When bad luck comes, you can't stop it; when disaster strikes, you can't hide from it.
After the occurrence of Black Monday, not only developed countries and regions such as the United States, Europe, and Japan suffered losses, but the Sugar King family, which is based in Southeast Asia, also suffered heavy losses in its industries.
You should know that in addition to sugar, grain and oil, hotel business, and real estate, the entire Guo family is also involved in the shipping and beverage industries.
To put it bluntly, they are just a big stupid elephant, engaged in all asset-heavy industries.
Moreover, it is now a period of expansion for various businesses, and the demand for funds is greater than ever.
At this critical moment, it is obvious how much harm a sudden financial disaster will have on them.
Not only did the projects they were steadily advancing directly encounter a shortage of funds, many subsidiaries and subsidiaries were faced with the risk of bounced bills and suddenly fell into danger due to financial difficulties. They had to significantly stop, reduce planned investments, and overturn plans.
The development plan has been finalized.
And it will inevitably hurt their roots.
Because even if a strong man breaks his hand, it will still require a large investment to maintain the existing inherent market.
At least the risk of bounced bills must be resolved, and the bonds that will be redeemed one after another once they mature are enough for the financial department of the Kuok Group.
Moreover, the Guo Group owns a large number of fixed assets and long-term investments, and the stock market crash will cause the value of these assets to shrink significantly.
In particular, the Kuok family has companies listed in Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
As the market fell, these companies were sold off by investors, and their stock prices were simply miserable.
It is inevitable to re-evaluate the value of its assets and adjust financial strategies to cope with the financial pressure caused by asset depreciation.
Most importantly, they originally gave great hope to the financing channels for issuing bonds and expanding shares through the capital market, but they have been completely blocked.
In the short term, the Kuok Group has to urgently stop all plans and stop trying to make money from the market.
It has to be said that a single move can affect the whole body. There are also disadvantages to a company that is too big, that is, it is difficult to turn around because the ship is too big.
In such a sudden financial disaster, the Kuok Group would have to suffer huge losses that are simply incalculable. It would be good if the group's overall business only stagnated and did not suffer a huge setback.
So now the headquarters of the Kuok Group in Singapore is a mess, with phone calls, faxes, and people buzzing with activity.
In a conference room at the headquarters, the Guo brothers, headed by "Sugar King" Guo Henian, have been meeting here almost every two or three days since the stock market crash.
To inform each other of business changes that each other is responsible for, and to discuss together how to respond to the deteriorating external financial environment.
November 10th is such a day.
The lights in the conference room were bright, but as the explanations of financial data were read out one by one by the president's secretary, a solemn and depressing atmosphere filled the room.
Tea and coffee were clearly placed on the table, but no one was seen taking them to drink.
Smoking is prohibited here, and even Guo Heju, the eldest son of the Guo family who is the most addicted to smoking, could only resist his addiction and subconsciously turned a matchbox upside down in his hand to endure it.
Obviously, this is a meeting that everyone in the Guo Group needs to take seriously. No one dares to take the current crisis lightly.
"Okay, everyone, this is the situation we need to face now."
After the secretary read out all the economic data, it was Group Chairman Guo Henian who first broke the silence.
"Now, as everyone knows, there is no hope in the financial market. There are almost no stocks rising in the current stock market. The extreme malaise in the market has led to a rapid reduction in financing channels. Under such circumstances, the resources in our hands have been exhausted.
It is not enough to support us to maintain the current situation. Whether it is
Banks in Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong have very harsh conditions for our financing needs, and the amount is not up to our expectations. So there is no way, I am afraid we will have to further reduce the existing scale of operations. We can only first
The important business has been saved. Do you have any specific opinions on this?"
"Everyone knows the current situation. It's just that the shipping business I'm responsible for has just started to make some noise. If the tightening of funds starts with the shipping business I'm responsible for, then I will have to withdraw the ship order. In the next at least five years, we will
We can only look at the looks of the Bao family in Hong Kong City."
Guo Heyao, who was in charge of shipping, was the first to respond. He was not Robert Kuok's brother, but his cousin, the fifth oldest.
"I said yes, if my capital is withdrawn, I have no problem with it. But in the future, if your shipping business is hampered by the Bao family, you can't blame me."
After saying that, he looked at Chairman Guo Henian and acted like a bachelor, as if he was just doing whatever he wanted.
But in fact, it was just taking a step back to make progress. He didn't want to reduce his budget.
What he didn't expect was that while Guo Henian didn't say anything, someone else was already competing with him for resources.
