Victor finished his speech, and the reception moved into a casual chatting phase.
Victor, being a highly adaptable person, knew how to tailor his words to different audiences. Previously, as a conman, he managed to handle people effortlessly. Now, with his legitimate status, he navigated social interactions with even greater ease.
Holding a wine glass, he first chatted with the Mayor’s secretary, then mingled with the police chief, and later started conversations with the presidents and representatives of major trading companies.
These large foreign firms dominated almost all the livelihoods in London, from electricity to tap water and daily necessities. They were very concerned about what industries Hardy Group planned to enter in London and whether it would affect their businesses.
"Mr. Victor, what kind of business is Hardy Group planning to do?" asked the president of Jardine Matheson.
The others also looked at Victor, awaiting his answer.
Victor smiled, "To be honest, I’ve only been in London for less than a month and am not very familiar with the situation here. For now, we’ve started an auction house and a trading company. As for future ventures, that will depend on what London needs.
"The Hardy Group’s business is extensive, and behind us is the California Consortium, which covers almost all industries, from finance and oil to metallurgy and various manufacturing sectors, including screws, construction steel, machine tools, cars, and even airplanes and cannons.
"We also have transportation, maritime shipping, real estate, media, television stations, radio stations, newspapers, and magazines.
"If there’s a need for planes, tanks, or even aircraft carriers here, I can arrange that. If there’s a shortage of medicines or even chewing gum, no problem, I can provide those too."
Victor wasn’t exaggerating. If someone really paid for planes, tanks, or aircraft carriers, he could indeed procure them.
The British trading company executives felt a pang of anxiety, thinking that the Hardy Group was a formidable shark, uncertain whom it might bite in the future.
However, some saw an opportunity for cooperation.
After all, business often arises from partnerships.
The reception was very successful, and Victor managed to make the Hardy Group known in London’s political and business circles in the shortest time and at the lowest cost, establishing himself as the group’s chief representative in the U.K.
Victor received a thick stack of business cards.
The reception served as a stepping stone for future communications with the government, foreign firms, and local families, allowing Victor to visit them directly if needed.
The day after the reception, Victor dispatched eight HD security personnel he brought along. Their job wasn’t just to be bodyguards, which would be a waste of talent, they were now business managers of Hardy’s London branch.
Victor divided them into four groups to contact the major hospitals in London.
At the Royal London Hospital, when two Hardy representatives approached the director offering penicillin for sale, the director was initially skeptical. Had they not been Americans, he would have thought they were con men.
"Do you have penicillin?" the director asked.
One of them took out a box of penicillin from his bag and placed it on the table. Seeing the actual product, the director was visibly shocked.
There really was penicillin.
He picked up the box and examined it, noting the label and production date, which were two months ago, from Merck Pharmaceuticals in the USA.
During WWII, Merck was the second largest producer of penicillin, right after Pfizer, making Merck’s penicillin well known.
Seeing that the drug was genuine, the director was excited.
"How did you get this? Smuggling? How much do you have, and what’s the price?" the director asked eagerly.
The security officer shrugged, "We obtained it through legitimate channels, with plenty of stock, not like those who smuggle a few bottles from US hospitals."
"We can sell you 5,000 vials. How much are you willing to pay?"
"5,000 vials?" The director was thrilled, rubbing his hands in excitement.
This drug was a real lifesaver.
In current medical practice, the highest mortality was due to infections, and penicillin was highly effective against bacterial infections.
"How about $6 per vial?" the director tentatively offered.
The security officer reached for the box, and the director, in panic, quickly grabbed it and urgently said, "We can negotiate, we can negotiate."
"The black market price is now between $25 and $30 per vial. Our boss has priced it at $15, which is far below the black market price."
In fact, the black market price rarely reached $30 per vial, it was usually around $16-$18, occasionally spiking during severe shortages.
The director shook his head vigorously, "That’s too expensive, way too expensive. The price in American hospitals is only $3 per vial. $15 is far too high, hardly anyone can afford it. Please consider the patients."
"You mentioned the American mainland. These medicines are very difficult to obtain and come with risks and costs to transport over such a long distance. Don’t we deserve to make a profit?"
"We are businessmen."
After back and forth negotiations, they settled on $11 per vial. The director painfully purchased 5,000 vials.
The most reputable hospitals in London, like Queen Mary Hospital, Elizabeth Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital, St. Teresa’s Hospital, Canossa Hospital, and others, including some privately funded hospitals.
All these hospitals bought penicillin, and they bought as much as was offered. They weren’t fools, penicillin was in short supply, and even if they didn’t use it all, reselling it would still bring profit. In a short time, Victor sold over 50,000 vials.
The lowest price was $10 per vial, and the highest was $12 per vial, earning a total of over $500,000.
He still had more than 40,000 vials left.
Victor wasn’t in a hurry.
Recently, word spread about Hardy Group selling penicillin, making the group well known in London, especially among high ranking individuals.
Victor had mentioned that their trading company could sell anything, and their first product was the highly demanded penicillin.
Many people knew that the US had restrictions on penicillin exports. While it wasn’t officially banned, few could obtain it directly from manufacturers. Much of the smuggled supply was bought at high prices from hospitals and transported to the U.K, driving up the prices.
But Hardy Group was selling directly.
This indicated that Hardy Group had deep connections and extensive networks in the US. This update ıs available on 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍
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