At noon, Qin Chuan politely declined the warm invitation from Yao's parents to stay for a meal and returned to the flagship store with Yao Dong.
Since he had decided to open a large supermarket, there was a lot of preparatory work to be done. Various procedures, as well as sourcing, store locations, and renovations, all needed to be handled.
Qin Chuan felt he was in for a busy period again!
For this supermarket venture, he didn't intend to be as hands-on with sourcing materials as he was with real estate. A supermarket required too many diverse items. He decided to simply franchise with a reputable brand.
Although there would be a considerable franchise fee, it would greatly simplify matters.
Yao's parents were efficient. After a visit in the morning, by three in the afternoon, Yao's father called to say he had secured a meeting, and asked Qin Chuan to come out and meet them.
Qin Chuan immediately rushed to the location and met the person in charge of the warehouse.
The individual was from the Bureau of Animal Husbandry, a section chief named Wang. Upon seeing Qin Chuan, he was extremely warm and courteous, clearly having been briefed on Qin Chuan's identity beforehand.
Both parties were efficient. After brief pleasantries, they discussed the rental terms.
After some negotiation, they eventually settled on the same price as the flagship store.
The annual rent was ten thousand yuan, for a total area of eighteen hundred square meters. Excluding the eight hundred square meters of courtyard, the indoor space alone was one thousand square meters!
Such a large space for only ten thousand yuan a year was incredibly cheap!
They agreed on a five-year contract. The only difference from the flagship store was that Section Chief Wang requested a deposit plus two months' rent in advance.
Qin Chuan was very satisfied with this rental price and agreed without hesitation. In less than an hour, both parties had signed the lease agreement.
Qin Chuan paid him thirty thousand yuan, and Section Chief Wang handed over the key to the main gate. They shook hands, both beaming with smiles.
That evening, after returning home, Qin Chuan picked up a pen and began designing the supermarket's renovation blueprints.
Li Ya, dressed in her pajamas, sat quietly beside him, gazing at him adoringly.
Every time Qin Chuan sketched out a unique design with just a few strokes of an ordinary pencil, Li Ya's eyes would sparkle with a special light.
"Qin Chuan, didn't you say you were going to franchise? Why are you designing it yourself?" Li Ya asked curiously.
"What I need from franchising is just their supply chain and brand name. As the boss, I naturally have the right to modify some of the store's design aspects to make it as aesthetically pleasing as possible."
"Do you really think franchisors are perfect?"
Li Ya burst into laughter at his words. "So you look down on some of their designs!"
"By the way, do you have a chosen franchisor in mind? As far as I know, there are quite a few supermarket brands in the big cities outside."
Mentioning this, Qin Chuan put down his pencil and smiled. "I actually do!"
"What's its name? Tell me, let's see if I know it." Li Ya was full of curiosity.
"Its name is Meitehao. It's our own brand from Jin Province!" Qin Chuan said slowly.
Mentioning Meitehao, many people from Jin Province, as well as those from Beijing, Tianjin, Inner Mongolia, Shanghai, and the Pearl River Delta, would likely recognize the name.
Meitehao was undoubtedly one of the leading retail enterprises in China, with unquestionable strength. Over twenty years later, Meitehao's annual total sales would reach over three billion yuan.
Its offline stores spanned multiple provinces and municipalities directly under the central government. As its founder, Chu Dequn was a prominent business leader.
Ever since deciding to enter the supermarket business, Qin Chuan had decided to franchise with this brand!
The reason for choosing this brand wasn't solely due to Meitehao's achievements; a part of it stemmed from his previous life.
In his previous life, he hadn't directly entered the furniture industry. He had gone through many twists and turns and worked in various places.
Meitehao was one of them. In his previous life, Qin Chuan had worked at Meitehao and was well aware of their business strategies.
Later, when he wanted to start his own business, he had also considered franchising with this supermarket. Unfortunately, he was too poor at the time and lacked the funds, so he had to reluctantly give up.
In this life, making this choice was also a way to fulfill a small regret from his previous life.
Recalling the past, Qin Chuan suddenly murmured softly, "It's already May. If I recall correctly, it's around the time Meitehao just changed its name."
Meitehao wasn't always called Meitehao. Its previous name was Jinhai'an Supermarket, founded in 1990. Meitehao was the name it changed to in April 1998, from Jinhai'an Supermarket.
Now was the time when Meitehao was gearing up and actively recruiting franchisees. Qin Chuan felt it was the perfect opportunity. If he delayed further, as Meitehao stabilized, the franchise threshold would only get higher and the fees more expensive!
That night, Qin Chuan was busy sketching and drawing until late into the night before he finished.
The next morning, he set off alone for Jin Province once more. Yao Dong had been assigned to organize the warehouse.
After a drowsy journey, at noon, Qin Chuan once again set foot on the land of Jin Province.
This was his third time visiting Jin Province, and each visit was for important business, never for leisure or sightseeing.
Upon arriving in Jin Province, Qin Chuan naturally couldn't avoid visiting Chen Jinyu. After meeting, there was a warm exchange of greetings.
The two found a good restaurant, ordered a few dishes, and a dozen beers, and chatted about their recent lives.
"Tell me, when are you coming to my company? I've even registered an interior design company and I'm waiting for you to lead it! If you come, I'll give you the position of General Manager!"
"Are you looking down on my company because it's small?"
After some pleasantries, when they got to the main topic, Qin Chuan couldn't help but ask.
Hearing Qin Chuan's rambling, Chen Jinyu's face showed a hint of embarrassment.
"Brother, please don't say that. I've actually considered your invitation carefully and was even tempted. It's just that my family doesn't agree!"
Chen Jinyu said with a wry smile, "As soon as they heard I was going to leave a big place like the provincial capital and choose to develop in a small county town, they adamantly refused!"
"They always think there's no future!"
Qin Chuan, who was eating opposite him, put down his chopsticks and said with a half-smile, "Jinyu, you don't honestly think I'll be content to develop in a small county town in the future, do you?"
"Of course not!!" Chen Jinyu's demeanor was exceptionally firm on this point.
"I've always believed, Brother, that you are truly a hidden dragon in the abyss. In a few years, you'll soar to the heavens!"
"Your future achievements will be immense!"
Qin Chuan was clearly pleased with this flattery. "Then what are you hesitating for? Sometimes you need to listen to your parents, but sometimes you don't have to!"
"Their generation's thinking has a generational gap with ours, and more importantly, there's another point!"
"What?" Chen Jinyu asked earnestly.
Qin Chuan slowly said, "The path of our future lives should be in our own hands!"
"If you look at all the famous figures throughout history, how many of them followed their parents' advice and achieved great success?"
"They relied entirely on themselves, daring to fight and strive!"
Chen Jinyu's body trembled, and he seemed deep in thought.