Chapter 252 Buy a Home, Get Free Appliances—Making the Brand Bigger and Stronger!
Noel Croucher's public apology caused a huge sensation throughout Hong Kong.
Everyone was stunned by Lin Haoran's strength.
No one had expected that he could force the taipan of Jardines Matheson to publicly admit fault—it was truly something unimaginable.
Even the heads of other major British financial groups, like John Madden of Wheelock and Company, Simon Keswick of Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, and others, began to feel a certain wariness toward Lin Haoran.
On the Chinese business side, tycoons like Bao Yugang, Li Ka Shing, and Cheng Yutong now viewed Lin Haoran with deep admiration.
At this moment, Lin Haoran's influence in Hong Kong reached its peak.
After this incident, Lin Haoran's status directly rose to the same level as giants like Simon Keswick, Bao Yugang, and Noel Croucher.
Even Noel Croucher had to bow before him—who would dare to mess with Lin Haoran now?
Challenging him would simply be courting death.
True to his word, Lin Haoran immediately ordered Oriental Daily to stop reporting further on Jardines' scandals that same afternoon.
As for the other media, they were not his concern.
Naturally, given Jardines' resources, they could deal with the rest themselves.
Fortress Electrical's acquisition of Jardine Electrical City meant not only the elimination of a competitor but also an expansion by eight stores—massively boosting their strength.
Moreover, these stores were significantly larger than Fortress' original outlets.
In the short term, no other appliance chain could rival Fortress Electrical's scale—perhaps not even for years to come. Fortress firmly secured its position as the number one appliance retailer in Hong Kong.
There were many electronics stores in Hong Kong, but very few true chain retailers.
And now, the one potential competitor, Jardine Electrical City, had been swallowed up.
On the morning of June 20, under Chen Shoulin's lead, Lin Haoran visited the Chai Wan Industrial Park.
There, Hongkong Electric owned an appliance factory—Fortress Appliance Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
At present, Fortress Appliance was much smaller than Amega Corp., employing only about a thousand workers and mainly producing small household appliances like electric water heaters, fans, induction cookers, ovens, and rice cookers.
Their scale was modest, mainly meeting the needs of Fortress Electrical's chain stores.
"Mr. Chen, have you ever considered exporting these appliances?" Lin Haoran asked, looking through the glass at the bustling workshop.
Fortress Appliance's product line was quite rich, compared to Amega's relatively narrow focus on fans.
"Boss, Fortress Appliance was established just over two years ago.
Before that, we mainly acted as agents selling other brands.
We realized profits were slipping away, so we decided to invest in technology, purchase production lines, and create our own brand.
The goal was self-sufficiency.
However, Hong Kong's appliance market is saturated and highly competitive.
Winning more domestic market share is tough.
The real opportunity lies in exports.
But currently, Hongkong Electric's main international focus is on expanding power plant projects.
Still, we do plan to explore overseas markets for our appliances in the future," Chen Shoulin explained.
Lin Haoran nodded—development indeed required steady steps.
"You should pay attention to the North American and European markets.
Their demand for home appliances is enormous," Lin Haoran suggested.
His elder brother Lin Haoning's fan factory had done well in North America, but that market was nearing saturation.
Still, expanding internationally would allow Fortress to grow significantly.
The factory wasn't large, far smaller than Amega's, but its workers were busy.
Fortress' rising reputation had clearly boosted sales, resulting in more factory orders.
However, Lin Haoran was still not satisfied.
He had already dispatched Yang Mingyi to lay foundations in mainland China—future production would certainly need to shift there.
Fortress Appliance's current Hong Kong market was simply too small to sustain large production volumes.
"Ugh, Hong Kong is too small.
It's so easy to hit a development bottleneck.
Exporting and developing overseas markets is the only way to expand," Chen Shoulin sighed.
"Actually," Lin Haoran said, smiling, "I don't think Fortress Electrical's growth in Hong Kong has reached a ceiling yet!"
He had recalled an idea from his previous life—real estate developers offering "buy a house, get free appliances" promotions.
At present, such tactics hadn't been seen anywhere in the world.
Hong Kong's real estate market was booming.
If they could strike deals with property developers, Fortress' orders could easily double or more.
"Boss, what's your idea?" Chen Shoulin asked curiously.
"The real estate market is red-hot.
If we partner with giants like Cheung Kong Holdings, Sun Hung Kai Properties, Henderson Land, Hutchison Properties, New World Development, and Hopewell Holdings to launch 'buy a home, get free appliances' campaigns, we'd directly sell bulk appliances to them.
Given my current reputation, many real estate bosses would be willing to work with me, especially if it benefits their sales," Lin Haoran explained.
"And beyond Hong Kong, we can expand into Southeast Asia.
I have strong ties with Mr. Guo Heniann, the richest man in the region.
His family's real estate ventures in Malaysia and Singapore are massive.
If we can partner with them, Fortress Electrical's sales will skyrocket!"
Lin Haoran's connections had expanded along with his growing fame—business negotiations had become much smoother.
Chen Shoulin's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Boss, this idea is brilliant!
Real estate competition is fierce, and offering appliances as a bonus would definitely attract buyers.
Leave it to me.
I'll do my best to strike partnerships!"
He was deeply impressed by Lin Haoran's strategic thinking.
If they pulled this off, Fortress' sales wouldn't just double—it could triple or quadruple.
Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore—the potential markets were enormous.
Providing a full set of appliances would cost property developers relatively little but would add tremendous perceived value for buyers.
It would be a win-win situation.
And with Lin Haoran's influence, many developers would surely give him face.
"Appliances are all about brand building.
If we want to make Fortress a household name, we must maintain strict quality control and excellent after-sales service.
Good reputation will naturally lead to strong sales," Lin Haoran continued.
In his previous life, he had seen brands like Gree, Midea, and Haier rise to dominance because of their excellent reputations.
"Boss, rest assured.
Even though we've only been around for two years, we have always maintained strict quality control—no cutting corners, ever.
That's why we've grown so fast.
As for after-sales service, Fortress Electrical is definitely among the best in Hong Kong.
Every store has a service center, ensuring quick support without cumbersome returns.
Even after the warranty expires, we offer affordable repairs, making after-sales another profit center," Chen Shoulin proudly reported.
Lin Haoran nodded with satisfaction.
He continued discussing further ideas with Chen Shoulin at the factory.
Though he didn't manage the companies personally, he could still provide strategic guidance.
The factory's current scale was moderate by Hong Kong standards.
But Lin Haoran saw great potential ahead.
Manufacturing would be a prime sector for investment, especially as mainland China's economy continued to open and improve.
Unlike real estate, where mainland residents could barely afford food let alone homes, manufacturing would provide jobs, raise incomes, and eventually foster a thriving consumer economy.
Once that happened, the real estate market would truly take off.
For now, Lin Haoran aimed to grow Fortress into a household name—attracting more orders, more profits.
Later, Fortress Electrical could be spun off and listed independently, raising even more capital for future ventures.
Long-term, he could restructure Hongkong Electric.
Spinning off non-power assets like real estate, hotels, retail, and financial investments into a separate listed group while keeping the Hongkong Electric Company purely focused on power generation and supply.
Exactly like what Li Ka Shing had done in Lin Haoran's previous life.
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