Chapter 1146 Taking advantage of the opportunity
Cabinda.
Like Pointe-Noire in Belgium, Cabinda, the second city on the west coast of East Africa, is more prosperous than before the war, but this prosperity is significantly different from Pointe-Noire.
Pointe-Noire is mainly because Belgians took refuge here from the mainland, while Cabinda is purely because of trade. The number of merchant ships from East Africa to Europe and South America has increased significantly, while Gabon has not yet been developed. Geographically, Cabinda is East Africa's answer to Western Europe and South America. The first city of South American trade.
The First World War not only turned Europe into chaos, but also reduced European power in other areas, such as South America. Now that Britain has gone to war with Germany, a power vacuum has formed in South America. The original British, French and German markets will naturally give way to East Africa. and the United States.
In this peaceful competition, East Africa took a huge advantage as soon as it took action. East Africa had been preparing for this war for a long time.
The nearby Belgian colonial market is obviously also a target of East Africa, but there is no rush for Belgian Congo East Africa, because East Africa's layout here is earlier and easier.
Carson's Department Store.
This is a private department store that has been registered for two years. After all, the East African market has not been open for a long time, so compared with many private companies, Carson Department Store is considered to be relatively large.
Carson Department Store, which has only been in development for two years, is clearly unable to compare with the well-funded state-owned department stores in East Africa. At present, the company's business scope has only just occupied a certain market in Cabinda City.
This result can be said to be quite good. After all, Cabinda is also a large city with a population of more than 500,000, while the population of Brussels in Belgium before the war was only about 600,000 to 700,000. It is no wonder that the Belgians in the Belgian Congo combined Cabinda and Brussels on par.
Now, Philip, the owner of Carson Department Store, is meeting with his subordinates to lay the foundation for further expansion of Carson Department Store.
Philippe: "Most factories in Belgium have stopped working due to the war, and Europe's trade and shipping industries have also been affected. At this time, Europe is just eating and not spitting out, and the goods that should have been provided by Belgium to the Belgian Congo have also been affected. It will be greatly reduced, so for us, the Belgian Congo is a very good consumer market now. Now that Belgium cannot take care of the Belgian Congo, it is a great opportunity for us to develop the Belgian Congo!”
Philip's manager asked: "The consumption power of the Belgian Congo is indeed good, but the population is too small. The entire Belgian Congo is similar to our city of Cabinda, but the total city of Cabinda is only 60 square kilometers, but the Belgian Congo is as high as 20 square kilometers. With an area of more than 10,000 square kilometers, there is almost no other city in the Belgian Congo that can offer it except Pointe-Noire. The population is very scattered. Is it too risky for an industry like ours that needs to stabilize the consumer population? "
Philip nodded happily and said: "Lewin, it's good that you can see the risks and problems, but you should also take a longer-term view. Nowadays, the population of the Belgian Congo is growing very fast. In addition to the local high fertility rate, In addition, many Belgians are now fleeing to the Belgian Congo, so the potential of the Belgian Congo is very high.”
"As for the population, although the Belgian Congo is very large, it is not without places where the population is relatively concentrated, such as towns and mines. These places can be said to be where the Belgian Congo's population is relatively concentrated, so on the one hand we can lay out the Belgian Congo's population Congolese towns, on the other hand, must pay attention to the mining areas of the Belgian Congo.”
"Most people don't think about business in mining areas, but mining in the Belgian Congo is relatively developed at present. Many Belgians live around the mining area. As long as we open a commercial base to provide convenience for workers, there is basically no possibility of failure. "
The Belgians Philip mentioned obviously also include the Chinese in the Belgian Congo, where the Chinese population accounts for the majority, and the Belgian Congo is obviously not as enlightened as East Africa, so the boundaries between Chinese and Belgians are relatively clear.
Of course, Belgium's attitude towards the Chinese is obviously much more tolerant than in history. In the previous life, Leopold II moved a group of Chinese workers from the Far Eastern Empire, and the end result was that there were almost no Chinese workers left.
But now it is completely different. Because of the existence of East Africa next to the Belgian Congo, even if Leopold II regarded human life as trivial, he would not dare to compare too much with the Chinese in the Congo. Especially after East Africa developed the western region, the economy in the western region of East Africa developed rapidly. If the Belgians exploited the Chinese too harshly, they could run into East Africa. This was something the Belgian Congo government could not stop.
Therefore, the status of the Chinese in the Belgian Congo has been continuously strengthened in recent years. After all, if they are all gone, the Belgian Congo will be finished.
Originally, the Belgian Congo was a large tropical rainforest climate area. If there was not enough population, the Belgian Congo would not be able to develop better than Gabon under the rule of France and Germany.
Now the Chinese in the Belgian Congo have actually gained substantial social status, but they are still squeezed out by the real Belgians in the cultural and ideological fields.
Of course, the Chinese in the Belgian Congo are already very satisfied. After all, compared with the Far East, the Belgian Congo in this era is already considered a blessed land, although it is not as good as the East Africa next door.
Philippe continued: "Moreover, our competition can be stronger in the Belgian Congo. There are not many competitors there now. This can be seen from the fact that many people from the Belgian Congo go to Cabinda and Kinshasa to spend money."
"If we open the supermarket directly next door, then they won't have to go to Cabinda to buy food, and the ferry and bus tickets are not cheap. This will definitely be very attractive to ordinary people in the Belgian Congo."
"So how do we solve the funding problem?" LeVine asked.
Philip: "This is related to the company's strategic line. I think we should give up the fiercely competitive domestic market first, develop in the Belgian Congo first, and use the funds originally used to develop the domestic market to go next door, and the Belgian Congo The land price is cheaper than that in East Africa, which is more cost-effective.”
"We have also made a lot of money in the past two years, and borrowing another sum from the bank will be enough for our early development in the Belgian Congo, and our investment in the Belgian Congo is different from that in China."
"Except for Pointe-Noire City, we don't need to build large supermarkets in other areas. We just need to establish chain sales outlets. Just like the early supply and marketing cooperatives in East Africa, as long as they can sell some practical products, there is no need for too many types. Later, we can Our strength has increased and we are making corresponding expansions.”
“As for Pointe-Noire, we only need to build two large supermarkets. It is very convenient to transport goods from Cabinda to Pointe-Noire by sea. Fresh products can also be reached quickly by road, and you can also purchase them directly from the local area. ”
The Belgian Congo can be divided into Pointe-Noire City and areas outside Pointe-Noire. After all, the population of Pointe-Noire City alone accounts for more than one-sixth of the Belgian Congo, and its consumption level exceeds that of the other regions combined.
However, if Philip can think of a good place like Pointe-Noire, so can others, so Philip does not plan to make too big a move in Pointe-Noire. Apart from other things, East African state-owned enterprises have already opened supermarkets there a few years ago. Noire City.
Carson Department Store does not have much advantage in entering Pointe-Noire City at this time, but this does not mean that Carson Department Store has no opportunities in Pointe-Noire City. Nowadays, the population of Pointe-Noire City is growing rapidly, and with the interruption of trade between Belgium and the Belgian Congo, This will create many new markets out of thin air. As long as we seize the opportunity, Philip believes that Carson Department Store can occupy a place in Pointe Noire City.
After all, if Carson Department Store can develop and grow in Cabinda City, Philippe must have two brushes in his hands. Although the domestic market economy is developing rapidly now, as long as there are no big problems in decision-making, you can basically make money, but Carson Department Store can develop into Cabinda City. As one of the industry giants in the city, it is not just a matter of luck.
(End of chapter)