46: Chapter 47 CU Opening - Cultural and Creative Zone Launched

Qian Xu stood at the entrance of the practice room.

His phone was still vibrating.

He looked down at it.

It was a message from Kim Min-jun.

"Mr. Qian, things are ready on the CU Convenience Store side."

"Tomorrow morning at eight."

"20 stores will launch simultaneously."

Qian Xu replied.

"Good, I will go to the site tomorrow."

He put away his phone.

He walked back into the practice room.

The six of them were still practicing.

Jeon Bo-ram looked at him.

"Mr. Qian, what's wrong?"

"You've been looking at your phone for a long time."

"It's nothing."

Qian Xu smiled.

"The CU Convenience Store side has confirmed."

"The cultural and creative zone officially launches tomorrow."

Jeon Bo-ram's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Can we buy them tomorrow?"

"Yes."

Qian Xu nodded.

"20 stores will launch simultaneously."

"10 in Seoul, 5 in Busan, and 5 in Jeju Island."

Jeon Bo-ram stood up.

"Then I have to go see it tomorrow!"

"The labels I designed!"

"I must see them with my own eyes!"

The next morning at seven.

Apgujeong, at the entrance of the CU Convenience Store.

Qian Xu arrived early.

Wang Lei and the international student team were already inside.

"President Qian!"

Wang Lei trotted over.

"Everything is ready!"

"The shelves are set up."

"All the labels have been applied."

"The price tags are done too."

Qian Xu nodded.

"Good, open the doors."

Eight o'clock sharp.

The convenience store doors opened.

The first batch of customers walked in.

They were office workers from nearby.

They habitually walked toward the coffee area.

But the cultural and creative zone on the right of the entrance caught their attention.

Red velvet cloth was laid out on the shelves.

The Palace Museum cultural and creative series.

Panda dolls.

Chinese-style stationery.

Hanfu hair accessories.

Neatly arranged.

The lights shone on them.

Sparkling.

A female office worker in her thirties walked up to the shelf.

She picked up a The Palace Museum notebook.

Opened it.

It was blank inside.

But the vermilion gates on the cover, the gold-stamped characters for "The Palace Museum", made her unable to look away.

"What is this?"

She asked the clerk next to her.

"The Chinese cultural and creative zone."

The clerk explained with a smile.

"A notebook from The Palace Museum."

"China's most famous museum."

"15,000 won each."

The female office worker was stunned for a moment.

"So cheap?"

She looked at the label.

The Korean translation was very clear.

"The Palace Museum — The imperial palace of China's Ming and Qing dynasties."

"Built in 1420."

"With over 600 years of history."

She picked up the notebook.

She looked at the panda doll next to it.

"So cute..."

She picked up a panda doll and held it in her arms.

"How much is this?"

"15,000 won."

"I'll take both."

The female office worker took out her wallet.

"Please wrap them up for me."

Qian Xu stood at the entrance watching this scene.

He smiled.

The first customer had already made a purchase.

He glanced at his phone.

Kim Min-jun sent a message.

"Mr. Qian, how are the other stores doing?"

"Apgujeong has already opened."

"The first customer bought a The Palace Museum notebook and a panda doll."

Kim Min-jun replied quickly.

"Good!"

"Same here!"

"There's already a queue in Busan!"

Ten o'clock in the morning.

Qian Xu stood in the Apgujeong store.

Wang Lei ran over.

"President Qian, the first-hour data is out!"

"How much?"

"20 stores."

"First-hour sales reached 12 million won!"

Qian Xu raised an eyebrow.

"12 million?"

"Yes!"

Wang Lei's eyes lit up.

"It's 3 times higher than expected!"

"At this rate."

"We could break 50 million today!"

Qian Xu smiled.

"Keep observing."

"Okay!"

Eleven o'clock in the morning.

Qian Xu sat in the coffee shop at the entrance of the convenience store, drinking an Americano.

His phone vibrated.

