Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2422 Economic prosperity before the war ([-])

On March 1700, 3, the liner carrying Serginho, the special envoy of the Portuguese governor, moored in Changshun Port, the largest city in Beining.Because he had to wait for unloading and loading, the ship was expected to stay for three days. Serginho was unwilling to stay in the humid and stuffy cabin, so he went ashore with two entourages and booked a hotel.

The hotel is located in the bustling port business district, and the price is not cheap.However, Serginho still has some money at this time because of the goods and mules and horses he carried with him, and the total is about 2000 French currency.He carefully put away his portion of the bill (the five hundred dollars) and planned to take it back to San Salvador.Just as sailors on a voyage are allowed to carry cargo the size of a suitcase, land missions like them on business trips can also carry cargo.What's more, this kind of behavior is actually encouraged, because His Excellency the Governor couldn't approve too much money for them, so he had to let them carry a lot of goods and sell them all the way, and the proceeds were used as expenses for the mission, and Sergi Neo and his party did exactly that.

The five-hundred-yuan gold coupons are brought back to San Salvador, so there is no need to worry about depreciation or not being able to be used.In this chaotic era with frequent wars, the brand-new banknotes exuding the fragrance of ink are particularly reassuring. Serginho is very satisfied, and everyone is also very satisfied.

The cost of the hotel was of course paid out of public funds, and Serginho had no intention of saving money in the coffers of the Bahia General District.The guesthouse was built 20 years ago as a warehouse and later converted into a hostel.The house is old and old, but the decoration is unambiguous, which is very good.Moreover, a modernization was carried out six years ago. The modern room has bright gas lamps, two water taps, and a flush toilet. The grade is quite high.

There is also a restaurant on the ground floor of the hotel. Serginho went in and looked around, and found that it was not so much a restaurant as a tavern, because there were drunk guys everywhere, and it looked like urban middle-class people who came here to consume after get off work. class.

These people drink everything, liquor, sugarcane wine, wine, beer, rice wine, etc., and each wine has more than one variety, which is amazing.Serginho had heard a chat from a wine merchant on the pier before. The most famous wine and sugarcane liquor in Chang Thuan and Hue should be the former. The former is a specialty of Bac Ninh. , even the Xiangshan winery in the south (which owns the famous Xiangshan dry red brand on the east coast) has encircled a large piece of land around Beining County and set up a winery with a considerable turnover.In the Hue area, because the sugarcane plantation and sugar industry are extremely developed, as an important by-product, the output of sugarcane shochu is also very large, and it is very famous in the surrounding area.The only regret is that this kind of local industry is relatively scattered, the degree of concentration is not enough, and the brands are very mixed. So far, it has not been able to create a national famous brand.

This is a supermarket with annual sales of more than 2000 million won! What is the concept of more than 2000 million yuan?It means that the average person in Portugal consumes more than ten yuan of wine per year!More than ten yuan, this is not a small amount in the Old Continent. Many mercenaries can earn so much by fighting a battle, and often face the risk of being owed. The probability of getting the money is less than ten yuan.The east coast is really rich!

Adjacent to the tavern is a teahouse, the famous Alpine Flowing Water Teahouse.The founder of this teahouse is actually very interesting. He only opened the first store in the capital Dongfang Port nearly 20 years ago, but today, 20 years later, he has eight branches in Qingdao Port, the largest city, and The business conditions are very good, and it is a leisure place frequented by urban residents on the east coast.

Many people still remember that when Gaoshan Liushui Teahouse went public five years ago in order to expand its business, it raised more than 18 yuan of funds at once, which was a sensation.The reorganized teahouse has become a public limited company. The founder's family still holds the right to operate due to the existence of preferred shares. Of course, they are very capable. The products (various snacks, breads, desserts) were included in the business scope of Gaoshan Liushui Tea House, which once again achieved great success.

At present, this miraculous company has more than 200 branches in dozens of cities on the east coast. The shareholders include various asset management companies and investment companies formed after the split of the east coast company, and even the public assets of the government. The management committee has invested in a small amount of shares, and it has truly become a star enterprise.

In fact, chain enterprises such as Gaoshan Liushui Tea House and Sun Chunyang Nanhuo Shop can conquer cities all over the country and defeat local food stores and grocery stores. This in itself shows that there is a relatively large middle class in all parts of the East Bank class.These people do not have enough spending power for high-end private customization and other services, but they are also unwilling to set foot in low-end tea shops and grocery stores. Therefore, such mid-range food companies and department stores fill their consumption needs. It's no surprise that it was such a success.

