Chapter 316 The Thief's Magical Use

The plane was flying through the dark sky. From time to time, there was a flash of lightning in the distance. It must be a storm over there.

Hardy thought again of the war that would take place next year.

This time in Hong Kong, trading with the North might be of some help to that side, but if he were asked to stop the war, he wondered if he had the ability to do so.

After all, he is just a businessman, and there is only so much he can do with his foresight.

The world is moving forward, but how many people can turn it around on their own?

Japan's gains in that war actually had a greater significance for the North. Although that war resulted in the sacrifice of some soldiers, it was a war that demonstrated its prestige and momentum, and allowed the newly established country to gain things it had never had before.

That is dignity.

From the Opium War to the Eight-Nation Alliance, and then to the Japanese invasion of China, in the minds of Westerners, China has always been portrayed as weak and vulnerable, and the people generally lack self-confidence.

And that battle.

The outcome of the war shocked all countries, leaving them stunned and utterly stunned. From then on, they began to look at China and the Chinese people in a different light.

As the CEO said, "Gone are the days when Western colonizers could occupy a country by setting up a few cannons on the eastern coastline."

That battle.

National self-confidence has been greatly boosted.

It also made the Russian bear take notice of China's huge potential value and began to provide large-scale assistance to China.

This gave China a relatively stable construction environment for a period of time.

Another flash of lightning outside the window woke Hardy up from his deep thoughts. Hardy chuckled twice. Who was he? Just a businessman.

We have done what we can.

The next step, of course, is to continue making money and strive for your own wonderful life.

World events,

Let the great men worry about that.

He looked at the information about Japan again. He had decided that since he knew that Japan's economy would recover, why not get a piece of the pie.

European investment has the Marshall Plan.

Why can't we have a Hardy Plan?

No one is optimistic about the Japanese economy now, and no American consortium wants to invest here. I can find President Johnson and ask him to approve an economic investment plan for me. I can come here with the imperial sword of Japan's father, and it is the economic investment that Japan desires. I estimate that the Japanese Prime Minister will kneel to welcome me.

After a day and night of flying, Hardy finally returned to Los Angeles.

Andy brought people to the airport to meet Hardy, and Hardy gave Andy a hug.

"Boss, you were away for four months this time. You didn't say you would be gone that long," said Andy.

"Haha, I didn't expect it would take so long." Hardy said with a smile.

"How's the situation in Hong Kong?" Andy asked.

"The Hong Kong branch of the Hardy Group was established, which manages hundreds of enterprises including real estate companies, auction companies, trading companies, and industrial parks.

There are also HSBC, Wells Fargo, Global Times, and ABC TV. The industrial layout in Hong Kong has been basically completed." Hardy said.

"This is much better than any other group company," said Andy.

Andy paused for a moment and asked again:

"Boss, are you really not afraid that Hong Kong will be taken back? These days, there are frequent reports about China in the Global Times. It seems that the victory of the North is unstoppable."

Hadi smiled.

"Man proposes, God disposes. We have done a lot of analysis and some necessary work beforehand. As for success or failure, we will leave it to God."

"Okay, let's not talk about that. How is business here in the United States?" Hardy asked.

Andy began to report to Hardy.

The security company has developed well in the past few months. It has opened branches in more than a dozen cities and is recruiting again. Now its total scale has reached 7,000 people.

The originally planned overseas military bases have now made progress. A piece of land has been purchased near Penang, Malaysia and in Singapore, and the United States has permanent use rights. Bases are being built in both places at the same time.

Two escort vessels have been dispatched.

There were also more than 300 Marines and logistics ground crew members who went there at the same time. The total number of people in the two bases was about 700.

A base in the Persian Gulf is also under construction, and a battleship has been sent there. Why go to the Persian Gulf? Because the oil company of the Hadi Group has built an oil field in that area of ​​Saudi Arabia. Once oil is produced in the future, it will inevitably become a golden corridor.

After arriving in Saudi Arabia, Armand Hammer, president of Occidental Petroleum, contacted the Saudi royal family through his own connections and finally negotiated the mining rights in the Neutral Zone at a reasonable price.

Hardy knew that this area had abundant oil resources. Later, Mobil and British Petroleum both built large oil fields here. Now Hardy was the first to get there.

In the future, oil will have to go through the Persian Gulf, so security here becomes a focus. Another point is that the Hadi Group has shipping companies all over the world, and the Persian Gulf base can also protect the shipping companies' ships sailing in the Arabian Sea.