"It's hard to do business now, it's hard for everyone. Fifth brother, don't always complain about your own things. My brother, it's not easy for me either. Can I give up on my real estate industry? If it turns into an unfinished building, we have to pay compensation."
How much is it? We all have to be about the same, brothers, we are in the same boat, we share the blessings and the disasters. If you want to reduce it, you can reduce it, and you can't favor one over the other."
Guo Heming, who is in charge of housing construction, said that he is also Guo Henian's cousin, the youngest at 21.
As soon as he said this, Guo Henian frowned. It was difficult to settle the issue of funds at the moment.
Both cousins were giving him problems.
But fortunately, he still has brothers. Guo Henian's brother Guo Heling, who is in charge of the hotel business, saw how powerful his cousins were, so he took the initiative to stand up and became the first person to "disable his martial arts" and share his worries.
"In terms of hotels, I think we can postpone the expansion. For example, in mainland China, except for the major cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, I think we can suspend the expansion plans in other regions. In this way, we can save a lot of money. At least two or three
100 million U.S. dollars. And the hotel is currently in good operating condition, so we should be able to get 170 million Hong Kong dollars."
Guo Henian's elder brother added, "There are also beverage companies that can also suspend capital investment. And now in Hong Kong City, the profits of beverage companies have increased a lot. I think we can draw some blood to supplement other industries.
Including temporarily delaying the supplier's payment, I think it is okay to allocate two to three hundred million Hong Kong dollars. And the international trade department that I am responsible for, if I think of a way, I can probably allocate US$130 million in funds.
Helping everyone temporarily solve their financial difficulties."
These suggestions were immediately supported by everyone, but Guo Henian felt even more unhappy.
It's like this every time. These cousins always take advantage and don't suffer any disadvantages, all because of the help of his brothers.
And once he takes care of his brothers, several cousins will complain behind their backs, complaining that he is unfair and biased.
In addition, this year, the business involved in the Guo Group has become more and more complex.
Of course he knew in his heart that if things continued like this, it would not work. Sooner or later, these selfish cousins would become a stumbling block to the group company because of their interests.
In fact, he has already made up his mind to break through this hurdle and make a business break with several cousins.
But having said that, after all, there was one person among his cousins who did not disappoint him.
That is Guo Helin, the twelfth-ranked person in charge of the grain and oil business. He is not only capable, but also knowledgeable.
Even his son Guo Kefeng is also very good and has always been the person Guo Henian values most in the next generation.
No, it seems that he also feels that his cousins are being disrespectful, and Guo Helin came to share the worries of the group.
"The grain and oil aspect that I am responsible for is the bulk of the funds. Recently, due to the increase in instant noodle making companies, the demand for palm oil is not small. We have a lot of inventory on hand. I want to think of a way to sell some and cash out while the price is good. This can also solve the problem.
Some due bills are urgently needed. However, the hotel He Ling is responsible for needs to restore its reputation. I mean other than temporarily suspending
For expansion plans, don’t be in a hurry to draw blood. After all, something disgraceful happened some time ago. We have to invest more in publicity and preferential activities and seize the time to restore the image. Otherwise, the hotel’s image will suffer.
If we don't let the guests form a fixed impression, we will no longer be able to retain high-end customers, and the hotel will have no future..."
This suggestion was certainly in line with Guo Henian's wishes, and he couldn't help but nodded with relief, and turned to his younger brother.
"He Ling, Brother Twelve is right. Our hotel business is an important part of the future development of the Guo Group. We must not let this kind of thing ruin it. There is no need to allocate funds to your hotel for the time being. You still
Let’s focus on the upcoming Christmas and New Year, and take advantage of the holidays to make a turnaround. We must make it more lively and gorgeous to reshape the image of our hotel. Ah, by the way, my two
Damn son, you uncle, don't let them idle all day long. Since the trouble in the hotel was caused by them, let them use practical actions to atone for their sins. I delegate the power to you. You can repair them for me. No need.
They don’t care about their hard work. I said, if they don’t do well this time, they will only be qualified to go to the sugar cane fields to serve our Guo family’s sugar industry..."
Guo Henian's words were somewhat humorous at the end.
Of course, the top leader of the group company had to laugh at his jokes, so the Guo brothers all laughed.
By this time, the atmosphere of the meeting finally felt a little more relaxed.
But it was such a coincidence that there was a knock on the door of the conference room, and it was Guo Heling's female secretary who walked in and claimed that she had something urgent to see him.
Then a sudden piece of bad news came through the mouth of the female secretary, which once again chilled the atmosphere in the conference room.
