Avenue de Sèvre is an important street in Paris, a vibrant and charming street that attracts tourists and local residents with its unique charm and rich experience.
This street is home to the famous Le Bon Marché department store, a historic and popular shopping mall that offers visitors a wealth of shopping options.
There is also a strong artistic atmosphere around this street. There may be galleries, art exhibitions, etc. nearby, allowing tourists to feel the artistic charm of Paris while shopping.
In addition, this street is also connected to other famous attractions and streets in Paris, such as the Champs Elysées, providing tourists with more options for sightseeing.
But more importantly, LVMH’s headquarters is also located on this street.
House number 38 is a six-story old building with a history of more than 100 years.
Although it has changed hands several times, it has always been part of the city's unique and unified aesthetic, adhering to the "old money" style and tradition.
Like most old buildings in Paris, the facade of this building is made of pure stone.
But it is different from the simple doors and windows of earlier periods, bow windows, gates made of cast iron and frosted glass, and the colorful carvings on the balcony railings. This building shows the legacy of a special era in terms of exterior style and building materials. The artistic style and abundant financial strength symbolize the golden age of capitalism.
And unlike the United States, where there are many skyscrapers, the best floors of traditional French buildings are low-rise, and height is not considered beautiful.
On the contrary, these Parisian buildings have lower floors as they go up.
Because in the past, the top two floors of every building were used by servants.
So when it comes to LVMH's headquarters, it's no surprise that the first floor is divided into ground floor shops and exhibition halls, which are used to sell and display the company's physical products.
The second to fifth floors above the physical store are used by LVMH as the main office area.
The upper floor and the top attic are storage and sundries, and even resting and dining areas for employees.
Because of this, LVMH’s conference room is located in the office area on the third floor.
On October 26, 1987, the LVMH Group’s performance announcement meeting for the third quarter of this year was held here.
According to common sense, this should be an ordinary routine meeting.
In terms of the content of the meeting, it is just a matter of going through a process to announce the financial data and making it public.
However, when the participating directors came to the venue that day, they quickly discovered a very unusual scene.
Because before they even entered the door, they saw that someone had posted sentries at the entrances at both ends of the conference room corridor. A total of six security guards were responsible for verifying the identity of the visitors, and no one was allowed to disturb them.
Such security specifications usually only appear during extremely important meetings, and they immediately noticed something unusual.
Then when they entered the venue, this feeling deepened intuitively.
Because in today's meeting, in addition to them, the members of the board of directors, there were also a few relatively unfamiliar outsiders.
Especially among these strangers, except for an Asian that no one has ever seen, the other two people are actually the well-known Pierre Cardin master in the French fashion industry, and the former chairman of the board of directors Alain Chevalier. eldest son.
For this reason, these directors of the LVMH Group have an even more mysterious feeling and have a premonition that something big will happen today.
So much so that before the meeting, the atmosphere in the more than 200-square-meter venue was uncharacteristically dull and serious.
Everyone who arrived at the venue looked at each other in surprise and then sat down quietly.
The people in the room only dared to discuss in low voices with their companions sitting next to them.
This obviously formed two completely different worlds from the bustling and noisy scene on Sapphire Street outside the window.
Not only that, but when the last missing person walked in before the meeting started, everyone was even more shocked.
Because not only Bernard Arnault, the chairman and CEO of the group company, appeared at the meeting on time, but also Henri Lacamier, who had been expelled from the board of directors by him.
At this time, even if they are proud, they have not made any specific statement.
But from the two different expressions and demeanor, there is an obvious contrast in the mental state.
And Bernard Arnault, almost in a humble manner, respectfully invited Henri Lacamier into the meeting in front of all the board members.
Everyone here saw it, and it was enough to realize that the board of directors of LVMH Group should have changed again!
As expected, this day's meeting was supposed to be chaired by Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of the group company, as usual. As a result, he had to hand over the power as soon as he opened his mouth today.
