Chapter 328 Boeing 747

 Hearing Barron's words, Clara raised her eyebrows and said:

  "That's a good idea, Your Highness. I don't think such a proposal will be approved by the antitrust investigation..."

  Clara Voss's opinion cannot be said to be wrong. The merger of several exchanges of similar size to the London Stock Exchange will inevitably lead to antitrust investigations by relevant parties.

  But what she could not have anticipated was that in the subprime mortgage crisis more than three years later, in order to save the financial industry, the United States and the European Union would appropriately relax such mergers and acquisitions.

  But Barron was not in a position to explain this matter to her in detail.

  "In addition, your bid does not match the true value of the London Stock Exchange."

  Clara's words also indicate that Barron's 25% premium acquisition is not a price that can impress the London Stock Exchange...

  "What if I offer a 50% premium?"

  Barron looked at Clara and said.

  After hearing Barron's latest offer, Clara Foss's expression finally changed slightly.

  She pondered for a moment, and finally said to Barron:

  "This requires the final decision of our board of directors, Your Highness."

  In addition, when Clara Voss met with Barron this time, the topics they discussed were not limited to the GII Fund's acquisition of the London Stock Exchange.

  "Summit Media's listing on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange was very successful. Your Highness, we also hope that more of your industries can be listed here, such as O2 Telecom and Argos Retail Group. Although these companies may be lower than our listing standards in terms of certain conditions, such as the number of years of operation after being acquired by you, we at the London Stock Exchange can provide special channels for these companies with excellent operating conditions."

  "Just like what happened with Summit Media back then?"

  "Yes."

  When Clara talked about encouraging O2 Telecom and Argos Retail Group to list on the London Stock Exchange, Barron's heart moved, but he didn't continue on this topic too much:

  "These companies will go public through IPOs, and my first choice will be the London Stock Exchange, but we have to wait until the right time."

  Yes, at the right time.

  Now both O2 Telecom and Argos Retail Group are still in the stage of expanding the market and developing rapidly...

  O2 Telecom, in particular, has completed the construction of mobile communications and broadband networks in France, and has also deployed some networks in major cities in Germany. The number of users continues to increase. It is indeed not a good time to go public now, and it is difficult to obtain a valuation that satisfies Barron's.

  After all, at this stage, both O2 Telecom and Argos Retail Group are "burning money" to grab market share, and the financial data does not look good. Only when the users stabilize, the infrastructure is completed, and the company enters the profit stage, will there be better data, and the valuation after listing will be higher.

  Therefore, as for O2 Telecom, Barron's plan is to wait until next year or 2006 to start the IPO process.

  …

  On the runway of the airport, there is a huge aircraft parked with a white fuselage, blue paint, "Devonhill" and the Devonhill family emblem, representing that this is Barron's new "big toy" - a private jet converted from a Boeing 747-430 passenger plane.

  Compared with Barron's previous Gulfstream G450, this aircraft is simply a behemoth.

  This can be clearly seen from the comparison of the data between the two.

  The Gulfstream G450 is 27.23 meters long, 7.67 meters high, and is rated to carry 12-16 passengers.  

  The Boeing 747-430 is 70.6 meters long, 19.4 meters high, and has a rated passenger capacity of 416 people...

  Most importantly, the Boeing 747 has a three-class cabin layout. In addition to the bottom floor that can be used to load cargo and serve as a garage, there are two floors of space that can be modified.

  Barron's Devonshire private jet has an extra-large luxurious bedroom with a bed that is more than three meters wide and a separate bathroom. In addition, it has a kitchen, office area, entertainment area, and rest area, as well as a conference room that can accommodate more than 15 people at the same time...

  In short, the overall layout is incomparable to his previous Gulfstream G450.

  With the Devonshire, when Barron travels, in addition to his personal bodyguards and a service team of more than 20 people, he can also bring a large business team with him.

  And the fleet of vehicles in the garage can also ensure that you can drive directly to your destination after landing.

  The only drawback is that the runway for this aircraft to take off and land needs to be more than 3,000 meters, and this is usually only possible at the highest level 4 airports.

  The maximum take-off and landing distance of the Gulfstream G450 is only more than 1,600 meters, and generally any airport above level 3 can meet the requirements.

  Therefore, the Devonshire aircraft can only arrive at larger airports.

  After completing the handover of the aircraft, Barron will also start his journey.

  For this aircraft, Barron specially hired a crew including three flight attendants to be responsible for the operation of the Devonshire private jet.

  The next day, the Devonshire's real maiden voyage began, and the first stop was from London to the Magic City of China.

  In addition to the accompanying team, he was also accompanied by the "Shining Life" program recording team led by Bonnie Stuart.

  They will follow Barron's trip and film it as material for the first episode of a new show called "Shining Life".

  The recording of the show begins when they leave their villa in Kensington, London.

  Under the camera, Barron's entourage, under the command of personal assistant Laura Wong and life assistant Alia, took more than 100 suitcases from the villa...

  Just these suitcases would require a large truck to transport...

  "Your Highness, today is the maiden flight of your new private jet, right?"

  There is also a camera inside Barron's car facing Barron and Bonnie, ready to record footage at any time.

  At this time, Bonnie entered the working state and became the host of the "Shining Life" program, interviewing Barron.

  "Yes, Bonnie."

  "Why would you think of buying such a huge passenger plane and converting it into a private jet?"

  "I have experienced the private jet converted from a Boeing 747 of my friend, Prince Alwaleed of Saudi Arabia, and it was indeed very comfortable and convenient. This also made me find the problem that has been bothering me for a long time, that is, my previous private jet can accommodate too few passengers. Usually, when traveling, I have to reduce the number of accompanying personnel, or let them take another civil aviation plane and travel separately, which is very inconvenient..."

  Barron said calmly,

  "I can't say it's all for enjoyment. Of course, that's one reason that cannot be denied, but for me, time is the most important thing. Being able to get a good rest during an intercontinental flight, or being able to respond and adjust to some business information in a timely manner during the process, compared to the additional benefits that these conveniences can bring, the cost of buying an aircraft is completely worth it."

  "To be honest, I was completely shocked when I saw the plane for the first time. I believe that if the audience friends saw it, they would have the same feeling..."