It was a system notification.

[CU Convenience Store Chinese Cultural and Creative Zone]

[First-day sales data update]

He clicked on the details.

[Sales: 24 million won]

[Foot traffic: 12,000 customers]

[Conversion rate: 38%]

Qian Xu looked at this data.

24 million.

Only two hours, and already 24 million.

He continued reading.

[Customer satisfaction rate: 92%]

Qian Xu was stunned.

92%?

He thought he had misread it.

He looked at it again.

It really was 92%.

He smiled.

A customer satisfaction rate of 92%.

This showed that Korean consumers had a high acceptance of Chinese cultural and creative products.

The phone vibrated again.

It was a call from Kim Min-jun.

"Mr. Qian, did you see the data?"

"I saw it."

"92% satisfaction rate!"

Kim Min-jun's voice was excited.

"I've been in retail for ten years."

"I've never seen such a high satisfaction rate!"

"Usually when a new product launches, it's good if the satisfaction rate is 70%."

"92%!"

"It's simply a miracle!"

Qian Xu smiled.

"It means the product selection was good."

"The labels were done well."

"The pricing was set well."

"It's all thanks to Boram-xi."

Kim Min-jun was stunned for a moment.

"Boram-xi?"

"Yes."

Qian Xu looked out the window.

"The Korean labels she designed allowed Koreans to understand the products, to know what they are, and to know why they are worth this price."

Kim Min-jun was silent for a few seconds.

"Mr. Qian, you really are..."

"What?"

"You really know how to use people, using a member of T-ARA on a cultural and creative project. Killing two birds with one stone."

Qian Xu smiled.

"They are not just artists, they are also family at Yunmengze."

"Family should help each other."

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

Qian Xu returned to the Apgujeong store.

Wang Lei was restocking.

"President Qian, they are selling too fast!"

"The Palace Museum notebooks are sold out!"

"There are only a few panda dolls left!"

"The Hanfu hair accessories are sold out too!"

Qian Xu was stunned.

"Sold out?"

"Yes!"

Wang Lei wiped sweat from his brow.

"10 stores in Seoul. The first batch of The Palace Museum notebooks was 100 each. 1,000 in total. All sold out!"

"Same for the panda dolls! All 1,000 sold out!"

Qian Xu took out his phone and called Kim Min-jun.

"Representative Kim, restock. The first batch is completely sold out."

"Arrange the second batch immediately. Increase the quantity by 50%."

Kim Min-jun replied quickly.

"Good! I'll contact the domestic supplier immediately! Expedited air freight! It will arrive within three days!"

Four o'clock in the afternoon.

Qian Xu stood in the store, looking at the half-empty shelves.

He smiled.

20 stores. Within one day, sold out the first batch of goods.

He glanced at his phone.

The system data updated.

[CU Convenience Store Chinese Cultural and Creative Zone]

[First-day sales: 76 million won]

Qian Xu was stunned.

76 million?

He thought he had misread it.

He looked at it again.

It really was 76 million.

It was 2 times higher than expected.

He continued reading.

[Customer satisfaction rate: 92%]

[Repurchase intention: 78%]

Qian Xu smiled.

A 78% repurchase intention means customers still want to buy, still want to come back.

He put away his phone.

Wang Lei walked over.

"President Qian, the CU regional manager is here. Says he wants to see you."

Qian Xu looked up and saw a man in his forties, wearing a CU uniform, walking over.

"Hello, Mr. Qian!"

The man bowed.

"I am the regional manager for CU Gangnam District, Park Jung-soo."

"Hello."

Qian Xu nodded.

"Manager Park, is there something you need?"

Park Jung-soo smiled.

"Mr. Qian, our headquarters has seen the data. First-day sales of 76 million. 92% satisfaction rate. This is the best new product data for CU this year."

Qian Xu nodded.

"And so?"

"So headquarters wants to talk to you."

Park Jung-soo handed over a document.