After looking around at all the participating members, Bernard Arnault made this opening statement, "Gentlemen, after I took over the LVMH Group, after eight months of operation, I regretfully found that I seem to be extremely lacking in relevant knowledge. Industry experience and little knowledge of the company’s business , the so-called artistic talent and talent are not what I have. Although the LVMH Group has achieved some small achievements under my management, the current company operating model seems to be inherited by brands such as LV, Hennessy and Moet. The spirit and culture of the country have deviated more and more seriously, so Due to personal reasons and consideration for the future development of the LVMH Group, in order to protect the brand and be responsible to the shareholders who have purchased the group’s shares, I have decided to formally withdraw from the LVMH Group’s board of directors starting today. This is of course. Not what I initially expected However, in view of my lack of personal ability, I also apologize for the trouble I have caused to the group company and everyone here. Next, we still invite the more experienced and creative Mr. Henri Lacamier to host. Meeting, let’s welcome him back to the board.”
There is no need to describe the shock brought by this passage in detail. Just from the silence at the venue that lasted for a full two minutes, you can feel the turmoil in the hearts of the participants.
Especially since Bernard Arnault took the lead in giving out the first round of applause with both hands.
Then he took the initiative to stand up and gave up his throne as chairman of the board of directors to Henri Lacamie.
Anyone who knows him even remotely will undoubtedly be shocked by how servile and arrogant he has become today despite being so domineering last week.
I had to work my brain quickly to imagine what his move today meant?
There is no doubt that this represents a complete reversal of the outcome of the company's equity battle, with Henri Lacamie, the original loser, turning defeat into winner.
And all of this is definitely closely related to the stock market crash that just occurred, but the key question is...how many days has it been?
You know, the former chairman who just stepped down owned two listed companies, and he had all the profits a few days ago.
Even if such a disaster happened, why should he lose so completely in such a short period of time?
What's more, this result is not just about money.
Based on what these board members know about Bernard Arnault, their biggest consensus is that this guy is absolutely arrogant and thinks highly of himself.
Usually in the company, no one dares to do anything contrary to his opinion. Even if he makes friendly suggestions, he must pay attention to the way he speaks.
On the contrary, although Henry Lacamier is persistent and stubborn, his aloof character is more due to a kind of blind narcissism from a noble family. In terms of character weakness, he does not have the ambition and perseverance of Bernard Arnault.
Therefore, it is not easy for a person like him to make this wolf admit defeat.
As for him being able to accept defeat in such humiliation and actively welcome the winner, it's even more difficult. It's like a miracle.
So what's going on behind the scenes? Under what conditions they achieved all this, almost everyone is eager to find out.
However, for all board members, it seems that there is no need to spend time thinking about anything at the moment.
Henri Lacamier, who was handsome and elegant, also stood up and nodded politely to the attendees.
Then he walked to the "throne" unceremoniously and sat down.
Not only did he complete the handover of power between the "new king" and the "old king" amidst everyone's applause.
Moreover, he immediately introduced the new situation faced by the group company and promulgated the latest national policy after he "ascended to the throne".
Its weight and influence are far beyond the imagination of board members.
Of course, it also explains some of everyone’s inner doubts to a certain extent.
"I am first of all honored to inform you that since Mr. Bernard Arnault has decided to withdraw from LVMH, there are currently some new changes in the company's shareholder rankings."
As he spoke, he took out some documents and handed one copy to everyone.
"Based on this information, you can see that Mr. Bernard Arnault originally held 43.5% of the shares, 34% of which belonged to his tripartite joint venture with MH and Guinness, and 5% was recorded under the name of Dior Clothing. , the remaining shares were originally in his personal name, but now both the shares in Dior Clothing and his personal name have been sold by him.”
"That is to say, Mr. Bernard Arnault currently only represents 34% of the shares, and he has personally promised that he will dissolve the three-party companies holding these shares within a week. And in the future, the shares that belong to his name will be dissolved." The remaining 8% of LVMH shares were exchanged with these two friends for their 29% stake in Dior clothing, and the British company Guinness was also preparing to sell its shares and withdraw its investment.”
"As of now, I personally own 33% of the company's shares, while my two friends, Mr. Pierre Cardon, already own 5% of the company's shares, and Ning from Asia owns 6%. And this guy, you all should know him, yes, he is the eldest son of Alain Chevalier, and he will soon regain the power to represent 23.5% of the shares of MH."
