The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 158

Chapter 158: Revenue Settlement

Fresselles added, "This is only the income for the organizing committee. The City Hall should have an additional several hundred thousand livres of revenue, but the exact amount will need to be calculated by their team."

Only the revenue from the Tuileries Palace and the amusement park belonged to the Fashion Week Organizing Committee. Extra income from sources such as public carriages, museums, and theaters fell under the jurisdiction of City Hall.

Joseph nodded calmly, though inwardly he was quite thrilled. The figures exceeded his initial estimate by nearly a million livres. Moreover, this was only the sixth day of Fashion Week, with two days remaining. Total profits would surely exceed five million livres. Why did Fashion Week last for eight days? Well, there were still over two weeks of additional events following it—such as the Fashion Art Exhibition, Charity Week, and Food Week—set to continue until the end of March.

Nevertheless, he wasn’t too surprised by these earnings. After all, this event provided a one-stop extravaganza of dining, entertainment, and fashion—a spectacle unprecedented worldwide, guaranteed to captivate Europe’s upper-class elite.

These results were achieved even with the limitations of current transportation and communication. For instance, there were hardly any attendees from the Americas, and even guests from Eastern Europe were relatively few. In the railway era, Fashion Week’s revenue might well have doubled.

Additionally, Joseph had several other major income streams that had not been accounted for.

First, there was the real estate project.

The vacant land in the Tuileries Palace Garden had been developed into the "Royal Garden" residential complex. Phase I comprised 75 villas, priced at an average of 48,000 livres, half of which had already been sold—bringing in over 1.8 million livres. Prospective buyers flocked daily to inquire and view the properties.

It was worth noting that the villas were still under construction, with no finished models for viewing. Otherwise, they might have sold out long ago.

Joseph was in no hurry—employing the strategies of future real estate practices, he occasionally raised the prices and released enticing news, such as announcing a certain duke as a new resident. By the time construction was completed, he expected the average price to exceed 60,000 livres.

Furthermore, once Phase I was completed, accompanying facilities such as hospitals and schools would also be operational. This meant that Phase II would be almost pure profit.

Compared to the massive profits of real estate, the income from Paris Angel Company's cosmetics and the sales from the "GemJet" Carriage Company seemed less impressive.

Cosmetics sales reached over 800,000 livres in six days, while the carriage business, being in its infancy, faced severe supply shortages, generating only about 120,000 livres.

Joseph estimated that by the end of Fashion Week, the organizing committee’s total earnings would reach approximately seven million livres. The French Treasury and the royal family would take the largest share. The Paris Chamber of Commerce, which had contributed some funds, was entitled to a 3% cut.

However, for Joseph, most of this money was effectively his. The French government owed him a 600,000-livre loan, and he had further spent millions on grain purchases. Clear accounts make good friends—this money was bound to be repaid to the Crown Prince, and Fashion Week’s revenue would serve as the repayment.

As for the royal family’s share, it went directly into his pocket. Initially, the Queen had granted him free use of the Tuileries Palace. Of course, he would later need to allocate a portion to the Queen—mutual gains paved the way for smoother cooperation.

The "Royal Garden" revenue was entirely Joseph’s, as he was the sole developer. Purchasing the Tuileries Palace Garden’s land had cost him 50,000 livres—at the time, it was nothing but empty space. Now, it had transformed into Paris's most luxurious residential area.

In total, after considerable effort and planning, Joseph estimated a net income of around ten million livres from hosting Fashion Week.

With this wealth, he could purchase more grain from overseas to prepare for the impending famine.

Joseph continued reviewing the detailed income statements from Fashion Week.

Among all the projects, the highest earnings naturally came from the sale of fashion items, shoes, hats, and jewelry, along with storefront rentals, which totaled 1.47 million livres. Based on a commission rate of 15%-25%, Fashion Week had generated over six million livres in sales of clothing and jewelry so far!

The second-highest source of revenue surprised Joseph—it turned out to be the unassuming amusement halls.

The Tuileries Palace housed 75 machines, with an additional 30 placed outside. Over six days, these machines earned over 800,000 livres!

On average, each machine brought in 1,200 livres per day!

Joseph suddenly wondered why he should bother with the hardships of industrial and commercial ventures when such devices could generate money so effortlessly.

However, he also understood that these machines earned so much due to their novelty and the wealth of the attendees. These affluent individuals played purely for enjoyment, paying little heed to the amount spent.

In time, as the novelty wore off and economic factors came into play, such high revenues were unlikely to last.

Moreover, Joseph did not wish for French citizens to fall into economic distress due to excessive indulgence in these machines. In the future, only a dozen or so machines would be placed in Versailles Palace, while the rest would be sent to the colonies.

The subsequent income categories included accommodations, Eden Amusement Park, special services, and dining.

After discussing some operational matters with Fresselles, Joseph heard melodious music wafting from outside. Realizing that the fashion show would begin in about ten minutes, Fresselles excused himself to attend to preparations.

Watching the bustling scene of Fashion Week from his window, Joseph was already strategizing how to maximize the event’s benefits.

For him, direct economic gains were less significant than the event’s intangible benefits.

For instance, the event’s contribution to enhancing France’s image was immense.

Once attendees returned home, they would undoubtedly share tales of Fashion Week’s grandeur and the prosperity of Paris with everyone they knew.

This would attract additional investments and talent from those seeking the comfort and opportunities offered by France.

After establishing Fashion Week’s influence, Joseph envisioned launching an "Exposition Universelle" in Europe and various award events to further enhance France's international standing and draw even more resources and talent.

Additionally, this Fashion Week saw over four million livres in sales of various garments, a large portion of which came from Lyon.

Previously, France’s textile industry struggled with competitiveness, compounded by the Eden Treaty’s reduced tariffs, which had nearly driven Lyon’s textile sector to collapse.

Historically, mass unemployment among Lyon’s textile workers was one of the sparks of the Revolution.

Through Fashion Week’s promotion, Joseph anticipated a surge in demand for French-made garments. While France’s textile technology lagged behind Britain’s, strong sales of French apparel could significantly offset the high cost of domestic fabric.

Currently, most households purchased fabric to make their own clothes. The ready-to-wear market was still nascent and primarily served the lowest-income segment.

However, Joseph was confident that with appropriate promotional methods, ready-to-wear sales could rise substantially.

This strategy would help stabilize France’s textile industry until it could compete with Britain on equal footing.

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