Chapter 500: Seventy Million Dollars to Acquire the Parent Company of 7-Eleven!
Today, Land Corporation's newly purchased skyscraper near Ginza had already become a local landmark.
Given that Akina Nakamori was performing just a few dozen meters away from this building, it wasn't difficult for her to find it.
Thus, when Akina learned that Lin Haoran's company was located there, she wasn't worried about being deceived.
She thought to herself — with her family background, there wasn't much she could be cheated out of anyway.
Still naive about the ways of the world, she readily agreed to Lin Haoran's invitation.
After parting ways, Lin Haoran didn't linger and soon returned to the underground parking lot of the building to head home.
Another night passed quickly.
Now it was February 14th — Valentine's Day.
It had been about a week since Lin Haoran arrived from Hong Kong.
However, with neither Kwan Ka Wai nor Guo Xiaohan in Japan, Valentine's Day for Lin Haoran was just another ordinary day.
Although it was Saturday, Land Corporation's employees were still working.
Everything was under construction; their workload was enormous.
Following a full five-day workweek model would have severely hampered their growth in Japan.
When Lin Haoran arrived at the office, Kenneth Ho and the others were already immersed in their work.
Seeing Lin Haoran enter, Kenneth immediately stood up to greet him.
"Boss, regarding the personal secretary position you requested, I've already coordinated with the headhunting company.
They're screening candidates and will recommend a shortlist to us for interviews.
Once we have suitable options, we'll let you personally interview them," Kenneth reported.
Lin Haoran nodded.
"This needs to be handled quickly."
The biggest barrier he faced in Japan was the language gap.
Although many Japanese spoke English due to the rapid economic growth,
some still didn't.
And finding someone fluent in Chinese was even harder.
"Understood, Boss.
Don't worry — we're working with the biggest headhunting company in Japan.
They have the richest talent pool here.
For a secretary role, it shouldn't take more than two or three days to find suitable candidates," Kenneth promised.
Lin Haoran nodded again, exchanged a few more words with Kenneth, then retreated to his private office to avoid disturbing their work.
At 10 a.m., Lin Haoran finally received a call from Su Zhixue.
By this time, it was already nighttime in the United States.
After two days, there was finally news about the attempt to acquire Southland Corporation, the parent company of 7-Eleven.
As soon as the call connected, Su Zhixue eagerly reported:
"Boss, after receiving your instructions, I immediately contacted Citibank's Chairman, Mr. Walter Wriston,
and formally commissioned them to handle the acquisition."
"Mr. Wriston was happy to assist.
Regarding the commission, although he initially offered to waive it due to our long-term cooperation,
I followed your earlier directives and negotiated a 1% commission fee on the transaction amount, payable upon completion."
"Initially, Southland's owners were reluctant to sell,
but after Citibank's persuasion, they agreed to a selling price of $80 million."
"I felt the price was high —
Citibank's valuation was between $60 million and $70 million."
"After further negotiations, just moments ago, Citibank informed me that Southland is now willing to sell for $70 million."
"I immediately called you to ask if you're willing to accept this price."
Seventy million dollars?
The price was even lower than Lin Haoran had expected.
Converted to Hong Kong dollars, it was just over HK$300 million.
Clearly, people hadn't realized the true potential of convenience stores yet.
Being able to acquire the convenience store giant of this era at such a low price —
this was a godsend.
"Good, I approve the deal.
Proceed under Huanyu Investment Company's name.
If you need additional funds, let me know, and I'll arrange it," Lin Haoran instructed.
The decision-makers behind Southland probably hadn't wanted to sell —
Lin Haoran wondered what methods Citibank had used to convince them.
Not that it mattered.
All he cared about was acquiring Southland — the rest was irrelevant.
At this time, 7-Eleven already had a substantial network —
stores stretching across the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Japan, Taiwan — totaling over 3,000 locations.
Though this number paled compared to the 80,000+ stores 7-Eleven would one day operate worldwide,
it was already a giant among convenience store chains in this era.
More importantly, Lin Haoran valued 7-Eleven's unparalleled logistics system.
In Japan, the explosive growth of 7-Eleven wasn't just due to favorable market conditions —
it was largely because of its outstanding logistics infrastructure.
Without it, Ito-Yokado could never have expanded the brand so rapidly.
The logistics system was the true competitive edge.
And crucially, control of 7-Eleven's branding, logistics, and patents still lay with the American Southland Corporation.
Thus, by acquiring Southland, Lin Haoran wouldn't just own thousands of stores —
he'd own the entire system.
"Boss, don't worry about the money.
Our financial status is very healthy.
Last year, the companies we invested in performed well — just the dividend income alone amounted to several million dollars."
"Plus, with your personal funds left in Huanyu Investment,
and proceeds from selling Apple stock,
even after buying up lots of shares, we still have over $100 million on hand."
"This acquisition poses no financial pressure."
"If any funding issues arise, I'll report to you immediately."
"I'll also speed up the acquisition process with Southland," Su Zhixue confirmed.
As a private company, Southland's acquisition process was simpler than that of a listed company.
Once an agreement was reached, the procedures would move swiftly.
"Good, I'm leaving everything to you.
I look forward to hearing good news," Lin Haoran said, satisfied, then hung up.
As for the future of 7-Eleven, Lin Haoran already had a plan.
He intended to first move 7-Eleven's headquarters to Japan —
accelerating its growth there.
Once 7-Eleven's development in Japan matured,
he would then move its headquarters again — to Hong Kong.
Doing it too early would be unwise.
Currently, Hong Kong didn't even have a single 7-Eleven store.
Meanwhile, competition in Japan's convenience store market was heating up.
And in the U.S., convenience store growth was far slower compared to East Asia and Southeast Asia.
Otherwise, Japan's 7-Eleven locations wouldn't have soon surpassed America's.
Thus, the acquisition proceeding so smoothly even surprised Lin Haoran a little.
Clearly, having Citibank's massive influence on his side had made all the difference.
If Kenneth Ho had been tasked with direct negotiations,
success would have been far less certain — unless they grossly overpaid.
Lin Haoran guessed Southland's owners ultimately agreed largely due to Citibank's pressure.
Without that leverage, it would have been far more difficult.
Meanwhile, back in Japan, Ito-Yokado was likely still dreaming of fully acquiring 7-Eleven.
They would soon be in for a rude awakening.
Not long after hanging up, a knock came at Lin Haoran's door.
"Boss, there's a young lady outside saying you asked her to come."
The receptionist — a new hire, fluent in English — had brought the message.
Compared to ordinary employees, she was capable,
but still not quite polished enough for Lin Haoran's personal secretary role.
As for the visitor —
it could only be Akina Nakamori.
"Bring her in," Lin Haoran said.
Soon, Akina Nakamori was led into the room.
"You stay too," Lin Haoran told the receptionist.
"You'll translate for me."
The receptionist paused for a moment, then remained standing by.
Akina Nakamori, meanwhile, looked nervous and uneasy.
She already knew that this company owned the massive building nearby.
For a girl from a humble background,
the scale of Lin Haoran's enterprise was overwhelming.
She couldn't even imagine it.
Still, seeing the young man from last night again made her feel more at ease.
At least she hadn't been tricked.
She glanced around the spacious, luxurious office in awe —
barely able to believe it was real.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Albino1