As for other industries.

Everything is running normally. The last 10 years have been the golden decade for the United States, with all industries thriving and developing at a high speed. Those branches are protected by the Hardy Group and have avoided external plunder, so their own development is actually very easy.

Andy also told Hardy that the investment company had invested in more than a dozen companies during this period. Many of these companies were those that Hardy had once favored and drawn a horizontal line around, while some were those that Andy was more optimistic about.

The vast majority of these invested companies are in traditional manufacturing industries, including automobiles, oil, construction, power companies, gas companies, precision machine tools, pharmaceuticals, etc. These industries will be the most profitable in the next ten or even twenty years.

The annual profit margin generally exceeds 8%, and some are as high as over 20%.

"How are the supermarket chains doing?" Hardy asked.

This is also one of the reasons why he came back. He wants to build the Hardy's supermarket chain into a business like Wal-Mart, so he is very concerned about the situation of supermarkets.

"It's basically ready. Because this is the first store, Sam has put all his energy into it, so the progress is very fast."

Hardy nodded.

"Then let's not go back to the company and go to the supermarket first." Hardy said.

"You just came back, don't you want to go home and have a rest?" Andy said.

"I slept for a whole day on the plane, so I didn't need to recover at all. Even the jet lag was reversed. Besides, the supermarket is in Hollywood, so I can go back after the show," said Hardy.

His extraordinary physical strength, super recovery ability, and constant energy give him a huge advantage.

Whether it's at work or picking up girls.

I don't have a good body.

You are not qualified to be a romantic hero and have a harem!

The convoy arrived at the 'Hardy's chain supermarket' in Hollywood, which covers a huge area. The main area of ​​the supermarket reaches 5,000 square meters, and the parking lot is even larger, three times the size of the supermarket, covering 15,000 square meters, which can park four to five hundred cars at the same time.

In fact, the idea of ​​hoarding was also part of the purchase of such a large piece of land.

At this time, the parking lot has been built and the parking lines are neatly drawn. Many people are coming in and out of the supermarket entrance, moving goods inside. These people are all wearing the same red uniform and are very conspicuous. They are from Hardy Logistics.

Sam Walton was directing people to place shelves. When he heard the big boss coming, he immediately came over to greet him. When he saw Hardy, he said with joy, "Mr. Hardy, you are back from the East."

"Yes, I just came back. How long will it take to open?" Hardy asked, looking at the surrounding situation.

"Three or four days at most." said Sam Walton.

"Take me around and tell me the details," said Hardy.

"Mr. Hardy, please."

Hardy, Andy and Sam Walton worked around the supermarket. The supermarket had signed contracts with more than 2,000 suppliers, and each supplier provided several, dozens or even hundreds of commodities. For example, Kroc Farms provided half of the supermarket's fruits, vegetables and aquatic products.

Supermarket products include food, toys, new clothing, cosmetics, home appliances, daily necessities, meat, fruits and vegetables, etc.

There is even a dedicated gun and ammunition store inside.

Because they purchase goods directly from manufacturers, they can keep prices very low. This is also the advantage of large supermarkets. If the purchase price is low, the selling price can be lowered. While ensuring profits, goods of the same quality at a lower price are naturally more attractive.

Sam picked up a can of canned fruit and said to Hardy, "For example, other grocery stores buy this can of canned fruit for about 30 cents, but we can get it for 22 cents. They sell it for 50 cents, and we can sell it for 40 cents, a difference of 20%. This price difference is already very obvious, and customers will naturally know who to choose."

"And I'm also planning to launch a membership system. Members can buy a membership card. The price of the membership card is $100, which gives them a 10% discount on purchases. The card can be used at any Hardy's supermarket chain and there is no time limit. If you don't want to use it, you can return the card at any time and the $100 deposit will be returned to you." said Sam.

"Isn't $100 too expensive? People only earn around $200 a month now." Andy asked.

Sam smiled and said, "This is how our membership card is valued."

"Because the goods are sold at low prices, our profit margin is not high to begin with, and after a 10% discount, the profit margin is even lower. The membership card is just an attractive name, and we also use the deposit as working capital."

Hardy turned again.

The cash register was no different from the aisle-style cash registers of later generations. The only difference was that there was no electronic alarm like in later generations.

There is no other way.

There is no such thing now.

"How are you going to prevent thieves?" Hardy asked.

