Wahaha was a miracle, but now it may become a wonderful flower

This commercial empire, built by selling water, now is "side Yi oblique out" of the diversified business portrayal of the face mottled: water Test commercial real Estate's first project Eva European mall suffered cancellation, once ambitious into the milk powder business is also trapped in the "mandatory assessment of expired milk powder" rumors , founded more than 10 years of long children's wear brand so far not plague, and new oxygen rich water is also questioned the concept of speculation.

These ensuing "bad news" even let the always indifferent Wahaha founder Zong also began to be unable to become angry, in the outside world to its "po old" doubts, Zong will also adhere to its no strategic theory, random and dynamic diversity of "Zong style"? Could the business saga be renewed once the "enlightened dictator" of the Wahaha Empire was created?

The bitter fruit of diversity

"The failure of the Wahaha retail business is sheer nonsense!" "In the face of speculation and questioning, the 70-Year-old has finally been furious."

A few days ago, Wahaha in Hangzhou Qianjiang New Town's first commercial real estate project-Hangzhou Baby Europe market face cancellation. Although the "breach" of the said two sides also diverging, but there is no denying that Wahaha's move to commercial real estate is indeed a bad start, Wahaha also said, "Eva European shopping mall is indeed the first step of the Wahaha Business Project, this step is more bumpy, it does reflect the initial difficulties in entering the business area, Shortage of talent reserves. ”

The Wahaha estimate does not seem to be enough.

After 2002 years of Wahaha diversified operation of the first year, into children's wear market, Zong threatened: "Wahaha children's clothing within three months to form 2000 franchise chain, the annual sales breakthrough 1 billion yuan." Ten years later, the annual public sales of Wahaha children's clothing only 200 million yuan, and lingered for many years.

Four years ago, when Edison milk powder first entered the Chinese market, Zong Qing's goal was to reach 100,000 tons of sales and 10 billion ~200 billion in the two-year period. Now, nearly five years in the past, this initial high hopes of the original imported milk powder from the target still a long distance.

2012 after the same high-profile claim: Wahaha to invest in the operation of international boutique shopping malls, children's special shopping malls and the collection of beer and skittles as one of the city business complex. The popularity of this ambition has not faded, the argument that the business Project failed is rampant, forcing the Zong Qing after the furious.

2013, in the whole liquor industry into a deep adjustment period, Wahaha announced the advance to invest 15 billion yuan into the cold winter period of the liquor industry. Holding "liquor is a ' alcoholic beverages '" concept of Zong Qing also bombast: Wahaha Liquor plate will be listed within 3-5 years. But only half a year, its pioneer product collar sauce Country wine is spread by internal assessment impulse of the storm.

Although Zong may not be reconciled to the "failure" of the expansion, it is an indisputable fact that the development of each undertaking is far from its original expectation. Zong-Yi, who created the Wahaha Empire, has been taking pluralism as a "renewed brilliance".

In 2011, Zong Qing, during the NPC and CPPCC, talked about the Chinese business newspaper and its diversification strategy. He believed that the enterprise must be diversified development, because the East does not light the west, but business diversification to see whether there is a need, there is no capacity, there is no chance. From Wahaha's point of view, the beverage industry has become bigger and stronger, is a leading enterprise, it is difficult to achieve the goal of billions of scale, so there is a diversified demand, coupled with funds, talent, the key is to see the opportunity.

After Zong Qing, the beverage industry after years of development, concentration has been very high, the top five of the enterprises have occupied 60% of the market share, enterprises want to obtain high-speed development has not easy, so diversification is the best path.

In the ensuing 2012, Wahaha sales fell, the pace of diversification has suddenly accelerated, emergency "pull." But many in the industry said that, from the current situation, Wahaha diversification has not been able to share its main business, but may become a drag.

After four years as a personal marketing secretary, Luo Jianju, an associate professor of management at Zhejiang Media College, points out that over the past three years, the market share of Wahaha pure water, tea drinks and fruit juices has continued to decline, especially once the pure water of the water industry has been laughed at by farmers Spring, Master Kang successively overtake, take the position of industry old and its main new beer catechin cool, Qili, gwavas are wool, lively after a few months gradually quiet. "There are occasional more inevitable, if not diversified management of the time and energy dispersed after Zong and management, Wahaha's beverage industry will certainly do better in recent years." ”

Random Expansion and loss

"Nothing but money. Zong has thus summed up his cooperation with Danone for nearly a decade. Many marketing experts also summed up the logic of Wahaha diversified expansion, precisely because of the backing of the capital, Zong Qing in every new field, will put forward ambitious goals, a "deep pockets" of the battle.

But the "Not bad money" Wahaha has not harvested a variety of fruits.

"Diversification is not simply a smashing of money, and insiders, if you want to rely on the beverage industry's strong channel to open up other diversification direction of the road, Wahaha will only move from one mistake to another." "Some insiders have pointed out this.

Each time diversification, Wahaha strong dealer team are Zong Qing since he thought can win the "magic weapon." However, the fact proved that when its milk powder, children's wear, liquor and other products loaded, immediately showed indigestion.

"Wahaha beverage aggregators can not be grafted to other product areas, so its inwardly channel, but it has no channel advantage in the diversification of development; different products in the operation and customer consumption patterns are also a big difference, making drinks started Wahaha has no operational advantage. "Luo Jianju thinks.

