Tallying the profits
Flesselles added, "This is just the organizing committee's income. The City Hall should also have several hundred Livre in income; the exact amount will have to be tallied by them."
Only the revenue from the Tuileries Palace and the amusement park goes to the Fashion Week Organizing Committee, while extra money earned from things like Public Carriage, museums, and theaters belongs to the City Hall.
Joseph nodded calmly, but inwardly he was quite excited. This figure was nearly a Livre higher than he had expected. And this was only the sixth day of Fashion Week; there were still two days left. The total profit was definitely over 5 Livre. As for why Fashion Week was eight days long? Heh, actually, there were various events over half a month to come, such as Fashion Art Exhibition, Charity Week, Gourmet Week, etc., which would continue until the end of Frost Month.
However, he wasn't too surprised by the amount of income. After all, this kind of all-inclusive event, which combines eating, drinking, and entertainment with the huge gimmick of fashion, is the first of its kind in the world and is sure to be popular among the Europe elite.
This was achieved despite the limited transportation and communication infrastructure. For example, there were almost no visitors from the Americas, and even Eastern Europe didn't attract many customers. If it were during the railway era, the revenue from Fashion Week would likely have doubled.
In addition, Joseph had several other huge gains that have not been accounted for.
The first is Real Estate projects.
The vacant land in the Tuileries Palace Gardens has been developed into the "Royal Garden" residential complex. The first phase consists of 75 Villa, with an average price of 48,000 Livre. Half of them have already been sold, generating an income of over 1.8 Livre. And every day, there is a constant stream of people coming to inquire about and view the properties.
Keep in mind, this house isn't finished yet; no one can see what the completed product looks like. Otherwise, it would probably have sold out long ago.
Joseph wasn't in a hurry—following the patterns of Real Estate in later generations, he would raise prices from time to time, and then announce news of "a certain Duke" moving in. By the time the building was topped out, the average price was estimated to be at least 60,000 Livre.
Moreover, after the completion of the first phase of the project, supporting facilities such as hospitals and schools were also built, so the second phase of the project was basically pure profit.
Compared to Real Estate, which can generate huge profits, the Cosmetics business of "Paris Angel" and the Carriage sales of "Gem Jie" Carriage House seem rather uninteresting.
The Cosmetics sold over 800,000 Livre in six days, while the Carriage House, being a new startup, suffered from severe supply shortages and only generated less than Livre in revenue.
Joseph roughly estimated that by the end of the month, when Fashion Week concludes, the Fashion Week Organizing Committee should be able to earn around 7 Livre. The France Finance and the Royal House will take the lion's share, while the Paris Chamber of Commerce, having invested some money, will receive 3% of the profits.
However, for Joseph, most of this money was his— the French Government owed him a loan of 6 Livre, and he later added several million more to buy grain. Even between brothers, accounts must be kept clear; the French Government had to repay this money to His Crown Prince, so he decided to use the proceeds from Fashion Week.
As for the Royal House's share, it went straight into his pocket. The Queen initially said that her son would use the Tuileries Palace for free. Of course, the Queen would have to receive some money later; everyone makes money, and it opens up more opportunities for the future.
And all the revenue from the "Royal Garden" went to Joseph, because he was the sole developer. He had previously spent Livre to buy the land for the Tuileries Palace Gardens —at the time it was all empty land, but now it has become one of the most prestigious residential areas in Paris.
All things considered, after all the effort he put into organizing the Fashion Week, his net income was around ten million Livre.
With this money, more food can be purchased from overseas to cope with the impending Great Famine.
Joseph continued to review the details of his earnings from Fashion Week.
Of all the projects, the highest revenue naturally came from sales commissions on fashion, footwear, and jewelry, totaling 1.47 Livre, including store rent. Based on a commission rate of 15%-25%, Fashion Week has so far generated over 6 Livre in clothing and jewelry sales!
Joseph was somewhat surprised by the second most profitable project – it was the unassuming Arcade Hall.
With 75 Machines Tuileries Palace Machines 30 outside, they've earned over 800,000 Livre in the past six days!
On average, one Machines can earn 1200 Livre per day!!
Joseph suddenly thought, why bother with all this trouble of getting into industry and commerce? Isn't this something that makes money faster than anything else?
However, he also understood that these arcade machines were making so much money for two reasons: first, they were novel, and everyone wanted something new; second, the attendees of this Fashion Week were all extremely wealthy people, and as long as they were having fun, they didn't care how much money they had invested.
Given time, once the novelty wears off, and considering economic factors, such an exaggerated income is certainly impossible.
Furthermore, Joseph didn't France suffer financial hardship due to their addiction to these video games. He suggested keeping only a dozen or so at the Versailles Palace and sending the rest to the Colony.
The revenue streams following these are: accommodation, Eden Amusement Park, special services, food and beverage...
Joseph then asked Flesselles about some things related to Fashion Week operations, when he heard melodious music coming from outside, so he had to end the revenue report—the show would start in about ten minutes, and Flesselles had to get back to work.
Joseph looked out the window at the bustling Fashion Week scene, already plotting how to maximize the profits from this grand event.
In fact, he cares more about the intangible benefits of Fashion Week than the direct economic income.
For example, its significant contribution to enhancing the image of France.
When the guests who attended Fashion Week return to their hometowns, they will surely tell everyone about the grand occasion of Fashion Week and the prosperity of Paris.
This will attract additional investment to France, as well as a diverse range of talented individuals drawn to its comfortable environment.
Once the influence of Fashion Week has stabilized, we can build upon that foundation to hold the "Europe Exposition" and various award events, further enhancing France's international standing and attracting more investment and talent.
In addition, the total value of all kinds of clothing sold at this Fashion Week exceeded 4 Livre, most of which came from Lyon.
Previously, due to the lack of competitiveness of the France Textile, coupled with the reduction of Tariff under the Eden Treaty, Lyon's Textile industry was on the verge of collapse.
Historically, the mass unemployment of Textile workers in Lyon was one of the triggers for the Great Revolution Depression.
The promotion from this Fashion Week will lead to a surge in sales of France clothing. Although France's Textile technology cannot compare to that of the United Kingdom, the high cost of fabrics can be largely offset by the strong sales of our clothes.
Of course, most families nowadays buy fabric and make their own clothes, so the ready-made clothing market is still very small and mainly concentrated at the lowest end.
However, Joseph is confident that by using some promotional methods, he can significantly increase the sales volume of ready-to-wear clothing.
This would allow France's Textile to survive until it could compete with the United Kingdom.
(End of this chapter)