Chapter 247: Saturation

The store managers listened to Su Dan’s words and nodded in agreement.

Indeed!

What boss would want to invest in a project that keeps losing money?

If Nanhe Coffee continued to incur losses, President Chen would surely cut his losses and abandon the Nanhe Coffee project.

Thinking of this, many store managers showed anxious expressions.

If President Chen gave up on Nanhe Coffee, it would mean the end of the brand. And for them, it would mean returning to their previous lives.

But where else could they find a company offering such good benefits? Such opportunities might exist, but with their current qualifications, they might not be able to get in.

Seeing the tense expressions on the managers’ faces, Su Dan smiled slightly.

“I suppose you all have realized the ultimate consequence if Nanhe Coffee continues to lose money. Therefore, we must take action and find ways to make Nanhe Coffee profitable.”

“The period around the Spring Festival is when customer traffic is at its peak. It’s also a chance for Nanhe Coffee to make a name for itself in Jiang City. So, I hope everyone can ensure their stores remain open, with minimal staff taking time off. After all, the more stores that stay open, the greater the chance to build our reputation.”

“Especially the Cat Café and Maid Café. These two coffee shops are operational and are key to promoting Nanhe Coffee. If too many staff take leave, causing the stores to close, it would be problematic.”

“However, I’m not suggesting you force staff to work. We must respect President Chen’s stance and give employees the freedom to choose.”

“To encourage staff to stay, Manager Song and I have introduced some additional benefits. Please take note.”

Su Dan paused, waiting for the managers to prepare to take notes before continuing.

“Firstly, regarding the selection of store managers, the candidates for the next store manager will be chosen from employees who do not take time off this month. Those who choose to rest will not be on the list for manager selection.”

“This applies to Cat Café and Maid Café as well. Currently, Jiang City’s 20 stores have reached saturation. Our next expansion will be to other cities, where each city will have a Cat Café and a Maid Café.”

“And for these two coffee shops, considering experience, the store managers will be selected from the staff of their respective stores, provided they do not take time off this month.”

As Su Dan spoke, her gaze fell on Lin Zhu and Zhou Mei, the managers of these special coffee shops.

Lin Zhu and Zhou Mei nodded in agreement.

“Teacher Su, we understand.”

The two had come along with Teacher Su and often discussed matters regarding Nanhe Coffee, so they were more informed about the situation.

“That’s good!”

Su Dan nodded, then looked at the other managers.

“When Nanhe Coffee expands to other cities, as the number of coffee shops increases, there will certainly be a need for Regional Managers in each major district. The future Regional Managers will be selected from among you store managers, so I hope you all perform well.”

Upon hearing this, the managers were all taken aback, then each showed a surge of determination.

The position of Regional Manager represents a higher status than a store manager, with better salary and benefits.

How could they not be excited?

In the past, working in one place, without connections, one would remain a basic employee for life.

But here, it’s different.

The opportunity for advancement is right there. If you have the ability and stand out, that position is yours, fair and square.

Since the apprentices from Beijing became store managers, no other managers have been parachuted in; they were all selected from outstanding employees.

“Alright, that’s all for now. I hope everyone keeps what I’ve said in mind. Meeting adjourned.”

Su Dan concluded her remarks and announced the end of the meeting.

Once all the managers left, only Song Xia and Su Dan remained in the conference room.

The two exchanged glances, each seeing the weight in the other’s eyes.

“Teacher Su, even if Nanhe Coffee gains recognition, its pricing is still a barrier to attracting a large number of customers.”

Song Xia sighed.

Su Dan didn’t respond verbally, but her expression showed she agreed with Song Xia.

Ultimately,

The high price of Nanhe Coffee is a significant factor in its customer base.

Fifty per cup,

For a high-level professional, it might not be much.

But for an ordinary worker, spending fifty on a coffee every day is quite extravagant.

This presents an unsolvable problem.

High-level professionals are a minority.

If Nanhe Coffee only targets this customer group, the number of stores in Jiang City would already exceed demand.

In that case,

Even if Nanhe Coffee attracted this high-spending demographic, it might not necessarily be profitable.

To solve this issue,

There are only two solutions:

First, reduce the number of Nanhe Coffee stores in each city, focusing solely on high-spending customers.

Second, find ways to attract lower-spending customers.

The first solution isn’t feasible given President Chen’s strategy of opening new stores.

So they must pursue the second option.

But the only way to attract lower-spending customers is to lower coffee prices.

However, President Chen has set the price, with a minimum of fifty.

So price adjustments are out of the question.

They need to find other ways to attract lower-spending customers.

But aside from pricing, what other methods could attract different customer groups?

The two pondered this question for a long time without any clear ideas.

“I think we could conduct an offline survey.”

After a moment of silence in the conference room,

Song Xia looked up and suggested slowly.

“An offline survey?”

Su Dan looked at Song Xia, puzzled by what she meant.

“We could visit other coffee shops to assess their strengths and weaknesses and also gather insights from the customer base.”

Song Xia quickly explained.

Hearing Song Xia’s suggestion, Su Dan’s eyes lit up.

This indeed could work. To attract customers, they should understand how other popular coffee shops draw in patrons.

Take the best, discard the worst.

And understanding consumer psychology is key; once they grasp it, they can make targeted reforms.

“This is definitely worth trying.”

Su Dan nodded in agreement. With no other options at hand, perhaps an offline survey could uncover some solutions.