kvmb Chapter 124 Counterattack
Chapter 124 Counterattack
(Thanks to "Yu Yu Yu" for the author certification and 15 update reminder tokens! Thank you to "Hui Zhe Qing Wang" for the author certification and a "Completion 666" gift! Thank you to "Xiang Huan Ye Huo De Gong Jing" for the author certification! Bonus chapter is here~)
October 17, 1988.
7-Eleven Headquarters Building, Nibancho, Chiyoda Ward.
The morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the blinds, cutting through the smoke that filled the conference room.
On the long conference table, the day's Nikkei newspaper was spread out.
The bold, large characters on the front page struck like heavy hammer blows into the hearts of every executive present:
[A dramatic shift in the convenience store landscape: Lawson announces integration with S-Food's supply chain]
Suzuki Toshifumi sat in the main seat, a nearly burnt-out cigarette between his fingers. A long layer of ash had accumulated, but he seemed oblivious.
His gaze wasn't on the newspaper, but fixed on the unsigned document on the corner of the table—the "Supply Chain Cooperation Intent Letter" left by Satsuki.
Once that red stamp is applied, 7-Eleven can immediately gain the same cost advantage as its competitors and stop the stock price from falling.
Even Masatoshi Ito, the head of the parent company, hinted at compromise in a phone call this morning: "Suzuki-kun, times have changed, perhaps we should go with the flow."
"Go with the flow..."
Suzuki Toshifumi muttered to himself, his voice hoarse.
He recalled the real-time data stream that the girl had shown in that conference room three days earlier.
That was efficiency ahead of its time.
In that instant, he did waver.
As a business operator, reason tells him that joining the S-Food system is the optimal solution to stop losses.
but.
"Click."
Toshifumi Suzuki stubbed out his cigarette with such force that it almost crushed the crystal glass in the ashtray.
Who is he?
He is Toshifumi Suzuki. He is the man who, over a decade ago, defied the entire company's opposition to introduce 7-Eleven from the United States to Japan and transformed it into a retail legend. He created "single-item management" and defined what "convenience" truly means.
If, in order to survive today, we were to relinquish the "right to develop products" and "control over the supply chain," which are the heart of the retail industry, then 7-Eleven would no longer be 7-Eleven, but merely a shipping counter belonging to the Saionji family.
He can lose to the market, he can lose to the times, but he must never lose to this almost humiliating "co-optation".
"Take that letter of intent and tear it to shreds."
Suzuki Toshifumi suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but it made the temperature in the entire conference room drop sharply.
The managing director paused, his pen falling to the table with a sharp thud: "Chairman? But Rosen and his entire family are already..."
"Let them become slaves of the Saionji family!"
Suzuki Toshifumi suddenly stood up, his hands braced on the table, his bloodshot eyes burning with a desperate fervor.
"That opportunist Zhong Neigong and that idealist Tsutsumi Seiji, they simply don't understand the soul of retail!"
He grabbed the newspaper and slammed it to the ground.
"The soul of a convenience store isn't cheap! It's not that damn 0.6% waste rate! It's quality! It's that feeling of 'Ah, this is 7-Eleven' when a customer takes their first bite of the rice ball!"
"S-Food makes industrial products, animal feed! We make food!"
Suzuki Toshifumi looked around, his dejection vanished, and the tyrannical ruler was back.
"Relay my orders."
"First, immediately launch the 'Master Shop Supervision' program. Contact those long-established restaurants in Ginza and Akasaka and buy their recipes."
"Second, we'll upgrade all the raw materials. The rice will be premium Koshihikari from Niigata, the seaweed will be first-harvest nori from the Ariake Sea, and the pork will be Kurobuta from Kagoshima. Cost? Forget about cost! Raise the price! Sell a 100 yen rice ball for 150 yen, or even 200 yen!"
"Third, launch a media offensive."
A slight smile appeared on Toshifumi Suzuki's lips.
"Have the public relations department contact those housewives' magazines and TV commentators. Have them discuss a topic—'Are cheap convenience store foods really safe?' Imply and guide consumers to suspect that S-Food is cheap because it uses inferior ingredients."
The conference room was deathly silent.
Everyone was shocked by the chairman's audacity. Raising prices while competitors were waging a price war? Emphasizing "craftsmanship" while competitors stressed efficiency?
And... you want to use the media to smear the Saionji family? But... the Saionji family has considerable influence in the media...
This is going against the current.
"President, is this...is this going to work?" someone asked, trembling.
Whether it works or not, the market will tell.
Suzuki Toshifumi straightened his tie and sat back down in his chair.
"Since the Saionji family wants to crush us with 'quantity,' then we will fight back with 'quality.'"
"I want all of Tokyo to know that only what 7-Eleven sells is food for people to eat."
……
three days later.
