The two of them whispered softly. Sofia noticed that Yulia Shulshkina looked a little lost when she stood up silently and left silently. She whispered to the little man who was still holding her waist: "There is another one, you Do you like capturing women’s hearts like this?”
Simon's attention was on Sophia, but he didn't notice Shulshkina's state. Hearing this, he said: "You have wronged me. I have almost forgotten how to capture a woman's heart now, but it is too easy to capture a woman's body. point."
Sofia smiled and patted the man on the shoulder.
But, think about it.
With Simon's current wealth, power and status, he can easily attract the love of many women by doing nothing but appearing in front of others.
Where else do you need to spend any thought
However, Sophia suddenly discovered that the woman who initially approached Simon with a simple intention of throwing herself into his arms would inevitably fall for him because of his strength, gentleness, mystery, generosity, erudition, etc., because these were originally He has a strong attraction to women, and his aura of wealth and power amplifies this attraction infinitely.
Think about yourself, aren’t you one of them
With no outsiders around, and feeling the man's slight exertion, Sophia sat on the man's lap, put her arms around Simon's neck, moved inexplicably and moved forward, kissed the man's face, and said, "Suddenly I was worried that you would be like this when I woke up. Forgot about me completely."
Simon drew a circle on the woman's belly through her black bottoming shirt: "It was possible before, but not now. You are the mother of my child."
Sofia leaned closer to the man and curled her lips: "It seems that I have discovered a big secret. If I don't want you to forget it, I just have to have a child."
Simon tapped on the piano keys a few times and said with a smile, "I think you must be more determined to guard this secret than me, right?"
Sophia didn't answer.
But, of course, she doesn't want this secret to be discovered by other women.
Quietly, I also made up my mind to do everything possible to avoid this happening. Maybe I should discuss it with the two Jennys in private.
She has never been a generous woman.
Thinking about this, Sophia heard the sound of the piano in her ears, turned slightly toward the keys, and said, "Play one for me too, well, there are two babies."
"OK."
Simon smiled and agreed, feeling the intoxicating feminine fragrance in his arms. After thinking for a moment, he still held Sophia with one hand, and his free right hand began to dance, and he played Beethoven's "Für Elise" with one hand. A simple song, but it fits the atmosphere very well.
Sofia snuggled into the man's arms, listening to the sound of the piano floating in the air, and suddenly understood what Shulshkina had just felt.
This little man is really a devil who can steal a woman's heart at will without even realizing it.
little bastard.
However, the most basic skin is good enough, and his personality is so easy for women to get close to. He also has wealth that ordinary people can't match, and he seems to know everything and be omnipotent. It is probably difficult to find such a little man in this world. Out the second one.
I don’t know how long it took, but it wasn’t until Girl A reminded her that dinner was ready that Sofia reluctantly got up from the man’s arms.
Because it was Chinese New Year's Eve, the specially invited Chinese chef prepared a sumptuous dinner according to the specifications of the New Year's Eve dinner. Simon and Sophia couldn't eat it at all. Fortunately, there were enough people in the villa, and they just stayed on their own. One share, and the rest are distributed directly, which is regarded as a benefit for this special day.
During the dinner, Sophia also talked to Simon about Burberry.
Burberry was founded in 1856. The brand is famous for its classic 'check pattern' and 'royal use', and has maintained its prosperity for more than a century. However, in the 1950s, Burberry's heirs sold the brand to GUS, a large British retail chain group, thus getting rid of the label of a family business.
The economic prosperity of the 1980s allowed GUS to increase the pace of Burberry's expansion and gradually extended its business to markets such as North America and Asia. This expansion came to an abrupt end in 1992.
The European currency crisis caused the economies of major European countries to fall into recession.
As an important sub-brand of GUS, due to the economic downturn, Burberry's over-expansion led to inefficiency and confusion in corporate management and a sharp decline in profit margins. Shortcomings such as Melisandre and LVMH have also begun to appear. With comprehensive luxury goods such as Melisandre and LVMH The rise of the group is just that Burberry, which is dependent on a diversified retail group, can no longer find its own direction.
Therefore, when Sofia began to contact GUS at the end of last year, the other party quickly responded positively.