The difficulty of diversified expansion is estimated to be insufficient, Wahaha will inevitably "Mashiqianti", the CIC Consulting consultants Tri Yu on the analysis that: "Wahaha in the process of diversification, the majority of failures." It is not wrong to carry out the strategy of diversification development, which can increase the profit point of enterprises and enhance the ability of resisting risk. But Wahaha's expansion is too hasty, too scattered, liquor, retail and other industries Wahaha has no operating experience can be said, the advantages are not significant, its rushed into the bureau, failure in the expected. ”

In fact, after the Zong Qing himself also understand that "enterprises blindly diversified, can only be dead." "So, in his view, Wahaha's direction is," on the one hand, upstream and downstream development, on the other hand to the high-tech aspects. ”

In fact, Wahaha is not without other options. In Luo Jianju's view, Wahaha can be through mergers and acquisitions, investment upstream development, or the same industry mergers and acquisitions, which can produce synergies, and its own inherent advantages can also play a role. However, these projects, which are more diversified than others, have a low yield, which is what Miss Zong did not see. ”

Therefore, in the practical operation, the diversification of Wahaha is more a kind of play to "money", rather than strategy-oriented, Luo Jianju told reporters that Zong had said he had never made a strategy because he thought the 3-5 strategy had no meaning, "he is taking one step at a step, Which aspect has the money to make the development which aspect, he thinks the businessman should make the money for the glory, to look for each kind of opportunity, has the opportunity on the line. So his definition is: The enterprise has no strategy. ”

This "Zong logic" seems to be able to from the "Aftermath" of the "rehabilitation" treatment of the European mall to see some clues, there is news that the Wahaha plan will be the transformation of the European market for the education center. But the bailout did not attract any approval, Du Bin, director of the RET-DATAEX business services, said that Zong may have seen the recent heat of the education market, but the education industry has not been able to afford the rent, the industry itself has a limited room for growth, and a shopping center is not too realistic.

Shanghai Bo na Rui Cheng Marketing management consulting company Chairman Schonlone in the media interview, said, "In fact, Wahaha does not have a diversified development strategy, Zong Zong's pluralism is basically whimsical, and Zong Qing is an opportunistic." ”

"The success of any project is decided by the trader who is the master of the beverage business, but not necessarily the master of other products." Frankly, Wahaha in addition to rich, other advantages are not! "Luo Jianju bluntly," and now long past the money can be successful times. ”

The Empire of a man

"After Zong's life is very frugal, personal spending is very small, lodging, clothing are very simple, but his heart has a very big dream, is to be a big company, has a very strong goal of self-realization." Xiao, a marketing expert who was former Wahaha Group's planning director, said.

"My goal is to enter the world's top 500," he said in a media interview, "Now it's just 500, not 500."

Perhaps it is because of such a vision, the 70-Year-old Zong is still fighting in the first line, work more than 10 hours a day, and at the expense of destroying entrepreneurial myth, in the diversity of the road of exploration repeatedly defeated repeatedly war, without hesitation.

As for the Xiao of the multiple projects in recent years, he told reporters, "This will show that he is the true pope, if a person succeeds in everything, it is too fake." ”

Indeed, Chengye Xiao. Luo Jianju pointed out that Zong Qing after this consistent pro-Pro character led to the lack of talent advantage Wahaha. "Wahaha has no strategic department, no deputy general manager, and other positions, all the decisions are made by Mr Zong, and he does not trust consulting firms, only the ministers and managers who obey them." No one dares to suggest, and no one dares to contradict Zong, even his daughter Zong Fuli. ”

Financial critic Wanghaitao that the plight of Wahaha, Zong has the biggest responsibility, the responsibility is to some extent his own limitations-his past success, his past personality, management of success factors, now may become a fetter. Zong was a strongman, so he was able to create a huge empire with a product. But also because he is too strong, the other people in the company appear very weak. He is like a towering tree, which grows beside him is grass. A too strong boss, it is difficult to cultivate independently subordinates.

"But the reality is brutal, the times are always changing, the market is always elusive, hold the Jiangshan, is a more difficult thing than to play the Jiangshan." "Wanghaitao said.

In particular, simply a person's "single fight" to hold the Jiangshan is even more difficult. "Zong has become an extremely self-confident emperor." Luo Jianju said, "Do liquor, do commercial real estate, under the sales manager, including Zong Fuli, are against, but there is no way." ”

In fact, Zong also never avoided the so-called autocratic thinking, "You see China now can succeed big Enterprise, have a strong leadership, are arrogate, and autocratic." I think in China at the present stage to do good business, you must be autocratic. An excellent leader must be an ' enlightened dictator '. "Someone in the company is doing [market research], but ultimately it's my intuition that the research agencies aren't necessarily right," he said. ”

Even for its "king" successor, Zong Qing can not be assured of a thorough delivery, it has openly said that Zong Fuli by foreign culture, in fact, neither understand the status quo of Chinese enterprises, nor is it clear about the situation abroad. And said the daughter to succession, but also to temper temper. And Luo Jianju revealed, in fact, Zong Fuli in Wahaha does not have too much discourse power, it is difficult to meddle in the operation of core assets.

To this question, the reporter to the Wahaha Group brand director of the Prestige verification, until the press did not get a reply.

"His success has lasted more than 20 years, and it's been a miracle." But just imagine, a business that relies only on an old person, how big is the crisis? "In simple terms, Wahaha is the epitome of the growth of China's tyrants bosses, if not transformed, it will only go downhill," Luo Jianju said.

Wen/Bing