Vienna in June was lush and green, with flowers in full bloom, like a paradise on earth—though of course, that was impossible; 21st-century Vienna might be closer to that.
After entering June, competition in the retail industry became increasingly intense.
The rivalry between major supermarkets also caused collateral damage, forcing one traditional grocery store after another to close down.
The bustling Vienna suddenly became much more desolate.
Walking down the streets, one could see transfer advertisements plastered everywhere, with only a few scattered small shops still open.
Countless small shops engaged in the sale of daily necessities faced a choice: either change their business or close down.
In the capitalist world, pulling one hair affects the whole body.
— Das Kapital
In the future, many supermarkets couldn’t hold on, and the quick-witted Capitalists chose to transform.
Since selling daily necessities was unprofitable, they would sell something else—for instance, converting into clothing malls or entering the catering industry to run buffets.
Relying on their previously accumulated popularity, business flourished for a time, which encouraged more people to join in, throwing many sales industries in Vienna into chaos.
The fluctuations in the market quickly spread to the financial sector, and a small-scale economic crisis actually broke out in Vienna.
Speculators naturally wouldn’t show mercy; the storm had arrived.
Of course, that was a matter for the future; the market fluctuations still needed time to ferment, and for now, it was limited to competition within the retail industry.
Korte is currently well-funded, and Robert is full of confidence; he doesn’t yet know that he has already been targeted by a falcon.
“Mr.
Cameron, how long do you think it will take to end this war?” Robert asked, full of high spirits.
“If the current situation is maintained, perhaps by next month, the number of supermarkets in Vienna will decrease by one-third, and after half a year, it will be halved again.
By then, everyone will be exhausted, and those who survive will be the ones with real strength.
With fewer competitors, this price war will come to an end!” Cameron analyzed.
“No, the shareholders will have objections to long-term losses, and it has already affected the department stores, which will impact our public listing plan!” Robert rejected this suggestion.
“Then we can only intensify the price war, but our losses will be significant!” Cameron frowned and said.
“Then keep lowering the prices.
I want to end this battle within three months.
Spare no cost to wipe out those small fry, and then earn back the money we’ve lost!” Robert said viciously.
Then Robert smiled knowingly, having thought of a clever plan.
You can secretly send people to purchase from other supermarkets.”
“This can both strike at our competitors and reduce our procurement costs!
Remember to do it secretly; if we are discovered and they follow suit, it will be troublesome.”
“Very well, sir, as you wish.
Today I will lower the prices by another ten percent; perhaps that will scare off a few small fry!” Cameron said with a smile.
The retail market was once again filled with wails.
Because Volvo had a large scale, most of its products were required to be printed with ‘Volvo Exclusive’.
To avoid exposure, the goods purchased from Volvo had to be repackaged.
After trying it once, Robert had to give up.
Then other supermarkets suffered greatly and experienced heavy losses for a time.
However, it was quickly discovered by Ferdinand that Korte’s procurement from the Shuanghui Food Group had decreased.
Ferdinand smiled knowingly, thinking to himself, “Robert is courting death.
He will soon know what it means to be the target of public criticism!”
Volvo could do it because its scale was large enough to amortize costs across different locations, and it was only targeting Korte.
Even if it were exposed, Ferdinand could handle it.
Do not underestimate those small Capitalists; if they all acted together, even Ferdinand would have to be wary of them.
Ferdinand did not hesitate; he simply had someone release the news that Korte’s procurement had decreased.
He believed that as long as one wasn’t a fool, they would know there was something wrong here.
Sure enough, before long, shrewd Capitalists followed suit and directly sent people to Korte Department Store to pick up goods, leaving Cameron in a panic.
Capitalists with connections also used their influence to cause trouble for Korte, such as frequently cutting off water and electricity to Korte’s department store.
Of course, there was no lack of thugs popping up from time to time to stir up trouble, and in intense situations, it even led to loss of life.
Everyone knew that Korte Department Store was operating at a loss, so they tacitly targeted the department store, which, of course, was also due to Ferdinand’s secret guidance.
In half a month, bombs were thrown into Robert’s home twice, he was ambushed on the road three times, and members of the Heard Family were also frequently visited.
Employees of Korte Department Store were also frequently implicated; many were ambushed and beaten, and the number of people asking for leave was countless—if not approved, they would simply resign.
As expected of qualified Capitalists, it seemed this was not the first time the Heard Family had encountered this; they were somewhat used to it and reacted immediately.
They strengthened security measures and, on one hand, used connections to pressure the police station.
The chaos was quickly quelled, but their already poor reputation became even more stinking.
The losses of the department store could only be considered average, only a mere 40,000-plus pounds.
And the department store now had a greatly reduced foot traffic, also entering a state of loss.
The biggest expense was naturally public relations; to find connections, one must spend money!
When encountering such a fat sheep, who wouldn’t come to take a bite?
Could they still be considered officials of the Austria-Hungary Empire?
Of course, this matter wasn’t over.
Although the authorities stepped in to suppress it, the competition was still continuing!
Now Korte was not only losing money in its supermarkets, but its department store was also suffering losses.
With only expenditures and no income, no one could stand it!
James was forced to come out of retirement.
He quickly stabilized the department store.
He knew they were being targeted this time; otherwise, if no one was guiding it, how could everyone have targeted the department store instead of the supermarkets?
The experienced James quickly locked onto the target, looked at him, and said, “Robert, prepare to close the department store.
We admit defeat!”
“Why, Uncle?
They must be unable to hold on, which is why they are acting so crazily!” Robert said, unwilling to accept it.
“The opponent hasn’t even exerted their full strength, and we have already been severely wounded.
If we continue, I’m afraid the Heard Family will cease to exist!” James said with deep emotion.
“Are you saying that the House of Koháry has made a move against us?” Robert asked uncertainly.
James shook his head and said, “Not yet, otherwise this incident would have cost us our lives!
It is estimated that at most, it was that guy Franz who pulled the strings.
What happens next is uncertain!”
It wasn’t that Ferdinand didn’t want to make a move, but mainly because he was concerned about his reputation.
If he made a move now, wouldn’t that be telling the world that he was the one who did it?
However, this did not mean that Franz would just stand by and watch.
If he didn’t act, fine, but once he did, it would be fatal.