As one of the largest retail chains in the UK, GUS's retail business not only covers the fashion field, but also includes home furnishings, electrical appliances, insurance, finance and other aspects. The group's total market value on the London Stock Exchange recently exceeded 13 billion pounds.
Due to the economic downturn, GUS, which is involved in too many fields, is also streamlining its business. At this time, it is undoubtedly a good choice to sell Burberry, which has become somewhat out of control and even lost its development direction.
For the GUS Group, Burberry's expansion in the 1980s was a bit excessive, but Sophia took a fancy to the extensive market resources established by this luxury brand in Europe, North America and Asia, which could just provide Melisandre's many brands with a global presence. Provide assistance with global expansion strategies.
Moreover, Burberry's own unique style does not form a clear competition with brands such as Gucci, Versace, and CK. Instead, it can further enrich Melisandre's luxury goods categories.
All things considered, the advantages of acquiring this brand far outweigh the disadvantages.
After expansion in the 1980s, Burberry's total global revenue in 1994 reached 530 million pounds and net profit was 62 million pounds, equivalent to US$790 million and US$93 million respectively.
After several consecutive negotiations after the New Year, the two parties finally settled on a price of 800 million pounds, equivalent to US$1.2 billion, and the transaction was again done in the form of stocks and cash. Melisandre Company paid 400 million pounds (equivalent to approximately US$600 million) plus 6% of its own stock in exchange for 100% of Burberry's shares from the GUS Group.
This transaction also increased Melisandre's valuation to US$10 billion from US$7.3 billion when it acquired Bulgari last year.
After the transaction is completed, the equity distribution of Melisandre Company will be 72.8% held by the Westeros Company, 18.2% held by Sofia, 6% held by the British GUS Group, and 3% held by the Italian Bulgari family.
Simon had discussed Melisandre's IPO with Sofia last year.
Although Melisandre will not make much action in the short term after taking over Burberry, investment or mergers in some small brands will not stop. IPO operations will make it easier for Melisandre to conduct various capital investments. Operations, and, unlike the privatized state, after the public listing, the stock premium will also give Melisandre's various investment operations an advantage.
After deciding to conduct an IPO, it is inevitable to consider where to conduct the IPO.
After some discussion over dinner, we finally decided to place it in the United States.
Simon doesn't like putting all his eggs in one basket. However, considering the increasingly entrenched Westeros system in the United States and the super prosperity of the American economy in the late 1990s, listing in the United States is undoubtedly beneficial. Melisandre has the best advantage.
Even Nokia, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, will start its listing plan on the New York Stock Exchange this year.
After finalizing this acquisition, Melisandre Company, which owns a series of luxury brands such as Gucci, Versace, CK, Burberry, Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Vacheron Constantin, has completely surpassed the French company with Dior and LV as its core in terms of comprehensive strength. LVMH.
In the original time and space, Bernard Arnault, the boss of LVMH, took advantage of the economic boom in the United States and Europe in the 1980s to rise through a series of mergers, then went into hibernation temporarily due to the economic downturn in the early 1990s. Later, it took advantage of another economic boom to begin large-scale expansion.
Two other comprehensive luxury goods groups, Kering and Richemont, also began to rise in the late 1990s.
Now, the pattern of the luxury goods industry is destined not to follow the trajectory of its previous life.
Relying on the towering tree of the Westeros system, Melisandre Company has created a powerful 'fleet' of luxury brands in the early 1990s when other luxury brands were recuperating due to the economic downturn. The next step is It means that in the wave of globalization that started in the late 1990s, we will continue to deepen our efforts to expand our industry advantages, and at the same time, try our best to snipe the rise of other competitors.
At least, Kering Group, which once accounted for most of the sales with just Gucci, will definitely not appear again this time. The Richemont Group, which specializes in jewelry and watches, already owns the flagship brand Cartier, but under the attack of Melisandre's Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, Vacheron Constantin and other companies, it is difficult to achieve the same development as before.
During the dinner, Simon also discussed with Sofia that maybe there would be a chance to eat Cartier in the future.
Early the next morning, Simon and Sofia left London for Rome.
