New Employees With an Annual Salary of 1 Trillion Won - Chapter 100
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 100. Rule Maker (5)
There wasn’t as much noise coming in as I had expected.
The employees who went to the management of Daehyun Delivery and Midopa Department Store were adapting quite well.
And as expected, once I put them in their positions, they were finding work to do on their own.
“Employee Lee, don’t you think we need to renovate the interior of Midopa Department Store? Especially, I heard that the Main Store’s interior is too old-fashioned compared to other department stores.”
“You can proceed as you wish, Department Manager.”
“Really? But I’m a bit worried. The department store’s sales are gradually increasing, but we still have fewer customers compared to other places.”
It couldn’t be helped.
Midopa Department Store had less money compared to other department stores.
So while other department stores were developing, it remained stagnant and was having difficulty attracting customers.
“I’ve thought of several plans to increase sales.”
“Really? Are they methods that cost a lot of money?”
“They don’t cost that much. First, I’m thinking of strengthening the existing cultural center courses to attract housewife customers, and operating the food section as a premium market. I also plan to bring in famous restaurants to make it not just a shopping space, but a cultural space.”
Investment was essential for increasing sales.
Especially to get rid of the existing outdated image, quite a lot of investment was needed.
“But will sales really increase dramatically with just that much?”
“There’s also a method to increase sales in a short period.”
“There’s such a method?”
“Just by linking with the Internet, sales could increase more than double compared to now.”
The concept of buying department store items through the Internet didn’t exist yet.
It was fixed like a stereotype that online shopping was for cheap items, while department stores were for luxury consumption.
“If we sell department store items on the Internet, sales would increase, but wouldn’t the department store’s image become too cheap?”
“Still, we absolutely must do it. We can maximize inventory turnover rate and secure customers from rural areas. Not only that, we can also secure customer data and utilize it in various ways.”
“But department stores need to maintain a luxury image. Linking with the Internet might create a cheap image.”
It was a natural concern.
I had already thought of a way to solve this problem.
“There’s a way to maintain the luxury image.”
“What method is that?”
“We bring in a large number of Luxury Brands.
And we present those stores not as simple sales spaces, but as gorgeous and elegant as museums. If we just do that, whether we sell through the Internet or do more radical things, the ‘luxury’ image will never collapse.”
Just because it was a department store didn’t mean there was any law against pursuing a dual track approach.
Luxury and mass appeal. Only by securing both could we maximize department store sales.
“If that could happen, it would naturally be great, but would luxury brands really enter Midopa Department Store?”
“We have to make them come in.”
“Even among major department stores, there are many places that only have luxury cosmetics. So why would they specifically choose Midopa Department Store?”
Luxury brands were extremely picky.
If they thought something might even slightly harm their brand image, they would cancel store contracts without looking back.
Naturally, the store contracts themselves were also very demanding.
The department store’s location, scale, image, and more. If even one aspect was lacking, they would absolutely refuse to sign a contract.
“If it were just Midopa Department Store, it would naturally be difficult, but if it’s Midopa Department Store under Tiger Fund, the story changes.”
“You’re going to attract luxury brands using Tiger Fund’s reputation?”
“It won’t be easy, but it’s not impossible.”
It was certainly a difficult task.
No matter how much it was a department store under Tiger Fund, luxury companies wouldn’t open stores based on that alone.
But it wasn’t like there were no methods.
Especially since luxury companies in Europe were currently engaged in a war of money.
***
I went to find the General Manager carrying a pile of materials.
At the appearance of the enormous amount of materials, the General Manager actually smiled.
“I suppose you’ve found another new investment target? Where is it this time?”
“It’s not an investment target, but materials to revive Midopa Department Store.”
“Do you need this many materials just to revive one department store? And from what I can see at a glance, there’s a lot of French.”
Even when using short selling strategies, I hadn’t prepared this much material.
But now I had prepared an enormous amount of materials just to revive a department store, so it was understandable that the General Manager would be confused.
“I’m trying to get luxury brands to open stores in Midopa Department Store. However, I judged it would be difficult to get luxury brands into Midopa Department Store, which has a bankruptcy history, through normal methods.”
“Luxury brands are more arrogant than most large corporations. Even if Tiger Fund Headquarters steps forward, even if the Chairman personally gets involved, it would be difficult to make store openings happen.”
“So I found a method that would force them to open stores.”
I pulled out the related materials.
The acquisition battle between LVMH Group and Gucci.
LVMH, dreaming of becoming a mega luxury corporation, was buying up luxury brands through aggressive M&A, and Gucci was one of their targets.
“Hmm, it’s certainly the hottest financial incident in Europe these days.”
“PPR stepped in as Gucci’s white knight, putting LVMH at a disadvantage. If we target that aspect, we can definitely dig in.”
“There won’t be much substance to it, but it should be quite entertaining.”
“It won’t take that long. If everything goes according to plan, we can reach a conclusion within a week.”
The General Manager still wasn’t smiling.
He was someone who didn’t bother with work that didn’t make money.
“If Employee Lee’s plan works out, is there really no other benefit besides getting luxury brands into Midopa Department Store?”
“That’s not the case. We’d need to invest about 1.6 billion dollars for this operation, but we could also make about 500 million dollars in profit.”
“Really? 500 million dollars makes it worth the trouble for about a week. How will Employee Lee handle this directly?”
If it was a Korean matter, it would naturally be right for me to step forward.
Although this whole thing started because of Midopa Department Store, the battlefield was ultimately France.
Rather than me stepping forward, it would paint a much prettier picture if the General Manager or Headquarters took action.
“I’d like Headquarters to make the move.”
