It dawned on Peng Yu. So that was the root of the problem.
That explained why Huang Guangyuan had gone ballistic and issued ultimatums to all the brands.
But he couldn’t figure out what appeal Yino Company or Liu Haoran could possibly have to make Huang Guangyuan back them.
In the Hanjiang business world, Huang Guangyuan was in a league of his own. Peng Yu’s own influence didn’t even come close.
As for Yino Company and Liu Haoran, they couldn’t even get a foot in his circle before. ’How did they win over Huang Guangyuan?’
Knowing who was behind this actually put his mind at ease. Before, it felt like an invisible hand was pulling the strings from behind the scenes. The enemy was hidden while he was out in the open. That sense of uncertainty had kept him constantly on edge.
Now that he knew who the enemy was, he could prepare to counter their moves.
At first, he’d thought a competitor was targeting him. He had mentally reviewed every major rival in Hanjiang, only to conclude that none of them would have resorted to such a tactic.
Their market positioning was a tier below Wansheng Square. Using Huang Guangyuan to attack would be a Pyrrhic victory—injuring the enemy by a thousand while losing eight hundred themselves. It simply wasn’t worth it.
"President Xia, what kind of brand status does Yino have to be able to poach your store? What could Huang Guangyuan be thinking?"
"Besides, the ’Yi Rui’ brand is in many Wansheng locations in prefecture-level cities, and even in malls a tier below Wansheng. This move completely contradicts his own demands for brand exclusivity!"
"Isn’t he just contradicting himself?"
Xia Bin sighed. "Tell me about it. I tried to talk to him, but he refused to meet with me. He just had a vice president give me the runaround."
"It can’t be helped. In a place like Jiangzhou, he calls the shots. There’s nothing we can do."
"President Xia, if the regional office can’t resolve this, you should report it to their headquarters!"
Xia Bin shot a furtive glance at Peng Yu. "But that would mean burning bridges completely. We still have to open stores under his jurisdiction in the future. He could find any random excuse to make our lives difficult!"
Peng Yu tossed him a cigarette, lit it for him, and said in a low voice, "Complaints are anonymous nowadays."
Xia Bin chuckled, took a deep drag, and blew a smoke ring. He leaned closer. "President Peng, I tried that. It was useless."
’So he’s just been playing dumb with me,’ Peng Yu cursed inwardly.
’I thought he was a straight shooter. Who knew he’d already tried it behind the scenes? It just didn’t work.’
’Alright, as long as you’re not above playing dirty, we can figure something out together!’
"President Xia, it looks like Yino has played us both. This mass withdrawal of anchor brands from my malls... it must be part of a grand performance orchestrated by them and Huang Guangyuan!"
Xia Bin nodded. Yino had poached one of his core stores, but it seemed the damage he’d suffered wasn’t as great as Peng Yu’s.
In truth, he was in a tight spot himself. The brand that had been poached was now pressuring him, demanding that he secure them a new location in Ganglong International—one just as good as their last—within three months.
If he failed, they might reduce his purchasing quota, or even consider finding a new agent for the Hanjiang Region.
Peng Yu’s words now stoked the embers of his own anger.
"Damn it, that shitty little company dares to mess with us? If we don’t teach them a lesson, they’ll never learn who calls the shots in the Hanjiang business world."
"We have to blacklist them!" Peng Yu said viciously.
With that, he flung open his office door and told his secretary to get Li Chun, the Vice President of Merchandising.
Li Chun arrived a moment later and greeted Xia Bin.
"President Li, I want you to find out which Wansheng malls have a ’Yi Rui’ store. Check when their leases expire. Once they’re up, we’re not renewing any of them!"
Li Chun acknowledged the order and left to gather the information.
Peng Yu then turned to Xia Bin. "Once ’Yi Rui’ is out of those locations, would President Xia be interested in taking over the spaces? A perfect way to get your revenge."
Xia Bin shook his head vehemently. ’Are you kidding me? This isn’t revenge, this is you using me to solve your own problem!’
’You just want me to fill your vacancies. I’m already terrified that Huang Guangyuan will go after my other two stores. If I open a few more in your malls, I’ll be completely wiped out.’
’Besides, you don’t have many good malls in those prefecture-level cities. My high-end brands don’t have a customer base there. Every store I open would lose money. Do you think I’m an idiot?’
"President Peng, I definitely can’t right now. You heard what Huang Guangyuan just announced. Let’s wait for this to blow over. But I can promise you this: I’ll take over the store in Jiangzhou Wansheng Square!"
’You son of a bitch,’ Peng Yu thought. ’You really know how to talk. The Jiangzhou Wansheng store is a prime location. Of course you’re willing to snatch up a deal like that and make it sound like you’re doing me a favor.’
Speaking of Jiangzhou Wansheng, another heavy weight on his mind had yet to drop. Peng Yu couldn’t help but shoot a guilty look at Xia Bin.
Rumors about Jiangzhou Wansheng Square being acquired were already circulating, but that story had been going around for years. Everyone was used to it.
Most people just assumed it was another case of crying wolf.
But this matter would impact him the most, so Peng Yu was trying to gather information through every possible channel each day.
That morning, he had spoken with CEO Wang Jun again and learned that the deal was with a local Jiangzhou capital management firm. It was essentially a done deal, just going through the final procedures.
The news was bittersweet for Peng Yu.
He was worried because if Jiangzhou Wansheng Square were sold, the influence of the Wansheng Group Hanjiang Region would plummet.
His own influence over the brands would nosedive. It was no exaggeration to say that most brands pandered to him solely for the chance to get into Jiangzhou Wansheng Square through his connections, not for a spot in his other fourteen Wansheng Square locations.
About ten of those fourteen malls were struggling properties that brands avoided like the plague. If not for the regional policy of bundling placements—one spot in a good mall for two in bad ones—they would never even be fully leased.
From that perspective, he, the regional president of the Wansheng Group Hanjiang Region, would wield less influence than the general manager of a single Jiangzhou Wansheng Square.
His fourteen stores represented crushing performance targets and immense pressure.
Jiangzhou Wansheng Square, on the other hand, was a hot commodity. In the business world, a manager’s influence isn’t measured by the number of properties they oversee, but by their quality.
Huang Guangyuan was the perfect example. He was only in charge of Ganglong International, yet his industry prestige far outstripped Peng Yu’s.
Of course, that was only because Ganglong International was a high-luxury shopping center. Discounting that factor, Peng Yu was still considered the top dog in Hanjiang’s traditional retail mall sector.
Therefore, Peng Yu had been mulling it over. ’If it comes to that, I’d be better off just being the general manager of Jiangzhou Wansheng Square!’
His salary might be lower, but the "unofficial" income would be much higher. ’Think of how many brands are lining up, desperate for a spot.’
It was because of this thought that he felt a flicker of excitement upon hearing that Jiangzhou Wansheng Square was being acquired by a local Jiangzhou investment firm.
He wanted to talk to this capital management company, which had no prior experience in commercial real estate, and pitch himself for the position of the project’s general manager.