Seeing the change in Arthur Blank's attitude, Xia Yu immediately realized that he was scared of him, and he had a tendency to retreat.

Therefore, he immediately adjusted the rhythm, not wanting Arthur Blanc to continue to calm down.

He changed the subject and asked knowingly, "Mr. Blank, I wonder how many shareholders the Home Depot Company has now?"

Arthur Blanc thought for a moment and said, "Including me and Bernie Marcus, it's one hundred and forty-six. ”

This kind of equity distribution is extremely rare for a company that has just been established for two years.

Therefore, Xia Yu looked surprised and asked suspiciously: "Why are there so many shareholders?"

Arthur Blanc did not say the real reason, after all, the real reason is that there is no big capital willing to invest in them, so they go around making small investments to make up the capital.

He said blandly: "The main purpose is to stabilize the supply chain of Home Depot at the beginning, so these shareholders, who are basically suppliers, have invested a little money to account for a small part of the equity." ”

Xia Yu sighed lightly and said suddenly: "It turned out to be a strategic investment, and it was a very wise choice in the early stage of the company's development." ”

He changed his words and said: "However, there is also a drawback, which will be tied to suppliers and will be affected when choosing brands, which is not conducive to possible competition and external expansion in the future." ”

Arthur Blanc was a little embarrassed when he heard this, Xia Yu said that he didn't think about it, but at that time, the capital was not enough at all, and he was counting on the supplier to give them credit, and there was no inventory, so he put the empty boxes on the table to fool the customer, so the Home Depot company is very dependent on the supplier, and it is all waiting for it, even now it is not to the point of counter-pressure on the supplier.

However, the retail industry is like this, the volume is small is the upstream has the right to speak, but when the volume is large, because of the importance of the market, the right to choose will naturally come to hand, and it is time for the downstream to grasp the upstream.

In later generations, there were not too many cases of large supermarkets in China bullying suppliers, and some suppliers were even dragged into bankruptcy by supermarkets.

The topic turns back to Home Depot, with its current equity structure, in the future operation, if there are suppliers and shareholders whose quality of goods is not outstanding, but because of the relationship between shareholders and affects the choice of Home Depot, it will definitely cause trouble.

One or two are okay, like now there are more than 100 supplier shareholders, and the probability of problems is too great, which is a big hidden danger.

And when it comes out of Atlanta and out of Georgia, the strength of some suppliers may not be able to keep up, and if you purchase products in Atlanta and then transport them to other regions, it will greatly increase logistics and management costs, which is not cost-effective.

The logistics cost of building materials is too high!

Although this is the case, it is absolutely impossible to admit it, Arthur Blank said righteously: "Mr. Xia, we treat the selection of each supplier with extremely strict requirements, and so far, there have been no problems. ”

"And in the future, I believe that we will not affect the healthy growth of the company because of personal feelings, even if the problem is the minority shareholders!"

Xia Yu smiled, didn't hold on to this question anymore, felt that the time was right, and planned to pick out the topic clearly.

"Mr. Blank, retail companies have a great demand for capital, and I have also learned about your company, your company has more outstanding advantages in management, but the disadvantages of capital are also obvious, I can help you, what do you think?"

Arthur Blank looked embarrassed and hesitant.

Xia Yu pondered for a moment and asked bluntly: "Mr. Blank, if there is any difficulty, you might as well make it clear that any cooperation requires a process of discussion, isn't it?"

Arthur Blanc bowed slightly, and said, "Mr. Xia, you are right, but there is another founder of the company, and I am not available for the time being, so I have to discuss with him before I can decide." ”

"But before I do that, I want to ask you a question. ”

Xia Yu leaned forward slightly, made a gesture of please, and said, "Please speak!"

Arthur Blanc said, "Your company invests in a company, what is your position in that company?"

Xia Yu had already seen Arthur Blank's attitude towards the control of the company just now, so of course he would pay attention when he spoke.

He smiled and said: "Our company has always believed that the key to the value of a company lies in people and management model, our investment has always been towards people, as long as we recognize a person's ability, then no matter how big or small the company, or fall into the trough, will choose to invest." ”

"So Mr. Blank doesn't have to worry about us taking home the Home Depot company, what I recognize is your ability and that of Mr. Bernie Marcus, and if you two leave, then the Home Depot company will be worthless in my eyes. ”

"You invented the current management and operation model of Home Depot, and I don't think anyone in the world can understand it better than you. ”

Hearing this, Arthur Blanc smiled and thanked Xia Yu: "Thank you for your recognition!"

In the end, Xia Yu added sincerely: "So, Mr. Blank, even if we invest in Home Depot, we will not interfere in the company's operations, we will only send people to supervise the finances, and all the remaining management and operation rights are still yours, what we need to do is to give you the greatest support when Home Depot Company needs funds, so that you can expand without worries!"

"Our Polaris Capital Company is only a capital investment company, and we do not have the ability to manage all kinds of companies, so with this time and energy, it is better to look for more investment opportunities!"

In these two sentences, what Xia Yu said contained sincerity, his eyes were as calm as water, and he looked at Arthur Blanc calmly.

Arthur Blanc and Xia Yu looked at each other for a long time, nodded slowly and said, "Mr. Xia, I know your attitude, how to decide, I still need to discuss with my partner before deciding." ”

Speaking of this, Xia Yu knew that this was the only way to do it today.

He stood up, and Arthur Blanc followed.

Before leaving, Xia Yu said to Arthur Blank: "Mr. Blank, although our company has an investment of tens of millions of dollars, you don't have to worry about losing too much of your equity, our investment method is very flexible." ”

"Now the advantages of Home Depot are prominent, and the disadvantages are equally obvious, if you are willing to accept the investment, we will first clean out the other small shareholders, buy their shares, and then inject capital into the company, after all, with enough funds, there is no need to be choked by the supplier, and the dollar can buy anything, including the right partner!"

"If we can work together, we can also provide a business loan to the Home Depot on top of the investment, which will prevent you from losing too much equity. ”

Arthur Blanc raised his eyebrows, he didn't expect Xia Yu to say this, but after hearing it, his mind became active.

Xia Yu can say this, at least he is not aggressive, although he doesn't know whether it's true or not, but his first impression is really good.

"Mr. Xia, I understand what you mean, I'll discuss with my partner first, and if there is a decision, we'll contact you. ”

Xia Yu shook hands with him and said with a smile: "No problem, but I hope to give me an answer as soon as possible, my schedule is relatively tight, and I won't stay in Atlanta for too long." ”

"This is my current address and contact details. ”

After leaving a contact information for Arthur Blank, he accepted Arthur Blank's business card and was sent out the door.

After the car started, he looked at the big sign at the Home Depot mall again, and a hint of thought flashed in his eyes.

"It seems that we have to buy a bank in the United States as soon as possible, after all, not all company founders don't care about control, and they can't get too much equity for the time being, and they must be tied up with the cooperation of the bank, and there are opportunities in the future!"

"And it's not good to concentrate all the equity in Polaris Capital, if the bank comes forward to hold a part, it can not only reduce the public's attention, but also reduce the vigilance of the founders of the invested companies!"