Things here will be handed over to Angela Ahrendts, Sophia’s right-hand deputy who was promoted a few years ago. In more than six years since she joined Melisandre Company, Angela Ahrendts has gone from being the president of Gucci’s US branch to From the CEO of Gucci to the president of the entire Melisandre Company, he has followed Sophia's steps all the way, and his ability has been quite affirmed.
Coincidentally, in the past, it was Angela Ahrendts who joined Burberry after the new millennium and restarted the declining luxury brand. In eight years, Burberry's stock price tripled, and it regained its status as a luxury brand. Join the ranks of first-tier luxury brands, and rely on this qualification to become the number two person in Apple after Tim Cook.
Although Apple's luxury strategy later ended in failure, it could not hide the fact that Angela Ahrendts used the luxury strategy to continue to differentiate Apple from other brands during a period when competition in the mobile phone industry became increasingly fierce, and to avoid being reduced to price. and the brand’s many facets of mediocrity.
You know, in any industry, it is very difficult to hit the high-end from the low end, and it is even more difficult to hit the higher-end from the high end.
Therefore, Apple’s luxury strategy did not make mistakes, it just failed.
On the contrary, after Angela Ahrendts left, Apple readjusted its pricing strategy and began to drastically reduce prices. This may have increased sales in the short term, but in fact it was damaging Apple's own brand value, and the product's profit margins will also be significantly reduced. Once the price It was completely integrated with the competitor's flagship, and the two sides were locked in a close-to-hand fight, with the result even more unpredictable.
This time, Burberry was handed over to Angela Ahrendts for integration. Both Simon and Sophia were very relieved.
From the time he left the entertainment room last night until he boarded the plane in the morning, Simon didn't see Yulia Shulshkina again. He probably understood that Sofia had quietly pushed her away, but he didn't mind. However, Simon did not forget to agree to Shulshkina's solo dance MV. On the plane flying to Rome, he sent an email to Daenerys Entertainment UK Branch to let them plan the matter.
Among the cities on the Mediterranean coast, Simon actually prefers Cannes to Rome because the hilltop mansions in Cannes overlook the Mediterranean Sea. Simon likes this feeling very much. Rome was built on a plain, and there was no commanding sea view for Simon to enjoy.
The reason why I didn't go to Cannes was because of the ongoing discord between the Westeros system and France since the Rwanda War last year.
Because of the big failure in Rwanda, France has been making small moves against Simon for more than half a year. Last year, French media went to Ukraine to dig out the inside story of UFMS. Simon didn’t think it was the French media. Spontaneous acts motivated by journalistic passion.
Not only that, the rise of Melisandre Company, which has Italian brands as its core, has also caused strong fear and hostility among many French luxury goods companies that have always had an advantage.
There are also Hollywood movies that have conquered France in recent years.
Starting from the original "Batman", under the continuous bombardment of a series of blockbuster bombs, the French local film market share that originally had an advantage has shrunk rapidly in recent years. In recent years, the annual box office champions in the French film market have all been Hollywood films. .
Moreover, whether it is the original "Batman" or "Jurassic Park" or "The Lion King" outside the DC movie universe, or last year's "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises" that topped the French box office, they all happen to be related to Dan. Nelys entertainment, or in other words, is inextricably linked to the Westeros system.
Therefore, the French film circle has been strongly calling on the French government to set thresholds for Hollywood movies. Of course, Hollywood will not give in. It uses the power of the Washington authorities to counterattack through lobbying. The private game between the two parties is very fierce.
All in all, Simon is now a thorn in the side of France in all aspects. Even if he passes by quietly and low-key, it is inevitable that France will not cause any trouble.
Just don't go.
In comparison, despite last year's Stefano family incident, Simon already has a deep foundation in Italy under the Westeros system's continuous operation for many years. If nothing else, Universal Studios in Europe will probably be located around Rome, which is a perfect place for Sofia to raise her baby.
The location is a 30-acre farm-style estate in the southern suburbs of Rome.
Many areas in northern Europe are still covered in snow and have not escaped the coldest time of the year. However, Rome, located on the Mediterranean coast, is as warm as spring. Under Sofia's planning, the manor in the southern suburbs has lawns, green trees, low walls, and stone walls. The castle complements each other, and at first glance it looks like a beautiful rural pastoral picture.
In addition, coming here, Simon finally met the girls he had been raising for exactly a year without knowing it.