"Chairman, the French LVMH Group has sent us a special letter through their regional agent, saying that from now on, all LVMH Group products sold in Shangri-La will be recalled, including LV clothing, leather bags, silk scarves, and shoes.
Dior’s perfume, as well as Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon, and Hennessy’s drinks. They said... they said they would never cooperate with us in the future..."
"What? What did you say?"
"Is LVMH crazy? This is impossible!"
"That is to say, why would they do this? It doesn't make sense..."
"It's strange. Our Kuok Group's hotels are the most reputable brands in Asia, and they will be listed in the future! Don't they make money?"
"Are you sure this is what LVMH means? Isn't it a prank?"
This news made all the Guo brothers uneasy.
They even ignored that the hotel was Guo Heling's business and made a lot of noise and asked questions.
Because if it is true, it is almost equivalent to an insult to the Guo family.
Unexpectedly, although the female secretary was mumbling, her answer was extremely certain.
"Yes...yes, that's what LVMH means. I have confirmed that all the supplying agents say so. They said they are bound by the agency contract, and they have no choice but to listen to the French..."
Then the faces of the Guo family members all darkened, especially Guo Heling himself, who hurriedly asked his secretary.
"Then what's the reason? Why do the French treat us like this?"
"He... they said that our hotel used all kinds of resources to prevent other people from filming movies for unsightly reasons, and also hired Yakuza to harass other people's restaurants in Japan and disrupt other people's normal operations. This behavior is extremely
It's shameful and they can't agree with it. Also, they knew about what happened in our hotel lobby. So they claimed that we
The hotel has become synonymous with vulgarity and filth. They don’t want their products to be related to our hotel, so as not to make their customers have a bad association and damage the image of their company and products. Especially they said that they were
The people we obstruct and harass are important partners of the LVMH Group, so...so they are even more unacceptable..."
The female secretary was not that old and she was a woman. She watched helplessly as everyone in the conference room became more and more serious because of her words. Her tongue began to stiffen and she could no longer speak.
In fact, it's no wonder. Just now, several heads of the Guo family were discussing how to use the Double Festival at the end of the year to restore the reputation of the hotel.
As a result, the house leaked and it rained all night, so we got the news right away.
To be honest, if this matter were leaked, especially if the media reporters knew about it, the reputation of Guo Hotel would be really ruined.
By then it will be useless no matter how much money is spent or what kind of activities are organized.
If nothing else, what is the reputation of LVMH and what is the reputation of their hotels.
If you are disliked by LVMH, how can you have the nerve to claim that you are a high-end hotel?
It would be strange if it became a joke among high-end customers.
Not to mention that the LVMH group has almost a monopoly on all French Champagne.
A five-star hotel wouldn't be a big deal if it didn't have champagne. If it were just this, no guests would choose their hotel to host large-scale events.
So Guo Heling immediately started to wipe away the sweat. His face turned a little pale, and he apologized to Guo Henian first.
"I did not handle this matter well. I will contact France immediately. I must explain the misunderstanding clearly and let these French people take back their lives. Please believe me, I will not let our hotel become a laughing stock."
However, Guo Henian's face was ugly, but he knew very well that this was not Guo Heling's responsibility, and when things got to this point, even if he went to beg the French for mercy, it might not be of any use.
He sighed and sincerely comforted, "This is not your fault. If we are to blame, we can only blame us for despising each other too much. Don't worry, ignore the French for the time being. We should first figure out what's going on.
Decide on countermeasures.”
What he said is correct.
After all, who would have thought that a mainlander who opened a restaurant in Japan would have such a big connection with the LVMH group, and that he would have the support of these French people.
If you want to solve a problem, you must first understand what is going on here.
So he followed him and regained a little color regardless of his face.
Then he asked Guo Helin, his cousin, "Twelve brother, Ke Feng is your son. Didn't he say some time ago that he would handle the relations in the capital? Can you help me by calling him and asking?
How is the progress over there? If he feels difficulty, that's okay, then I'll go there myself."
The words were spoken very easily, but it was completely different when it reached Guo Helin's ears.
His expression changed, knowing that his son's future was now tied to this matter.
This matter is of great importance. If it is not resolved properly, the hotel group will be doomed.
Although the trouble was caused by Guo Henian's two sons, who made him the prince? Guo Henian would definitely be angry with others.
So when he agreed and made the call, he was actually beating a drum in his heart.
He said in his heart, my son, I hope you will be smarter, but you must not be perfunctory in this matter.
Otherwise, you kid will just wait to be kicked out of the core of the group.