Vienna in June was lush and vibrant with flowers in full bloom, like a fairyland on Earth—though, of course, this isn't quite accurate; it's closer to what Vienna in the 21st century would look like.
As June arrived, competition in the retail industry intensified, and the rivalry between major supermarkets affected smaller businesses, leading to the forced closure of many traditional grocery stores.
The once bustling Vienna suddenly became much more desolate. The streets were plastered with "for lease" signs, and only a few scattered small shops remained open. Countless small businesses selling daily necessities faced a choice: either change their line of work or close down."In the capitalist world, one move affects the whole situation." — Das Kapital
In the future, many supermarkets couldn't sustain themselves, and the adaptable capitalists among them opted for transformation. If selling daily necessities resulted in losses, they would sell something else, such as converting their spaces into clothing malls or entering the catering industry to open buffets.
Leveraging their previously accumulated popularity, business boomed for a while, encouraging even more people to join in, and many sales sectors in Vienna became chaotic.
The market fluctuations quickly spread to the financial market, and a small-scale economic crisis actually erupted in Vienna. Speculators naturally showed no mercy, and the storm arrived.
Of course, that was a future event. The market fluctuations still needed time to ferment; for now, they were confined to retail industry competition.
Kotfe was currently well-funded, and Robert was even more confident, unaware that he had already been targeted by the Falcon."Mr. Cameron, how long do you think it will take to end this war?" Robert asked, full of vigor.
"If the current situation continues, by next month, one-third of Vienna's supermarkets might be gone, and half of the remaining ones would disappear six months later. By then, everyone will be exhausted, and only the strong will survive. With fewer competitors, this price war will stop!" Cameron analyzed.
"No, long-term losses will displease shareholders, and it's already affecting the department store, which will impact our IPO plans!" Robert rejected the suggestion.
"Then we can only intensify the price war, and our losses will be significant!" Cameron said, frowning.
"Then keep lowering prices. I hope to end the battle within three months. At all costs, eliminate those small fry, and then we'll earn back the money we lost!" Robert said fiercely.
Robert then smiled knowingly, having thought of a clever plan. He said, "The retail prices of goods in supermarkets are now lower than our current procurement prices. You can secretly send people to purchase goods from other supermarkets."
"This way, we can strike at our competitors and reduce our procurement costs! Remember to do it secretly. If they find out and copy us, it will be troublesome."
"Alright, sir, as you wish. Today, I'll lower the prices by another ten percent. Maybe that will scare off a few small fry!" Cameron said with a smile.
The retail market once again wailed in despair. Because of Volvo's large scale, most of its products were required to be printed with "Volvo Special Supply."
To avoid exposure, goods purchased from Volvo had to be re-packaged. After a brief attempt, Robert had no choice but to give up.
Then other supermarkets suffered greatly, incurring heavy losses in a short time. However, Ferdinand soon discovered that Kotfe's purchases from the Shuanghui Food Group had decreased.
Ferdinand smiled knowingly, thinking, "Robert is digging his own grave. He'll soon find out what it means to be a target of public criticism!".Volvo could do it because of its large scale, which allowed for amortization across various regions, and it was only targeting Kotfe. Even if it was exposed, Ferdinand could handle it.
Don't underestimate those small capitalists; while their individual strength might not be impressive, if they all united, even Ferdinand would be wary.
Ferdinand didn't hesitate. He simply had someone leak the news of Kotfe's reduced inventory. He believed that anyone who wasn't a fool would realize there was a problem.
Sure enough, not long after,the astute capitalists followed suit, directly sending people to purchase goods from Kotfe Department Store, leaving Cameron flustered.
Capitalists with connections also used their influence to cause trouble for Kotfe. For instance, Kotfe's department store often experienced water and power outages.
Of course, there were also occasional thugs causing disturbances, and in intense situations, even deaths occurred.
Everyone knew that Kotfe Department Store was operating at a loss, and they tacitly targeted the department store section, rather than the supermarket. Of course, Ferdinand's subtle guidance played a role in this.
Within half a month, Robert's home was bombed twice, and he was ambushed three times on the road. Members of the Herder family also experienced frequent disturbances.
Employees of Kotfe Department Store were also implicated, with many being ambushed. Countless people took leave, and if their requests were denied, they simply resigned.
True to their nature as experienced capitalists, the Herder family, seemingly accustomed to such situations, quickly reacted.
They strengthened security measures and simultaneously lobbied the police department, and the chaos was quickly quelled. However, their already poor reputation became even worse.
To resolve this trouble, Kotfe paid a hefty price of 200,000 pounds in just one month.
The supermarket's losses were only moderate, a mere 40,000-plus pounds. However, the department store, with greatly reduced foot traffic, also entered a state of loss.
The biggest expenditure was, of course, public relations. To pull strings, you naturally had to throw money around! When they encountered such a fat sheep, who wouldn't try to take a bite? Would they even be considered officials of the Austro-Hungarian Empire if they didn't?
Of course, this wasn't over yet. Although the authorities intervened to suppress it, the competition continued! Now, Kotfe was losing money not only in its supermarkets but also in its department stores. With only outflows and no inflows, no one could endure it!
James was forced to step in and quickly stabilized the department store. He knew they were being targeted; otherwise, without any guidance, how could everyone have focused on the department store and not the supermarkets?
The experienced James quickly identified the target and said, "Robert, prepare to close the department stores. We concede defeat!"
"Why, Uncle? They must be struggling to be so frantic!" Robert said, unwilling to accept.
"Our opponent hasn't even exerted their full strength, and we're already severely weakened. If this continues, the Herder family might cease to exist!" James said with emotion.
"Are you saying the Koháry family made a move against us?" Robert asked uncertainly.
James shook his head and said, "Not yet. Otherwise, this incident would have been fatal for us! I estimate it was probably Franz who orchestrated this, but what happens next is anyone's guess!"
It wasn't that Ferdinand didn't want to act, but primarily he was concerned about his reputation. If he acted now, wouldn't that tell the world that he was behind it?
However, this did not mean that Franz would also stand by idly. When he did act, it would be a fatal blow.