"To expand the cooperation. From the 20 pilot stores, to expand to 100 stores."

Qian Xu took the document and opened it.

It contained the cooperation proposal.

100 stores. 50 in Seoul, 20 in Busan, 10 in Daegu, 10 in Gwangju, 10 in Jeju Island. Goods value of 5 billion won.

Qian Xu finished reading and closed the document.

"Okay. But I want to add one condition."

Park Jung-soo was stunned for a moment.

"What condition?"

"Every store must be equipped with Korean introduction signs, introducing the background story of the Chinese cultural and creative products, letting Koreans understand Chinese culture."

Park Jung-soo thought about it.

"Okay. We can do that."

"Good."

Qian Xu extended his hand.

"Happy to cooperate."

"Happy to cooperate!"

Park Jung-soo shook his hand.

Sent off Park Jung-soo.

Qian Xu stood at the entrance of the convenience store, watching the pedestrians on the street.

He smiled.

100 stores. 5 billion won in goods value. CU Convenience Store. This is the largest convenience store chain in Korea. 15,000 stores nationwide. 100 stores is just the beginning.

He took out his phone and sent a message to Jeon Bo-ram.

"Boram-xi, what are you doing?"

Jeon Bo-ram replied quickly.

"Practicing at the company! What's up?"

Qian Xu smiled.

"Telling you some good news."

"What good news?"

"CU is expanding to 100 stores."

The other side was silent for a few seconds, then sent a string of exclamation marks.

"!!!!!!"

"Really?!"

"Really. First-day sales today were 76 million. 92% satisfaction rate. CU took the initiative to expand the cooperation."

Jeon Bo-ram sent a crying emoji.

"Mr. Qian... You are so amazing..."

"It's not me. It's the labels you designed that are amazing. Koreans understood them, that's why they were willing to buy."

Jeon Bo-ram sent a shy emoji.

"Hehe... Then I'll continue designing tomorrow! The labels for 100 stores! I'll do them all!"

Qian Xu smiled.

"Okay. Thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard work! I'm very happy!"

He put away his phone.

Qian Xu stood at the entrance of the convenience store, watching the sunset. The sky was glowing orange-red.

He thought about today's data. First-day sales of 76 million. 92% satisfaction rate. 100 stores.

He smiled.

This is just the beginning.

He walked back into the convenience store.

Wang Lei was still restocking.

"President Qian, the second batch of goods arrives tomorrow."

"Okay."

Qian Xu nodded.

"Thank you for your hard work. Get off work early today. I'll treat everyone to hot pot."

Wang Lei's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Really. Call everyone. Seven o'clock tonight. That Chongqing hot pot place in Apgujeong."

Wang Lei smiled.

"President Qian is generous! I'll notify everyone right now!"

Qian Xu walked out of the convenience store and stood at the entrance.

His phone vibrated.

It was a system notification.

[China-Korea Cultural Exchange and Consumption Fund System]

[Data update]

He clicked on the details.

[Korean favorability towards China: 27.5%]

Qian Xu was stunned.

27.5%? It was 27.3% this morning. Now it's up 0.2%.

He smiled.

CU Convenience Store cultural and creative zone. Within one day, favorability went up 0.2%.

He continued reading.

[Daily limit: 11.5 billion won]

[Used today: 76 million won]

[Accumulated unused: 50.78 billion won]

Qian Xu looked at that number. 50.78 billion won. This is the money he hasn't spent in over a month. 11.5 billion every day. Spent less than 800 million. The rest is just lying in the bank card.

He smiled.

Tomorrow. Another new day. Another 11.5 billion will arrive.

He walked out of the convenience store and stood on the streets of Apgujeong. The sunlight shone on him, warm.

He smiled.

Today. The CU Convenience Store cultural and creative zone launched successfully. First-day sales of 76 million. 92% satisfaction rate. Expanded cooperation to 100 stores.

Tomorrow. Continue working hard.