Ferdinand, after much persuasion, finally saw Princess Clementine off. Frankly speaking, Ferdinand was still a little afraid of Princess Clementine; after all, he had usurped her position, and he always felt a bit guilty.
Ferdinand then continued to work on his supermarket proposal. The most important, and also most difficult, task at hand was staff training.
Ferdinand planned to recruit a hundred people first, all of whom had to be at least middle school graduates, for preliminary training. As for training teachers, he would have to step in himself for now. Oh, and he could also bring in the old butler to help out. The butler managed hundreds of people inside and outside the castle smoothly, so his management skills were quite good.
Vienna in 1881 was, after all, different from later generations, and a complete replication wouldn't work. Since it was still a world of nobles, the service staff also had to receive basic noble etiquette training, which could elevate the supermarket's class.
The second step was the venue, which was the easiest to solve. In the vast city of Vienna, there were still a hundred or so suitable locations. Renting or buying one and simply renovating it would suffice.
Anyway, he couldn't afford a multi-story large supermarket right now, nor could he gather so many goods. Many of the numerous snacks and various brands of daily necessities from later generations were still non-existent.
It seems another source of wealth has been discovered: developing low-tech snacks also seems to have good prospects. Never mind, let's open the supermarket first, Ferdinand thought.
The third step was stocking, which would be a bit troublesome initially. Forget it, he could get goods from the wholesale market first, and once the supermarket scaled up, he could directly contact manufacturers.
The fourth step was handling the relevant procedures, which was not a problem at all. He was, after all, a great nobleman, and he still had that much influence.
Finally, there was the money. Training costs, venue fees, and miscellaneous expenses like stocking, all added up. Ferdinand roughly estimated that a 500-square-meter supermarket would cost around one thousand pounds. (Note: The currency of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1881 was the Gulden, which changed to the Krone after 1893. Due to currency fluctuations at the time, there were multiple results. For convenience, the pound sterling was directly used. 1 pound = 7.32238 grams of pure gold)
Considering his actual situation, Ferdinand decided to open five department stores in Vienna first. It wasn't a matter of funding; in fact, taking out several thousand pounds at once wasn't a burden for him. The main issue was the lack of personnel.
From market research to personnel training, venue selection, renovation, and stocking, it took a total of more than three months. Ferdinand's department store was finally ready.
It had been over half a year since he transmigrated. Looking at the supermarket about to open, a sense of pride spontaneously arose. This place carried the beginning of his dream. If it were in his previous life, such a small supermarket would have been enough for him to strive for most of his life.On June 18, 1881, a propitious day chosen by Ferdinand, his first department store opened. He directly plagiarized the name "Volvo."
As a transmigrator, he naturally wouldn't forget about publicity. Two days prior, he had sent out all his employees, holding banners and walking through the streets of Vienna, announcing the grand opening of Volvo.
1881 was a memorable year, both in the East and the West. On February 24, Zeng Jize and the Russian representative signed the "Sino-Russian Ili Treaty" and the "Land Trade Regulations."
Tsarist Russia returned Ili but ceded a large area of territory west of the Khorgos River and north of the Ili River. China compensated Russia with nine million rubles for military expenses.
While the Manchu nobility indulged in debauchery, the nation was slipping into an abyss.
Bismarck, to prevent a Russo-French alliance that would put him in a two-front war, and Russia, also wanting to ally with Germany to contend with Britain in the Near East and the two straits.
On June 18, 1881, Bismarck, along with the Russian and Austrian ambassadors, renewed the Triple Alliance in Berlin for a period of three years.
On the same day, the world's first supermarket, Volvo, was born. Ferdinand firmly believed that June 18 was an auspicious day and would never admit that he chose it to capitalize on the hype.
However, it was an undeniable fact that when Viennese citizens mentioned the Three Emperors' League, they would also think of Volvo.
Volvo did not disappoint Ferdinand's expectations. On its opening day, two long queues formed on the street. Due to the large number of people, entry had to be restricted.
many foreigners also enjoyed watching a spectacle. Some were simply there to shop, looking for bargains; others were purely curious. People are prone to herd mentality; seeing others buying large bags of goods, they couldn't help but follow suit. (People born in the 80s can recall the shopping frenzy when supermarkets opened in county towns in the early 90s.)
The excitement continued until evening, with three replenishments of goods in between. The booming scene shocked Vienna, and it was certain to be reported in tomorrow's newspapers.
The profits of the department store did not disappoint Ferdinand; in fact, they even exceeded his expectations. On the first day of opening, the turnover reached an astonishing 1,500 pounds, with a gross profit margin of 30 percent.
However, thinking about it, it was normal. It was the first time a department store had appeared, and on the first day of opening, many people walked in out of curiosity and ended up buying a large pile of things in a daze.
Such good fortune wouldn't last long; it would gradually return to normal later, and the turnover would certainly shrink significantly.
The retail industry has always had high profits. Even in the highly competitive 21st century, many small supermarkets in good locations are thriving.
Striking while the iron was hot, in the following month, the other four department stores also opened one by one, and business remained booming. The store managers were all excellent talents selected from the trained employees.
In fact, such small supermarkets didn't require particularly strong management skills; they only needed to follow the system Ferdinand had set up in advance.
Competitors had not yet appeared, presumably still observing and learning, but it wouldn't be long. It was estimated that in a few more months, department stores would be swarming into Vienna.
The immediate priority was to recruit staff and seize market share. No matter how fierce the future competition, gaining an early advantage now would always be beneficial later on.
With the previous success, Ferdinand also became more aggressive, planning to add thirty new chain supermarkets within six months. This involved a large number of personnel recruitments. Each supermarket needed to be staffed with at least ten to twenty employees, plus logistical support and administrative management, bringing the total personnel to no less than a thousand people.
For Ferdinand, it was also a huge challenge. Even Butler Karl was now pressed into service by him, busy from dawn till dusk, with no time to manage the castle.
This greatly displeased Princess Clementine, who caught Ferdinand as soon as he returned home.
"Ferdinand, why are you running? I'm not going to eat you!" Princess Clementine said with great dissatisfaction.
"Oh, my dear mother, what can I do for you?" Ferdinand said with a cheeky smile.
"Are you that busy? It's just a small department store; is it really worth it? Don't you know how to ask for help? If you were to manage the Koháry family, you'd be exhausted to death!" Princess Clementine said with great dissatisfaction.