"I have signed a contract with HD Security and hired security personnel to be responsible for the safety of the supermarket." said Sam Walton.

Hardy shook his head.

"It's not enough. Those who steal things are much more cunning than you think. Hiring security personnel can ensure the safety of the supermarket, but it cannot prevent theft from happening." Hardy said.

Sam Walton frowned in worry, "What should I do, boss?"

"Let me help you solve this. If someone from the Los Angeles company contacts you later, you can contact them directly." Hardy said.

Sam Walton naturally knew what the Los Angeles Company was and nodded immediately.

After inspecting the supermarket, Hardy returned to Beverly Hills. He had been away for several months and was really homesick.

Is there any woman at home?

Ava hasn't come back from Africa yet, Monroe seems to be performing outside and is not in Los Angeles. The French girl Elaine should be there. I picked up the phone and called the TV station. When Elaine heard Hardy's voice, she shouted in surprise.

"I'm going back now!"

"You don't have a show taping tonight?"

"Ah~~Yes, there is the Tonight Show with Elaine tonight, and I have invited this year's Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry. Oh, I miss you so much, Hardy. I really want to see you right now." Elaine shouted unwillingly.

"Haha, come over after you finish the show tonight."

"Well, that's all I can do."

Put down the phone.

I don't know if Taylor has come back yet. I think she should have finished filming the movie in France. I called Taylor's home. Taylor's mother Isa was very happy to hear Hardy's voice and told Hardy that Taylor went to England.

"She went to England. What did she do there? Was there any performance?" Hardy asked in surprise.

"No, it was Princess Margaret who invited Taylor to visit England. Taylor and Princess Margaret went to school together when they were little, and they were former playmates. Unexpectedly, Princess Margaret remembered Taylor and sent her a telegram inviting her to visit England. Taylor has been there for more than ten days." Isa said.

When saying these words, Isa's tone was obviously controlled, and it could be heard that she was very excited about her daughter being invited by the princess.

She was of English descent, and Hardy could understand her feelings.

After a brief chat with the other party, Hardy hung up the phone.

After thinking for a while, he took out the perpetual calendar from the drawer and started to look through it. Sam Walton is going to open soon, and Hardy plans to choose an auspicious day. This is the first supermarket in the Hardy supermarket chain, and it can be said to be a flagship store, so an auspicious opening is very important.

When Siegel's Flamingo Casino opened, there was heavy rain and lightning. That guy definitely didn't read the almanac. If he had known a little bit about this, he would never have ended up like that.

After looking through it, I found that five days later, it would be a good day to open a business, do business, and collect money, and it happened to be Saturday, which was a very good day.

Hardy called Sam Walton and told him that the opening date would be five days later. "You can start to make a big splash tomorrow. The Global Times and ABC TV will be on the show. Even if others can't come, you can still promote the Hardy chain. After all, our goal is the entire United States."

"On the opening day, we will organize an opening ceremony and tell them that there will be celebrities there to support us."

"Who will come, Mr. Hardy? I'll let the newspapers advertise it?" said Sam Walton.

"Maryllen Monroe is going."

"Ms. Monroe, that's great. I'm sure there will be a huge crowd on the opening day." Sam said excitedly.

"There are also some TV stars, such as the actor who plays Captain America," Hardy continued.

"Haha, actually Miss Monroe is enough. I believe most people come here for her." Sam said.

Captain America's chest muscles cannot compare to the big breasts and beautiful legs of America's sweetheart.

That's the reality.

After hanging up the phone with Sam, Hardy called Bill again and told him about the supermarket opening. Bill smiled and said, "Boss, I will definitely bring people to show my support when the time comes."

"I'm not asking you to show your support, I have a mission for you." Hardy said.

"Ah, what can I do?" Bill was very surprised. His gang business had nothing to do with the supermarket.

Selling white powder directly in the supermarket is too crazy.

"There will definitely be some thieves in the supermarket. Send some skilled thieves to blend in with the crowd of shoppers. When they see thieves, they will come out and work with the supermarket security personnel to catch them. Once the thieves are frightened, fewer people will dare to steal," said Hardy.

"So that's how it is. I understand, boss. Don't worry, I will send the most savvy thief there." Bill said with a smile.

Since there is no electronic anti-theft, the only option is manual anti-theft.

People should make the best use of their talents and things should be put to good use. Even thieves can sometimes be put to good use.