Paris. Fir honey and eucalyptus candies from the Hautes-Vosges, blown glass Christmas baubles from Kaysersberg… “Christmas 2025”, the first temporary collection from the Élysée-Présidence de la République brand, will adorn the window of the “Maison Élysée”, the official boutique of the Palais, this winter, alongside the goodies (small gifts) from the permanent collection. This is because the brand of derivative products has gained ground since its launch in 2018: it now offers more than 300 products (jewelry, leather goods, delicatessens, tableware, toys, etc.) manufactured by 50 companies located throughout the national territory. Among these heritage or recent companies, Pierre Lannier, Le Jacquard français, Saint James, ST Dupont and even Malongo.
To be part of the partner brands, there is only one criterion: “made in France”. Aware of the benefits that the “Élysée” stamp could offer them in terms of prestige and visibility, many companies have responded to the calls for projects launched each year by the Élysée, and wish their contract to be renewed once it expires (after three or five years). The Presidency displays a real desire to establish itself as a showcase of French know-how since the founding of the brand. But above all she hopes to finance the renovation of the Évreux hotel thanks to these revenues. The former private mansion of the Marquise de Pompadour was in such a state of deterioration at the start of Emmanuel Macron’s first term that the Court of Auditors estimated in 2017 that the maintenance and restoration work, spread over a theoretical timetable of a total duration of seven years, could reach 100 million euros. The Presidency therefore decided to register its brand of derivative products a year later and founded its online store at the same time. The amount of royalties varies depending on the product: 8% for foodstuffs, 15% for the rest of the collection.
200,000 euros per year
Have the profits made it possible to finance the work carried out at the Palace since 2017, including the renovation of the village hall in 2018-2019 (500,000 euros), the Green Room in 2022 (600,000 euros) and the large kitchens in 2024 (14 million euros)? The answer is definitely no, because if the total bill for this work amounts to 37 million euros, the royalties bring in only 200,000 euros per year to the Élysée – or one million euros since the launch of the brand – according to Wilfried Hubert, associate director of Arboresens, the agency to which the Élysée has entrusted a licensing agent mandate. The Presidency did not wait for a miracle surge in the sale of its derivative products to sell the hotel at 14, rue de l’Élysée (1,400 m2) for 27 million euros in 2022, as part of the financing plan for the 2018-2022 real estate master plan (51 million euros, including 4 million investment credits from the Presidency in terms of heritage and 20 million endowment from Oppic (operator of heritage and real estate projects of Culture) for the conservation of heritage residences). And the work is far from complete: the 2023-2027 master plan provides for the adoption of geothermal energy and the connection to district heating, at a cost of 10 million euros per year.
The White House sells better
Washington DC. If the revenues of the Élysée Palace are still limited, the same is not true for the White House, which has refined a business juicy over the decades. A private, non-profit association created on the initiative of Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961, the White House Historical Association (WHHA) works to preserve the presidential residence and its historic furnishings. Installed inside the building, it sells goodies and publishes works on the history, architecture and decorative arts of the White House. In 2023 alone, its net sales bring $12 million (€11.3 million) to the association, or 35% of its profits. The majority of WHHA’s revenue, however, comes from private or corporate contributions: donations represented 56% of profits ($19 million) that same year. Also in 2023, the association injected $3.5 million into the White House Endowment Trust, an endowment fund set up by Barbara Bush to finance restoration work on the White House.
