"So you have been ready to acquire Hermès?"
"Yes, when I found out that LVMH Group had already started to quietly purchase some shares of Hermès earlier, I knew that if I didn't act soon, then they would make Hermès their prey, or in other words, they had already made relevant plans..."
Barron held the phone and said with a smile:
"But all of this needs to be done with caution, after all, the Hermès family still has a very tight control over the company."
"To be honest, I was really surprised when I saw this report, but it was also at that time that I knew that since you publicly announced the acquisition, you must have a plan in mind..."
"So you have so much confidence in me, honey. By the way, how is things going at Android?"
Hearing Barron's question, Ivanta's voice came from the phone:
"The latest prototype has been completed and is being tested to ensure that the Android system can run smoothly in it... In fact, I think we can launch the Android system and new mobile phones before Christmas, which will definitely be a sensation in the world..."
It can be heard that Ivanta is very confident in the Android system and their smartphones - this is not surprising. After all, anyone who gets used to using the current feature phones and then tries to use a real smartphone will be impressed.
To be honest, Barron did have this impulse at first...
but...
"That's not safe, baby. We have to admit that we are still a little behind Apple in many aspects. According to my information, Apple will release a project similar to ours at the beginning of next year. Both Android and Honor Electronics are still a little behind in terms of brand and appeal. Therefore, the best strategy is for us to follow closely behind Apple and let them help us clear the obstacles."
Although what Barron said was indeed true, he couldn't tell Ivanta the other reason.
That is, when it comes to the epoch-making smartphone, Barron is still prepared to maintain a certain degree of respect for Jobs and give this honor to him - he does not need such false reputation, and this is what the pioneer deserves.
After hanging up the phone with Ivanta, Barron lowered his head and looked at his assistant Wang Wanting who was busy at the desk...
The sun was shining brightly today. He pulled up his female assistant and asked her to hold onto the French window. Then, behind her, they happily admired the view outside the window together.
…
Gucci Group CEO Desaulle's trip to France was very fruitful.
Perhaps seeing that the situation was beyond redemption, the Hermès family was finally persuaded by him and handed over most of the company's shares.
In addition to the more than 50% of Hermès shares that they originally bought through those offshore companies, after losing the possibility of holding the company, many members of the Hermès family sold their shares to them - after all, the current Hermès family has more than 200 members, and only a few still work in Hermès. Most of the other members still have their own careers.
In this way, the shares of Hermès held by Gucci Group exceeded 65% in one fell swoop, completing the acquisition of Hermès.
However, according to De Sole's promise to the Hermès family, after acquiring Hermès, they will still have a certain degree of independence, and the company's operations will not change much - this is also the premise for the Hermès family to agree to give up part of its shares and merge into the Gucci Group.
After completing this acquisition, the Gucci Group will be renamed Gucci-Hermes Group, abbreviated as GH Group, which also shows their respect for the Hermes brand.
After being overtaken by Gucci Group and seeing no hope of acquiring Hermès, LVMH Group reluctantly sold its nearly 5% stake in Hermès to Gucci-Hermès Group after negotiations, making a small profit with tears.
In this way, GH Group's shareholding in Hermès has reached 70%, giving it absolute controlling rights over the company.
Although the GH Group will not interfere with the specific operations of Hermès, after being incorporated into the group, both parties will make comprehensive considerations in terms of brand promotion and strategy. Just as Hermès has seen the boost to overall revenue after the Gucci Group's massive entry into the Chinese market, it will also increase its investment in the Chinese market through the GH Group's channels.
Dessole will serve as CEO of the Gucci-Hermès Group, while Patrick Thomas, the former CEO of Hermès, will continue to serve in this position and also serve as vice president of the Gucci-Hermès Group.
After acquiring Hermès, Barron knew that in the original time and space, another luxury brand would be put on the sales counter next year, that is the Italian brand Valentino.
Well, Barron had met Beatrice Borromeo before, and her uncle was the president of Valentino.
However, acquiring Valentino now may not be a good deal.
Because the current Valentino can be said to be at the peak of the brand. In Barron's previous life, the Permira Fund acquired most of the shares of the Valentino brand for 2.6 billion euros in 2007.
However, Valentino was affected by the subprime mortgage crisis around 2009 and suffered a financial crisis.
Then when the brand was acquired by the Qatari royal family in 2012, they only spent 700 million euros...
Speaking of which, when it comes to investing in luxury brands, Barron refers more to the future development of these brands in the original time and space.
Companies such as Gucci and Hermes, which he acquired, are expected to have good growth potential in the future, which shows that the management of these companies are still reliable.
After all, Barron himself did not have much experience in luxury brand management in his previous life, so he would leave such professional matters to professionals...
Why are traditional European private investors or private funds not keen on investing in the fashion industry?
In addition to the difficulty in grasping the market situation, more importantly, operating a luxury brand requires considering too many irrational factors.
Among them, finding a successful designer for the brand is particularly difficult, even for experienced fashion entrepreneurs.
Just like Gucci, it regained its glory after finding the right designer - this kind of situation where a designer saves the entire brand is not uncommon in the luxury industry.
At least because Barron once had many "close female friends", he has some understanding of the famous designers of certain brands.
But designers still have their own style. A designer who is suitable for one brand may not be able to save another brand - because brands also have their own personality and heritage.
Take the Valentino brand for example. In Barron's previous life, since Valentino Garavani retired in 2007, the Permira Fund has been worried about finding a suitable designer for the brand. Although it is still a popular choice for celebrities walking the red carpet, it has never been able to reproduce the glory it once achieved internationally.
Therefore, Barron still takes a wait-and-see attitude towards Valentino.