Chapter 844 The train to the Western restaurant arrived in Shanghai. Lu Qingyang met up with Zhou Fang and others who had arrived earlier, and they immediately began to investigate the location of the branch that the restaurant planned to open.
He carefully examined the surrounding pedestrian flow, traffic, and potential consumer groups, and discussed the details with Zhou Fang and his colleagues in charge of expansion. In the end, he decided on two storefronts with excellent locations, while the team was asked to find a better location for the other one due to its layout.
After finishing my business, it was already afternoon.
Lu Qingyang's heart stirred, and an idea arose in his mind.
He told Zhou Fang and the others to go back to the guesthouse first, while he tidied his clothes a bit and strolled towards "Jasmine Clothing," the earliest and most successful store in Shanghai.
The store is located on a bustling commercial street. The glass windows are polished to a shine, and several well-matched outfits of the latest season's styles are displayed inside, attracting the attention of many passersby.
As Lu Qingyang followed the flow of people into the store, a young female sales clerk in a uniform immediately greeted him with a well-trained smile: "Hello, comrade, feel free to browse. I'll introduce you to anything you need."
"Let me take a look myself first." Lu Qingyang mimicked the demeanor of an ordinary customer, nodded slightly, and began to scan the dazzling array of clothes on the racks.
He deliberately picked up a light gray Dacron women's shirt and examined the label and stitching.
The stitches were fine and even, and the fabric was crisp and sturdy; he nodded to himself in approval.
Just then, he overheard a very "modern" young woman next to him complaining to her companion: "This dress looks pretty good, but the waist area would be even better if it were tucked in a little bit more."
Lu Qingyang quietly noted down this feedback.
To test the quality of service, he deliberately picked up a beige knitted cardigan and asked the sales clerk following him, "Comrade, this one has a stain on it, is it easy to wash?"
The girl showed no impatience and explained the fabric composition and washing precautions in detail, also reminding her: "It's best not to wash this light color with dark clothes, as it's easy for the color to transfer."
Lu Qingyang gave her a high score in his mind.
Just as he was about to ask something else, there was a small commotion at the door.
It turned out that Zhou Fang was worried and came looking for him. As soon as he entered the store, the store manager recognized him and immediately went up to him nervously: "Manager Zhou, what brings you here?"
Zhou Fang spotted Lu Qingyang among the customers at a glance. Just as he was about to greet him, Lu Qingyang gave him a wink and shook his head slightly.
Zhou Fang, being quick-witted, immediately understood and turned to the store manager, saying in a voice that was loud enough for those around to hear, "Oh, I was just passing by and thought I'd check on the sales. You all go about your business, don't worry about me."
After finishing his backlog of official business, Lu Qingyang found a bag of fragrant tea. Sunlight streamed through the glass window, illuminating the market report and several clothing design sketches spread out on the bag.
“This time I looked at our store and also observed other brands in the market. I think it’s time for us to start our men’s and children’s clothing lines.”
Bao Xiangxiang analyzed: "Men's and children's clothing styles do change more slowly than women's clothing. The designs are relatively simpler, and there is less pressure to innovate in design and fabric. However, the market is indeed not as broad as that of women's clothing, and the consumption frequency is lower."
“That’s right, that’s my idea. We’re not pursuing scale, but rather doing it as a supplement to our Jasmine Apparel product line, covering a more comprehensive customer base. The key point is, Xiangxiang, didn’t you mention before that you have a batch of fabrics in the warehouse that were purchased a couple of years ago and now look a bit outdated in terms of pattern or color? Making children’s wear and basic men’s wear would be a perfect way to clear out this inventory and reduce costs.”
Bao Xiangxiang's eyes lit up. She had been worried about that batch of bulky and difficult-to-dispose-of inventory of fabric: "This is a great idea! The quality of that batch of fabric is actually not bad, it's just that the colors and patterns are not so trendy. It can be used to make children's clothing, or to make shirt linings, trouser linings, or even some basic men's jackets. It's perfectly fine!"
Once the ideas were sparked, the discussion among the participants became lively. Lu Qingyang picked up a pen and began sketching:
"For menswear, we don't pursue anything too flashy. We mainly feature a few classic styles, modified versions of youthwear, retaining their dignified cut but with a slightly slimmer waist. We use more structured wool or blended fabrics, and in addition to traditional gray and blue, we can also try dark brown and dark green, which are suitable for young cadres and intellectuals."
Jackets are a trend; you can use surplus denim or khaki fabrics to make basic jackets; or you can use leftover synthetic fabrics to make lighter, brighter casual jackets, available in both zipper and snap-button styles.
Make some more fitted straight-leg trousers, using the dark-colored polyester twill fabric from our inventory—it's versatile and durable. Oh, and we also have flared versions.
Bao Xiangxiang took over the conversation; she knew the fabrics in her warehouse like the back of her hand.
“Those brightly colored but slightly tacky floral fabrics, cut into small pieces, are perfect for making dresses and pinafore dresses for little girls. Plain cotton and velvet fabrics can be used to make sailor shirts, little military uniforms, and sweatshirts with cartoon patches for little boys. In terms of size, just make a few common children’s clothing sizes of 80 to 120 centimeters.”
Zhou Fang added, "We can first produce a small batch and open a special area in several stores in Beijing and Shanghai to test the waters and see the market response. If it sells well, we will consider expanding the production line."
"Yes, we should proceed cautiously and steadily," Lu Qingyang finally decided.
"Xiangxiang, please come up with a detailed material usage and preliminary cost estimate as soon as possible based on the inventory of fabrics. Zhou Fang, please help contact the experienced craftsmen we've worked with before to see if they have experience in making men's and children's clothing. I'll refine the design drawings here."
After finishing my business, the city lights were already on.
Lu Qingyang smiled at Zhou Fang and said, "Come on, we've had a hard day. Let's go have some fun and try the most famous restaurant in Shanghai. Let's see how expensive it really is."
The two arrived at a very elegantly decorated Western restaurant near the beach, where waiters in smart uniforms were pulling the door open.
The interior is softly lit, covered with snow-white tablecloths, and the silver cutlery gleams. The air is filled with the faint aroma of coffee and cream soup, a stark contrast to the bustling atmosphere of Xinweiju.
The waiter handed over the menu, and the prices were indeed astonishing.
The price of a single serving of "Creamy Mushroom Soup" is almost equivalent to ordering four meat dishes at "Shinmi-ju".
Lu Qingyang remained calm and ordered several signature dishes: borscht, fried pork chop, Portuguese chicken, and a salad.
The dishes were served quickly, beautifully presented, yet the portions were rather modest. Zhou Fang carefully cut a piece of fried pork chop, put it in her mouth, and chewed it slowly, but her brows furrowed slightly.
He lowered his voice and said to Lu Qingyang, "This...this taste isn't as flavorful as the salt and pepper pork tenderloin made by Chef Wang at Xinweiju. The breadcrumbs on the outside are crispy, but the meat inside doesn't seem to have enough juice, and the flavor is bland."
Lu Qingyang tasted the Portuguese chicken. The chicken meat was indeed tender, but the so-called Portuguese flavor seemed to be just a mixture of tomato sauce and cream, which was a bit too sweet. After a few bites, he felt a bit cloying.
The borscht was sweet and sour, and quite refreshing, but it was just average.
As Zhou Fang ate the salad with just a few lettuce leaves, she couldn't help but mutter under her breath, feeling a pang of regret: "This meal is enough for an ordinary person's salary for more than a month. As for the taste... it's just so-so. It's all about the prestige and the reputation, it's too extravagant for ordinary people. My heart is bleeding, it's not worth it at all."
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