Chapter 786 BAE Systems

Of course, Barron is more interested in BAE Systems. After all, as the world's second largest military enterprise, its product range covers amphibious weapon systems for land, sea and air, and it has a leading advantage in the research and development and construction of ground weapons such as fighters and tanks, as well as nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers.

At the same time, it is also one of the main military suppliers of Britain, the United States and other countries. BAE Systems' more well-known products include Challenger 2 main battle tanks, "Harrier" series short-to-vertical fighters, Lightning fighters, Typhoon fighters, Type 45 destroyers, Astute-class nuclear submarines, and Britain's only strategic nuclear deterrent force at present-the Vanguard-class strategic nuclear submarines.

In addition, BAE Systems is also one of the main manufacturers of Britain's Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.

From this long list of heavyweight weapons and equipment, we can see the status of BAE Systems in British military enterprises.

Currently, BAE Systems is listed on the London Stock Exchange, with a market value of about 9 billion pounds (equivalent to 13.95 billion US dollars).

It seems that its market value is not high, but it is not easy to control or even acquire this company - it can even be said to be very difficult, more difficult than all the companies Barron has acquired before.

After all, it is conceivable that with the mergers of BAE Systems from the earliest Hawker Company (Hawker Company and Scottish Airways merged into British Aerospace in 1960) to the current BAE Systems, coupled with the subsequent mergers, the shares of BAE Systems are very dispersed...

And because of the special industry nature of BAE Systems, the identities of the shareholders of this company are also very unusual.

Because the main revenue of BAE Systems comes from military procurement orders from many countries including Britain and the United States, its shareholders can often provide considerable help in these processes.

So it is impossible for Barron to completely acquire it like other companies, or even to have absolute control. At most, he can become the largest shareholder with the greatest influence in this company, which also requires careful planning to achieve.

This is destined to be a long process. At present, he has begun to arrange it, first acquiring BAE Systems shares through the secondary market.

"In addition, I need you to analyze the list of BAE Systems shareholders, first find out the individuals or institutions that are most likely to sell the company's shares, and get as many shares as possible."

"The real holders of some shareholders of BAE Systems are not easy to find from public channels, but we will try our best to do it..."

This is the purpose of Barron's need for a professional intelligence agency.

If I remember correctly, Barron knew that the market value of BAE Systems before his rebirth had reached 40 billion US dollars, so the purchase of the company's shares was a good deal even from an economic perspective...

...

Although the world suffered an economic recession caused by the subprime mortgage crisis before, it did not have much impact on high-end shopping malls such as Harrods.

According to the performance report submitted by Harrods to Barron, from 2008 to now, Harrods' turnover has maintained a steady growth trend.

This time, accompanied by Julia Moore, Barron came to Harrods again.

As Christmas approaches, the interior of Harrods is also decorated accordingly, creating a more festive atmosphere.

After all, in Europe and America, the period around Christmas is the most important sales period of the year, and all businesses will do their best to welcome the shopping spree.

However, unlike before, Cather did not appear in this department store - before that, Cather served as a purchasing manager of Harrods, but after she got engaged to Prince William, she officially resigned from Harrods.

After all, next year, Cather will marry Prince William and become a member of the royal family. It is definitely impossible for her to continue to hold a position in a commercial company.

"Two months ago, we held a limited-time exclusive membership event for Harrods in Magic City. This event was very successful, and it also shows that there is great consumption potential in the Magic City of China..."

The CEO of Harrods said to Barron:

"Next, we plan to hold similar events in Magic City every year. If this situation can continue, then we can consider fixing the form of this exclusive membership club."

In Barron's previous life, Harrods Department Store would not establish a fixed exclusive membership club in Magic City until 2020.

However, Harrods' interest in the Chinese market began earlier.

"Although there are less than ten days until New Year's Day, according to our statistics, this year's Chinese customers' spending at our Harrods department store has increased by 125% year-on-year. This year, Chinese tourists' spending here is three times that of Americans!"

Baron heard the CEO excitedly say:

"These signals release the direction of future wealth flow, and China is one of the luxury markets with the greatest growth potential."

In fact, in Barron's previous life, after Harrods was acquired by the Gulf sovereign wealth fund "Qatar Holdings" in 2010, Harrods' parent company Harrods Group launched an expansion plan. In that year, they told the media that the company was considering opening the world's second Harrods in China's Magic City.

However, due to various reasons, this plan was not implemented.

However, Barron understood the potential of China's luxury goods market, so he was very supportive of Harrods entering the Chinese market.

You should know that the SKP mall in Yanjing in the future has once become the mall with the highest sales in the world, with the highest daily sales exceeding 1 billion!

Therefore, facing such a huge market, it is definitely better to enter as early as possible, especially now that China's purchasing power has begun to emerge...

"It is necessary to test the waters first, but I am also very optimistic about the market growth rate in China, so we can speed up. This is one of the most important markets in the world in the future. I also think that the second store of Harrods is a very wise choice in Shanghai."

At present, the cooperation between Argos Retail Group and Tianhe Real Estate in Shanghai is very successful. Costco's Shanghai store continues to be popular, and it has also benefited the surrounding business districts.

Next, Harrods can also cooperate with Tianhe Real Estate in this way, so as to gain a firm foothold in Shanghai, the most economically dynamic city in China.