Needless to say, this is a symbol of economic prosperity, a unique phenomenon of a certain stage of social development, and the old continent can't be produced if it wants to.Take the example of later generations of Britain. Thomas Lipton only established the first food store in Glasgow in 1876. He entered London in 1890 and had 70 stores. In 1898, he accepted Asquith (then the cabinet Minister, Liberal Party leader's clan), Lord Rothschild, Duke of Fife and other powerful capitalists invested rapidly to 254 stores and more than 3800 tea outlets.

The same is true for the department store industry in the UK. Harrods, founded in 1889, targeted the middle class and the rich, and Selfridges, founded by Gordon Selfridge on Oxford Street in 1909, targeted wage earners, but regardless of the source of their customers, the two The enterprises are all chain department stores, which originated in the golden age of Great Britain before World War I, and have maintained their reputation until the 21st century.

The same is true of the department store industry on the East Coast.The Sun Chunyang Nanhuo Store with a long history (dating back to the previous year) currently has more than 170 branches in China and nearly [-] branches in overseas colonies and foreign countries. It is famous for its wide range of luxury goods, although this department store also sells Lots of common goods.

In the past ten years, the average annual dividend of preferred shares held by the company’s founder family has reached 20%, and the average annual dividend of common shares held by other shareholders has also reached 13%, which has shocked many people’s attention.Perhaps, this can also explain why the elderly Mr. Masayoshi Son can still stay in the position of general manager steadily, after all, the performance is really outstanding.

The operation of the state-run department store was already in trouble.Because of the excessively dense outlets (the number of its branches is almost three times that of Sun Chunyang Nanhuo Store), and the heavy burden of redundant staff, its profits have been greatly eroded, and in some years it even does not make much money.

After the Ministry of Industry and Commerce dispatched a high-level investigation committee to investigate it, it decided to implement drastic reforms.They first reorganized it and renamed it East Coast Department Store.Then it absorbed a large amount of social capital, eliminated a lot of redundant employees, and changed its business model at the same time, aiming at a huge number of domestic industrial workers, business farmers and service industry people who are growing every year, selling everything from poultry to flowers, from silk and satin Almost all the products of liquor, and allow local suppliers to join in each branch - at the same time, most of Sun Chunyang's Nanhuo stores, which are getting more and more popular, are wholly owned and directly operated - even if they don't buy shares, they can also Lease the counters and shops to them, try every means to increase the turnover, and take the route of small profits but quick turnover.

It should be said that these reforms have had some effect.The profits of East Coast Department Stores began to increase slowly, and the number of outlets not only did not decrease as many people expected, but increased a little.The Ministry of Industry and Commerce has saved a crumbling giant state-owned enterprise, prevented the Ministry of Finance from stepping in to wipe its ass, and at the same time prevented a monopoly in the domestic department store market. It can be said to be a multi-win situation, and everyone is very happy.

The annual dividend of Dong'an Department Store has been hovering between 6% and 8%, which is quite different from Sun Chunyang Nanhuo Store.But what should be seen is that it has served more urban residents, greatly changed their lifestyles, and created more jobs at the same time.

People who have studied the department store industry for many years pointed out that the business models of the two department stores may diverge day by day in the future, that is, the Sun Chunyang Nanhuo Store will become more and more high-end, and it may close some branches that were originally located in underdeveloped areas. , and turned to open more branches in big cities, mainly direct sales.On the other hand, East Coast Department Store is more franchising, and the number of branches will increase, and it will appear more in the field of vision of the ordinary income class.

But regardless of the business model, the future of these two department store chains is very bright, because the east coast economy that has been prosperous for many years is supporting them.As long as the big ship of the East Coast Republic does not sink, these two companies will become more and more prosperous.Now Sun Chunyang Nanhuo Store has branches in Europe and the Far East. As the country on the east coast makes greater achievements, department stores will inevitably gain more profits, just like the national grain reserves that have successively gone to sea to control overseas markets. , Nanhai Shipping Company, etc.

This is the benefit of a strong country, and the relationship with the operator is not particularly great.The strength of enterprises can in turn promote the improvement of national strength, allowing the country as an entity to have more power to compete internationally, and ultimately bring benefits to everyone.

It can be seen that the East Bank is now on the track of this virtuous circle.The strength of the national power and the prosperity of the economy complement each other and have almost reached a staged peak.What needs to be done next is for the members of the executive committee who hold the highest power in this country to make full use of their industrial, military, diplomatic and capital forces, and take advantage of the coming golden opportunity to fight and fight for the future. Citizens lead to greater economic prosperity.

(End of this chapter)