Reborn as a Noble's Son

In Nie Zhenbang’s view, the department stores of this era were merely in their infancy. They can’t be compared with the super and large-scale department stores of the future, let alone those gigantic department stores with hundreds of thousands to millions of square meters of retail space. Seeing the puzzled expressions on Yang Anbang and Xiao Yali’s faces, Nie Zhenbang felt a sense of enlightening them. He explained, “These are not real department stores. In my vision, our department store should not only carry clothes, shoes, hats, toys, and the like. It ought to be a comprehensive shopping mall that combines clothing, food, shelter, and transportation. Moreover, our department store should differentiate itself from the prevalent mass-market malls. We need to aim for an upscale route.”

It was a new term. Xiao Yali was confused, but Yang Anbang seemed thoughtful.

Nie Zhenbang sighed silently. Yang Anbang’s talent was genuine and not just built on background and boasting. He was a talented man indeed.

Walking the high-end route? Wasn’t that advocating a bourgeois, decadent lifestyle? This made Yang Anbang hesitant. Despite the Yang family being a driving force of reform, taking such a big step made Yang Anbang somewhat uneasy. He then asked, “Zhenbang, I understand the high-end route. It’s about selling the most expensive products. But won’t this be suspected of being bourgeois? And also, does Jingcheng have the purchasing power for it?”

Nie Zhenbang laughed. Though the era of reform and opening up had just started a few years ago, places like Jingcheng and Hucheng were undoubtedly affluent. Especially Jingcheng, the center of national power, where the highest income earners were mostly based in this era. If Jingcheng did not have purchasing power, nowhere else could. As for the bourgeois lifestyle, in its current form, it might be considered audacious. However, this has nothing to do with the marketplace. Instead, Nie Zhenbang planned to use this for publicity.

Laughing lightly, Nie Zhenbang reassured him, “Second brother, I understand your concerns. But rest assured, there’s absolutely no problem.”

The next day, Zhou Chen quickly turned over the site to Yang Anbang.

Meanwhile, Yang Anbang immediately instructed his staff to start the move. Everything from the supermarket was transferred to other Wal-Mart outlets. The various distributors expressed no dissatisfaction. On the contrary, they were thrilled at the opportunity to enter Wal-Mart’s market.

However, when they actually started operating as a department store, Nie Zhenbang realized how challenging it was to set up an upscale, large-scale department store in these times.

Clothing? At this time, China had no mature brand awareness, let alone advertising. Appliances? In this era dominated by black-and-white televisions, all appliances were considered luxury items. Cosmetics? The market had not even been cultivated yet; the trend was still Snow Cream.

If they were genuinely to open such a department store, they would need to import over 80% of their goods from abroad. This would be a significant challenge.

Nie Zhenbang shook his head at this thought. It appeared that Yang Anbang and Xiao Yali would have to step in again. It was clear that it was too late to make direct contact with the manufacturers. Besides, in this era of undeveloped communication and the absence of internet, it was not as easy as in the future when you could search anything online instantly. For example, top-tier global brands like Versace or Chanel likely wouldn’t even have contact numbers available in China’s Ministry of Foreign Trade. The only option was to inquire through their embassies.

Finding one company after another was not a big issue. However, a department store would require at least hundreds or even more brands. At this moment, Nie Zhenbang already had a plan in mind.

“Second brother, Second sister, Jiamin, take a look. This is an investment planning proposal I wrote. Read it carefully and let me know if you have any suggestions,” Nie Zhenbang said as he tossed his completed proposal onto the table in the office at Wal-Mart.

Seeing the surprise on the faces of Yang Anbang and the others after they finished reading, Yang Anbang slapped his thigh and stood up: “Good, very good. All the world’s top luxury brands are moving in. Zippo, Rolex, Versace, Chanel. This is really a great move, Zhenbang. These things are rare in China. If we introduce them here, all the owners in this capital might go crazy.”

At this time, these brands might not be familiar to the common people, but they were to the people within the circle of the capital. Many of the older people in their families, like the Nies and the Yangs, often traveled abroad. It was normal for them to bring something back.

“There’s no discussion needed. Zhenbang, I’ll take care of this. My uncle works in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I’ll ask him to contact the commercial counselors of each embassy,” Yang Anbang immediately took over the task of contacting each brand’s home country.

Xiao Yali also stood up, smiling as she said, “Then I will contact the Ministry of Foreign Trade. My uncle is there. If they send out the invitations, I believe these brands would be interested in coming.”

Seeing the two of them leave eagerly, Nie Jiamin looked worried. He said to Nie Zhenbang, “Zhenbang, are we taking on too much? Will Elder Nie get angry?”

At this, Nie Zhenbang smiled. Elder Nie had already expressed his displeasure. At this point, he probably wasn’t interested. Ever since he entered the Nie family, an article had made the family the target of suspicion by conservatives. Then the Nie brothers were both sent to Yuedong together. They wouldn’t have gone to Yuedong without Elder Nie’s permission. Then came the opening of the supermarket, the visit to the Yang family. All these steps had gradually pushed the Nie family to the fringes of the conservative party.

In his previous life, after Comrade Xuri took office, Elder Nie had to resign from his important position. But this time, there was no change in the military commission. This meant there must have been some contact between Elder Nie and the head of state. Elder Nie’s attitude had also changed. The coming business negotiation meeting was just another opportunity to further the reform agenda.

With this in mind, Nie Zhenbang patted Nie Jiamin’s shoulder and said,

“Jiamin, don’t worry. The Nie family is now part of the reform faction.”

Just as Nie Zhenbang had said, Elder Nie did not react when Yang Anbang and Xiao Yali made their move. It was as if he didn’t know at all, and was focusing on the army, working on military modernization.

The business negotiation meeting was a great success. After Yang Anbang reported the plan to Elder Yang, he immediately reported it to the head of state. With the support of the head of state, all government ministries offered full support. Quickly, a large business delegation from all over the world gathered in Jingcheng. The delegation visited the special reform zone in Yuedong and Hucheng’s development under the personal guidance of the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Trade. They also inspected the business environment in Jingcheng, evaluated the five Wal-Mart stores, and conducted on-site investigations of Wal-Mart department store. After that, many brands signed agreements to move into the Wal-Mart department store.

After the business negotiation meeting, the once empty Wal-Mart department store became lively. Renovation teams from world-renowned brands also moved in.

“Second Brother, good job. With this start, things will be much easier from now on. We thank you for putting so much effort into the supermarket and department store. After the New Year, you will be busy.” Standing at the renovation site of the Wal-Mart department store, Nie Zhenbang felt quite emotional. He had lived a disappointing life previously, but this time, his hard work had paid off. The Nie family had also managed to survive the first catastrophe thanks to his efforts.

However, Comrade Xuri taking office would be a huge challenge for the Nie family. Whether they could overcome this hurdle would become clear in two years.

Yang Anbang didn’t notice Nie Zhenbang’s unusual mood. Yang Anbang’s talents in business were fully revealed. According to the plan, after the New

Year, Wal-Mart supermarket would open at least fifteen stores in Hucheng,

Yuedong, and several developed cities and provincial capitals along the coast. This was a new challenge, but Yang Anbang was full of confidence, smiling as he said, “Tomorrow will be the 30th. You go to the airport to pick up Uncle Nie. After the New Year, you should go to Yuedong. I’ll leave that to you..”