This war over "bento" did not end in the ledger, but spread like a virus to the streets and alleys of Tokyo.
Ten o'clock in the morning is the prime time for housewives.
In the living room of a luxury apartment in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.
A 29-inch Sony Trinitron television is flickering. On the screen, TV Asahi's flagship talk show, "The Blind Spot of the Metropolis," is broadcasting live.
The studio lights were bright, and a huge, sensational headline in bold type hung on the backdrop:
[The Hidden Killer of Convenience Stores: The Truth Behind Cheap Prices?]
"Ladies and gentlemen, in this era of soaring prices, a 100 yen rice ball is indeed very tempting."
The host looked grave, holding a rice ball with its label deliberately torn off and the packaging crumpled. He sighed at the camera, as if he were holding some dangerous biological weapon.
"But is such a low price really reasonable?"
The camera suddenly zoomed in.
On screen, the rice in the rice ball appears somewhat yellowish—that's because it was a deliberately expired sample, possibly even the work of the lighting technician. The host picks up a bit with tweezers, and then the camera cuts directly to a microscope image of a bacterial culture dish of unknown origin, covered in disgusting spots.
This montage editing technique is extremely misleading, making it seem as if the bacteria was extracted from the rice ball.
The "food critic" sitting next to me pushed up his glasses and said in a tone that was almost pitying, but was actually reciting a prepared statement:
"In order to cut costs to the limit, some emerging central kitchens have to use large amounts of cheap old rice and chemical preservatives. Although it is legal, long-term consumption of this kind of 'industrial feed' is tantamount to slow poisoning for developing children."
He completely ignored the fact that S-Food's low prices were due to its own Hokkaido farms and its extremely efficient logistics, instead directly stigmatizing "low price" as "inferior quality".
"Real food has a soul. It needs to be touched by human hands and needs time to mature. What is produced in a few seconds can only be called a polymer of carbohydrates."
Then, the camera pans to another scene.
The screen switched to 7-Eleven's newly released high-end gay porn.
Under a soft, warm-toned filter, a kind-faced old craftsman in a pristine white chef's uniform meticulously selects the finest nori from the Ariake Sea, each movement imbued with a sense of ritual. The background music is a soothing cello melody.
The narrator, in a deep, resonant baritone voice, said:
"The best taste for your loved ones. 7-Eleven, carefully selected ingredients, handcrafted with dedication."
This is a meticulously planned "cognitive war".
Toshifumi Suzuki masterfully tapped into the middle class's anxiety about food safety. He didn't need to prove S-Food was actually toxic; the show didn't name any particular convenience store, but everyone knew which store sold the 100-yen rice balls. So all he needed to do was plant a seed of doubt in the public's mind—since it's so cheap, there must be something wrong with it, right?
In front of the television, the young mother glanced instinctively at her child playing on the carpet.
A nameless worry welled up in my heart.
She picked up the shopping list on the table, which originally said she wanted to buy "Hokkaido limited edition rice balls" at FamilyMart. She hesitated for a moment, picked up a pen, and heavily crossed out "FamilyMart" and wrote "7-Eleven" instead.
"I should buy the more expensive ones..." she muttered to herself. "We can't skimp on food for the kids."
……
Meanwhile, in a bookstore in Ginza.
The most prominent shelves were filled with famous housewife magazines, such as "Women's Seven" and "Weekly Bunshun".
The cover headline of this issue is equally shocking, clearly part of the same PR stunt:
Is that even fit for human consumption? Exposing the 'black-hearted' factory behind ultra-low-priced bento boxes!
The Middle-Class Trap: The Fifty Yen You Save Could Be Your Child's Future
Toshifumi Suzuki bypassed the serious financial media controlled by the Saionji family and directly targeted the most influential "lifestyle" media.
Under this overwhelming, half-true, half-false propaganda offensive, the winds in Tokyo shifted.
The air became murky and viscous.
Downstairs in the office building during lunch break.
The flow of people that had initially been overwhelmingly heading towards FamilyMart and Lawson began to divert.
The section chiefs and department heads, who had just received their year-end bonuses and were not short of money, hesitated at the crossroads. They looked at the long queue in front of FamilyMart, which used to represent "affordability" but now, under the influence of public opinion, seemed to have become a synonym for "poverty" and "unhealth"; then they looked at the deserted 7-Eleven across the street, which was covered with gold-label posters.
Huge gold-embossed posters are pasted on the floor-to-ceiling windows of 7-Eleven.
The poster features an exquisite black lacquered bento box containing a thick, juicy pork chop and glistening rice.
【Premium Kagoshima Black Pork Bento - 680 yen】
[Handscroll supervised by the famous store "Kyubei" - 200 yen]
expensive.
But it also means "safety", "decency" and "class".
"Let's go over there."
