Elysee palace moves into memorabilia

PARIS: France’s Elysee Palace is offering presidential mugs and key rings for sale for the first time.

The foray into trinket-selling was authorised by President Emmanuel Macron, whose portrait adorns a poster costing 9.90 euros, one of a host of items on offer to collectors, Macron fans, tourists and anyone else short of gift ideas. The online boutique includes t-shirts, watches, notebooks, bags and pens, some with prices that might make buyers pause: a blue t-shirt with the word ‘president’ embroidered on the breast costs 55 euros.

The decision to exploit the presidential brand commercially was taken months ago but the actual launch comes at a time when the 40-year-old leader’s approval rating has skidded to as low as 23%, below that of his predecessors at similar points in their mandates. It is not clear whether his portrait on posters and mugs will be positively received by voters; many of his critics accuse him of catering excessively to the rich and ruling with a top-down style more fitting of monarchs. France has traditionally taken a reserved approach to retail and marketing around the president, with Macron saying after his election that he intended to reestablish the high status of the office. Some of the items on offer are very much for everyday use, including a key ring with a little red, white and blue etiquette (29 euros), a Macron portrait mug (24.90 euros) and a cloth shopping bag with ELYSEE emblazoned on the side (15 euros).