“Really? That’s excellent. The Chairman has been bored lately and keeps calling whenever he gets a chance.”
“You mean the Chairman?”
“The Apple negotiations, the publishing contracts with game companies. He seems to have rediscovered his taste for fieldwork.”
If the Chairman stepped forward, it couldn’t be better.
To deal with snobbish luxury brands, we needed someone with high reputation on our side to move advantageously.
“I’ll write up a business plan and send it to Headquarters.”
“Let’s start with a phone call first.”
The General Manager pressed button 1 on the telephone.
It connected to the Chairman’s direct line.
Even before the ringtone could properly sound, the Chairman’s voice came through.
[What brings you to call me first?]
“I’m calling because there’s something I need to ask of you. The Deputy Branch Manager came up with a decent item, but we need your help.”
[What kind of help do you need?]
“He says you just need to go to France and have a few tussles with luxury brand executives.”
Was he really that bored?
Before the General Manager even finished speaking, the Chairman accepted the proposal.
[That sounds very interesting. For something like that, I should naturally step forward.]
“Think of it as taking a vacation in Europe after a long time.”
[But vacations are no fun when you go alone. Send the Deputy Branch Manager to France.]
“…The Deputy Branch Manager has a lot of work left to do in Korea.”
[Are you telling this old man to suffer alone in Europe? If this is how it’s going to be, I’ll step down from the chairman position right now!]
It would be rude to say this, but.
The Chairman’s behavior was nothing more and nothing less than stubbornness.
But the problem was that the effect of that stubbornness was all too certain.
“What will you do about Employee Lee?”
“When the Chairman is going this far, how can I just sit still? I’ll go to France as well.”
Since this was something I had started, I couldn’t refuse.
I had tried to put shackles on the employees with Midopa Department Store, but instead ended up getting my own nose pierced.
“I’ll send the Deputy Branch Manager to France.”
[Really? I’m leaving for France right now. Tell the Deputy Branch Manager to come as quickly as possible. And have the General Manager provide support.]
“Of course. I’ll mobilize both the Korean Branch and Headquarters to provide support.”
[I need to prepare for the business trip, so I’ll hang up now.]
The Chairman’s voice was far too excited.
I could predict what kind of hardships would clearly await us in France, but there was nothing I could do about it.
“Employee Lee, prepare for your business trip as well.”
“I’m a bit worried that I might have made things too big for no reason.”
“But you made things big because you had confidence, didn’t you?”
“If everything goes according to plan, we can generate high profits. And we can also create a cash cow with a perfect structure.”
My plan wasn’t just about creating shackles.
It was about creating a distribution innovation system with a perfect profit structure, looking ahead ten years.
And for that, Midopa Department Store needed to serve as the center.
“Then just close your eyes and go. I’ll take care of the Korean Branch while you’re gone.”
“Thank you. And to pressure the luxury brands, we might need to at least pretend to take various actions.”
“That’s our specialty. If necessary, we can even take short selling actions, so just say the word.”
Trusting the General Manager, I headed to France.
Since I wouldn’t be able to follow my company routine for a whole week, I had to achieve definite results in France before returning.
***
When I arrived in France, the Chairman had come out to the airport to meet me.
Perhaps because Paris was the city of fashion, the Chairman’s fashion was much more flamboyant than usual.
“Deputy Branch Manager, it’s been a while. I threw a little tantrum because I wanted to see your face.”
“Not at all. When the Chairman personally steps forward, it’s only natural that I should attend to you.”
“You really do speak so nicely. Now! So what should we start with first?”
I had run simulations countless times on the airplane.
The first target to attack was LVMH.
“We need to proceed with negotiations with LVMH first.”
“Did the general manager arrange a schedule?”
“There happens to be a party hosted by LVMH, so we’ve arranged to meet with LVMH executives there.”
“As expected, the general manager does work efficiently. But your fashion sense is really lacking. Let’s go shopping first.”
To meet with luxury brand executives, I had no choice but to pay attention to fashion.
But what would I know about fashion?
Taking me along, the Chairman personally went around famous brands and bought me clothes, shoes, and even a watch.
“Not just anyone can enter this place. I only gained entry qualification 10 years ago. Thanks to me, Deputy Branch Manager can also shop for clothes here.”
“Thank you. But I think we’ve bought too much.”
“If not today, when else would we go shopping? And while we’re at it, I’m buying my clothes too.”
The Chairman bought things without even caring about the price.
But I checked the prices with eagle eyes, and in less than an hour, we had spent more than the price of a large car.
“Now those French bastards who act like nobles won’t find fault with us.”
“There isn’t much time left until our appointment.”
“The timing is perfect. Let’s go deal with those guys who only know how to sell clothes but know nothing about finance.”
The unfamiliar sensation of clothes and shoes with every step, and even the watch on my wrist.
They seemed like luxury items on the surface, but on this battlefield, they were armor that had to be worn.
France, an unfamiliar battlefield.
But beside me was a veteran who had fought countless negotiations, Chairman Robertson, so I felt no anxiety at all.
Annual Salary 1 Trillion New Employee Chapter 100
E-book Publication Date | 2025.11.27
Author | Seo Oh
Publishers | Heo Heung-beom, Park Geon-won
Published by | Poten
Address | [04783] 10th Floor, 8 Yeonmujang 11-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Phone | 02-6320-8500
Fax | 02-6320-8585
ISBN | 9791175305892
List Price | 100 won
ⓒ Seo Oh 2025
This e-book is a copyrighted work protected by copyright law.
This e-book is published under the author’s contract, so unauthorized reproduction, duplication, distribution, and sharing are prohibited without written consent from both parties.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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