A department head pulled back his subordinate who was about to rush towards the family and pointed to 7-Eleven.
"I heard that the rice balls there only last half a day if no preservatives are added. Although they're a bit expensive, they're a well-established brand, so I feel safe eating them."
"Yeah... those cheap stuff, they've been making pretty scary claims on TV lately."
The two turned and walked into 7-Eleven.
The automatic door opened with a "ding-dong".
Suzuki Toshifumi stood at the window of the 7-Eleven headquarters, watching the customers gradually returning downstairs, his face showing a gambler's ruthlessness.
The sales report has been submitted.
Although customer traffic is still not as high as across the street, the average transaction value is soaring. Those expensive "premium series" items are even sold out.
It did not collapse.
This retail guru, through "brand premium" and "creating anxiety," has erected a golden shield against Saionji's price-cutting tactics.
For the first time, the meteoric growth curves of FamilyMart and Lawson showed a distinct obtuse angle.
……
Lunch break.
Private Shenghua College.
Deep within the terrace of the "White Rose Pavilion," a wisteria trellis casts dappled shade.
Satsuki sat alone at a white round table, with an exquisite three-tiered lacquerware food box in front of her.
"Young Miss".
I heard the soft sound of leather shoes stepping on the gravel road behind me.
Fujita walked over quickly, holding a newly delivered investigation report in his hand, his expression somewhat solemn.
"This is today's morning news summary. Also... 7-Eleven's new product sales figures."
He handed over the document, his voice very low.
"Toshifumi Suzuki's move is vicious. He's attacking our very foundation. Rumors are starting to circulate that S-Food's low prices are due to the use of 'unknown origin' foreign ingredients. Yesterday, FamilyMart and Lawson's daily sales declined for the first time."
"As for 7-Eleven, thanks to the 'Premium Series,' the sales per store actually rebounded by 5%."
Fujita looked at Satsuki with some concern.
"News has come from Ito-Yokado that the shareholders who were originally prepared to exert pressure are now taking a wait-and-see approach. They feel that Chairman Suzuki might actually be able to hold onto the high-end market."
Satsuki put down her chopsticks and took the report.
She wasn't angry at all, not even frowning.
As she looked at the data on the report regarding the hot sales of 7-Eleven's "Premium Series," a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Mr. Suzuki, you are indeed a worthy opponent."
She spoke softly, her tone devoid of any sarcasm, but rather as if she were praising a highly skilled opponent.
"In dire straits, instead of surrendering, he astutely seized the 'quality' card, attempting to build a high-end moat and differentiate himself from competitors. Truly remarkable."
"Young Miss, should we retaliate?" Fujita asked. "The public relations department has prepared clarification materials. We can disclose the source of S-Farm's raw materials and have a third-party organization..."
"unnecessary."
Satsuki closed the report and casually placed it on the corner of the table.
"Explanation is the act of the weak. The strong only create facts."
She turned her head and looked out the window.
The autumn wind whips up fallen leaves, swirling them in the air.
"Mr. Suzuki wants to talk about 'quality' and 'craftsmanship.' That's good. I also admire craftsmanship."
"But before talking about craftsmanship, he seems to have forgotten one thing."
Even a clever housewife can't cook without rice.
Satsuki picked up a napkin and gently wiped the corner of her mouth.
"Even the best chef in all of Japan can't cook a bowl of rice if he doesn't have rice or meat in his hands."
She stretched out a finger and gently drew a line in the air, as if severing something.
"Since he wants the best raw materials, let's show him what these raw materials really are."
"Fujita."
"exist."
"Inform Chairman Iwamura of Hokkaido."
Satsuki's voice was soft, drifting away in the afternoon breeze.
"We've mentioned that... to accommodate S-Food's new product development, the production capacity of high-end agricultural products in the Hokkaido region will be somewhat 'tight.' Starting tomorrow, the delivery time for all orders not within the S-Food system will be postponed indefinitely."
"Also, have SA Logistics' fleet 'inspected'."
"I want to make sure that not even a fly carrying fresh produce can get through the road from Tokyo to 7-Eleven's own factory."
Fujita was taken aback for a moment, then understood what Satsuki meant.
Salaries are drawn from the bottom of the pot.
Suzuki Toshifumi is desperately building a wall in front, trying to use "quality" to stop the flood of S-Food, while Satsuki chooses to dig up his foundation directly.
"Yes. I'll take care of it right away."
Fujita took a step back.
Satsuki picked up her chopsticks again and took out a piece of crystal-clear octopus sausage.
"god?"
She looked at the sausage, chuckled softly, and put it in her mouth.
Can a god maintain his dignity when he is hungry?
Beneath the wisteria trellis, a young girl chewed her food with elegance. Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers away in Hokkaido, a campaign to strangle the 7-Eleven supply chain was quietly unfolding with her lunch.