored shops and the scattered clothing stores and electronics stores with unfamiliar foreign signs.

There are stalls on street corners selling imported goods such as sunglasses and digital watches instead of traditional items. Young people gather around to look at the novelties.

In the afternoon, he went to the Friendship Store in the West District.

This place mainly serves the mainland Chinese and overseas Chinese. It offers a wide variety of goods, many of which are imported items that are rarely seen in the mainland capital and Guangzhou.

Looking at the beautifully packaged candies, cosmetics, and small appliances, and observing the well-dressed, high-spending customers in the store, he gradually began to form some vague ideas.

That evening, he arranged to meet Zhou Fang at an old-fashioned coffee shop.

This café is hidden under the plane trees in the French Concession. It has a quiet atmosphere and many customers, mostly intellectuals.

"What, you like the vibe of this place? Or are you thinking of opening a pharmaceutical factory here?"

Lu Qingyang shook his head and looked around: "The pharmaceutical factory is temporarily out of the question, but I think this place, Haishi, is quite interesting. Look over there, the locals here have a high acceptance of seafood."

He paused, then continued, "I'm thinking about two things. First, clothing. Guangzhou has a foundation in ready-made clothing manufacturing, but its design and fabrics are lacking. Shanghai has a rich history and a modern, cosmopolitan flair. If we could set up a design showcase here, importing or imitating some popular international styles, and combine that with Guangzhou's manufacturing capabilities, it might work."

"And the second one?" Zhou Fang became interested.

"Secondly, there are these imported small commodities. The things in the Friendship Store are good, but ordinary people can't afford them. If we could find a way to get some foreign goods that are so sensitive but scarce in China, such as the electronic watches and calculators I just mentioned, or even some high-quality cosmetics..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Zhou Fang already understood what he meant.

“The risk is small,” Zhou Fang said thoughtfully.

“I know, that’s why I’m in a hurry. We can start with clothing, which is a legitimate business. Also, I’m planning to look at houses here as well.”

"You really do buy things wherever you go, don't you?" Zhou Fang chuckled.

"Same as above".

Lu Qingyang looked out the window. The French-style building had a beautiful silhouette in the night. "What we bought in Beijing was its heritage and potential, what we bought in Guangzhou was its industry and import dividends, and what we bought in Shanghai... I think we bought a pioneering spirit here. It's a window to the outside world, and the value of this window will probably be immeasurable in the future."

Secondly, Lu Qingyang wandered around some quiet neighborhoods filled with old Western-style houses.

He took a liking to a three-story Western-style house with a small garden in a quiet area. The house was a bit old, but the structure was intact and it was quite impressive.

He thought that this place could serve as a foothold in the future for the city of Hai, and if the idea of ​​a clothing storefront matured, with a little modification, it could also be an excellent venue for display and reception.

Jasmine brand clothing is already well-known in the capital, but clearly, the atmosphere in Shanghai is more open, so perhaps we can add more fashionable clothes here.

The trade in Haishi is very developed because of a lack of domestic options. If there were more cost-effective options available domestically, it would be a huge market for development.

Lu Qingyang decided to expand his clothing business to Shanghai as well.

He went to the No. 1 Department Store first.

This multi-story building located on Nanjing East Road remains the most bustling commercial landmark in Shanghai.

At the bustling counters, he noticed that although the clothing section on the third floor had conservative styles, the customers had strong purchasing power.

Through Old Chen's connections at the Textile Bureau, he met with the floor manager of the No. 1 Department Store in the city.

At the tea-stained desk in the manager's office, Lu Qingyang got straight to the point:

"Our Jasmine brand wants to set up a counter in a shopping mall, and we want the best location, the corner near the staircase."

The manager pushed up his glasses: "There's a lot of traffic around the corner, but the area is quite large..."

“Perfect for a boutique display.” Lu Qingyang took out several sample garments from his briefcase. “These are our new styles. We used imported equipment for the hemming, and the buttons are all custom-made.”

The manager touched the shell buttons on the shirt, then examined the lining, his expression softening considerably: "The lining is indeed meticulous, but regarding the rent..."

"The rent will be charged according to the rules," Lu Qingyang said with a smile. "In addition, we will provide three exclusive designs every month, which will be launched exclusively at the No. 1 Department Store in Shanghai."

This offer impressed the manager.

In today's market where clothing styles are often outdated, the appeal of exclusive designs is self-evident.

After acquiring the No. 1 Department Store in Shanghai, Lu Qingyang set his sights on the women's products stores on Huaihai Road.

The style here is more elegant, and most of the customers are regulars who pay attention to their attire.

He took a liking to a window seat on the second floor, where the light was good and he could see the plane trees lining the street.

"This area should be designed as an open display so that customers can directly touch the fabric," he told the store manager.

At that time, he came up with a bold idea: to change the window display every week so that passersby could see new styles every time.

The shop renovation will also take some time, but Lu Qingyang's energy is limited, so he needs to find more helpers.

With the Chinese New Year approaching, he needed to rush back to the capital, so he asked Zhou Fang to find a few reliable people to take charge of the renovations in Haishi.

He planned to buy some local specialties from Shanghai.

As the year draws to a close, the streets of Haishi are bustling with activity ahead of the holiday.

Lu Qingyang took a morning to visit the National Specialty Products Store on Huaihai Road.

The shop was bustling with people, and the glass counter displayed a variety of local delicacies.

He carefully selected: he weighed out two catties of spiced beans from the City God Temple for Shen Mo, wrapped neatly in oil paper; he bought fresh meat pies from the eldest son's house for the children, which, although cold, would still be fragrant and crispy after being baked back home; he also picked out several boxes of pastries from Xinghualou, with exquisite patterns printed on the tin boxes, which would look respectable on the table during the New Year.

Finally, he went to the candy counter and asked for two pounds of White Rabbit milk candy and a bag of gold coin chocolates. The golden candy wrappers looked festive.

Thinking of his elderly parents, he turned around and went to the No. 1 Food Store on Nanjing Road, where he bought some soft Sanyang seaweed cakes and Shao Wansheng's pickled fish jerky, all of which are rare delicacies in Beijing.

After everything was prepared, he took a plane back to the capital, which happened to be the 29th.