"So no matter how you look at it, LVMH's corporate leadership has now returned to our hands. So if you don't object, I personally will become the new decision-maker of the board of directors, and I and the few people I represent will Friends, we are requesting a new adjustment to the board of directors seats, replacing two seats from the existing board members with Mr. Pierre Cardon and Chevalier. Is this reasonable request, and given that the current board members are different from each other? Regarding Mr. Arnault’s relationship, I believe that Mr. Arnault’s distant relative, Mr. Duroy Gerard, and our Vice President, Mr. John Chavarelin, are no longer suitable to remain on the board of directors. ”
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No one raised any objection. Foreigners also understand this truth.
In particular, Henri Lacamier took the initiative to find Alain Chevalier's eldest son and recommended him to join the board of directors, which shows his generosity. It was something no one expected.
You know, the original equity dispute was caused by the discord between LV and MH.
Bernard Arnault took advantage of their internal problems and used his acting skills to gain control of the company.
The current result is not only extremely ironic, but also makes almost everyone at MH feel at ease.
Regardless of whether the two factions will be stronger or weaker in the future, at least in their eyes, Henri Lacamie is not a ruthless person who kills everyone, and such an agreement will undoubtedly help achieve a harmonious situation within the company.
This is enough, and it is a good thing for the company's future development and increasing its stock price.
So all the parties involved signed the documents in front of them, happily, without any sloppiness, and there was nothing unacceptable, just like how it should be.
These signed documents were immediately taken away by the company's legal staff.
As for the two people who were expelled from the board of directors, they knew that they would not survive. They accepted the defeat happily, stood up, and gave up their seats very gentlemanly.
Even if this is nothing, at this time, someone actually surrendered, raised his hand to speak, and very actively suggested that Henri Lacamier should also make corresponding personnel appointments and dismissals for the company's existing senior managers, and replace them with him A trusted confidant.
So everything fell into place, and proposals that would benefit Henri Lacamier to regain control of the group company were proposed one by one and passed one by one.
At this moment, the only people in the conference room who could still remain relatively quiet and calm were the three absolute losers, led by Bernard Arnault, and Ning Weimin, a cold-eyed bystander.
So the most interesting thing happened when they were relatively speechless. They looked at each other carefully with curiosity. Although not a word came out of each other's mouths, the curiosity and eye contact were inevitable.
It was a mutual contest and mutual observation in a discordant silence.
The three Frenchmen's eyes were all fixed on Ning Weimin.
Ning Weimin could clearly feel that so many eyes were gathered together and clearly focused into many huge question marks - who is he? What role did he play in this? Even...why doesn't he want a board seat too?
Ning Weimin, on the other hand, smiled and looked at the "Wolf King" who was defeated by him with interest.
He saw it with his own eyes today, and he had to admit that this was a man of wealth, and it was really not easy for him to endure the humiliation of his crotch like Han Xin.
He knew that Bernard Arnault would never give up, and admitting defeat this time was just a necessity to keep the green hills alive.
But he was not afraid at all. There was no way he would lose, so he was looking forward to it.
Bernard Arnault, who did not get LVMH, will only have Dior in his hands from now on, and he will also have to face a tight financial situation.
With such a disadvantage, can this guy still have a chance to become the dominant player in this industry?
Speaking of which, I really feel a sense of anticipation as I wait to binge-watch the show.
At this moment, I heard Henry at the conference table speak, "So, that's the main topic today. Please forgive me, I want to take up a little more of your time, gentlemen. I propose that for our new meeting Let’s drink to the change.”
The staff who had been prepared for it were moved upon hearing the sound. In the blink of an eye, several restaurant waiters each walked into the conference room with a plate of red wine and respectfully gave a glass to everyone present.
Even Ning Weimin and the few people opposite him were no exception.
So when Henry raised his glass and said, "Cheers!"
Ning Weimin also imitated his gesture, raising his glass to "Wolf King" in a very gentlemanly manner, and drank the wine with an indescribable sense of accomplishment.
He doesn't know what the other person's mood is?
But he does know that he changed history.
This glass of wine was a tribute to his opponent who still didn't know what role he played, and also to himself. (End of chapter)