France presented a list of companies.
The list included both state owned and private enterprises, similar to the situation in Italy. State owned enterprises had to remain under state control, while private enterprises could be negotiated directly with their owners.
Among these were so special companies that the French governnt had confiscated after the war and were now directly selling.
The industries France offered for investnt included oil, banking, steel, automobiles, machine tools, tobacco, insurance, liquefied gas, construction, aviation, and shipping.
Wells Fargo was planning to acquire a bank in France as part of its European expansion strategy. Hardy, on the other hand, instructed Andy to reach out to the shipping companies on the list to explore the possibility of investing in French shipping.
Hardy had already made up his mind.
He knew that shipping would be a crucial industry in the future. With resources already at his disposal, Hardy had established shipping companies in the U.S. England, and Italy. If he could acquire more shipping companies in other countries, he could eventually form a global super shipping conglorate.
Of course, he didn't forget about acquiring luxury brands either.
These investnts were smaller but paved the way for future opportunities.
Hardy approached French Ministry of Comrce officials with the sa request he had made in Italy: Hardy Group wanted to invest in France's luxury goods industry. The French officials could only provide the nas of companies on the list, advising Hardy to handle any other investnts on his own.
The level of service was far inferior to what he had experienced in Italy.
Hardy then contacted the head of the French branch of Global Tis and instructed him to place advertisents in French newspapers, stating that the Arican investnt delegation, led by Hardy Group, was interested in investing in the luxury goods industry. Those interested could register with the French branch of Global Tis.
France had many fashion brands, including Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Cartier, Lancô, L'Oréal, Lacoste, Dior, Chanel, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Boucheron.
During the German occupation in World War II, the French fashion industry experienced a severe downturn. Countless brands were either forced to shut down or had their assets relocated to Vienna. A few highly valuable luxury brands were preserved, but their managent was taken over by Germans, with all profits going to Germany.
Even fashion design programs in various academies had German instructors imposing ideological corrections.
Of course, so brands chose to collaborate.
So of these brands were later dealt with by the French governnt, while others managed to escape punishnt but continued to struggle.
Shortly after the advertisent was released, Global Tis received nurous inquiries.
The first to co forward was Christian Dior. Hardy imdiately recognized the na.
Christian Dior was quite tall, standing slightly above Hardy, who was over six feet tall. The slightly balding middle aged man bent over slightly, wearing a big smile as he extended both hands to shake Hardy's hand.
"Mr. Hardy, it's a pleasure to et you. My na is Christian Dior. I am a designer, and I have opened a fashion store under my na. I hope to secure your investnt," Dior said respectfully.
Before the war, Dior was just a tailor. During the occupation, he did quite well, making clothes for the Germans, which almost led to his downfall after the war. This experience left him nervous and cautious. When he saw Hardy's investnt advertisent, he imdiately had an idea.
He wanted to attach himself to a powerful ally to ensure his survival.
At that ti, France's purging activities were not yet complete, and Dior feared that the situation might worsen and that he would be targeted again. The last thing he wanted was to end up in a labor camp.
The Arican investnt in Europe was widely known, with Hardy Group being one of the investors. Dior knew of Hardy's background and was eager to forge a connection with him. If he had Hardy's backing, he would no longer have to live in constant fear.
"I understand, Mr. Dior. I am interested in investing in your company. Let's discuss the details. How much capital do you need?" Hardy asked.
"I need 10 million francs," Dior replied cautiously.
Hardy quickly calculated in his mind that 10 million francs was equivalent to about $300,000. This was not a large sum for Hardy, and it was very much within his ability to invest.
"I will provide the funds, Mr. Dior. However, I want 65% of the shares in your company. You will be responsible for all design and production," Hardy said.
Dior's still wanted to keep the majority shares in his hand but honestly the choice wasn't his.
Dior quickly composed himself. He had no other choice. If he didn't get the money and so protection, he wouldn't even have the opportunity to continue his work. After a brief mont of hesitation, Dior nodded.
Hardy invested $500,000 to establish the Dior company, taking a 65% stake, while Dior contributed his Paris store and managent expertise for the remaining 35%. Dior would operate in both France and the U.S., and when it expanded into Arica, Hardy promised significant dia support.
Christian Dior left with excitent after their eting.
Soon after, Hardy acquired a portion of Lancô's shares. Lancô had struggled during World War II, halting production entirely. After the war, they hadn't yet recovered and were looking for investors, so Hardy obtained a 15% stake.
As for L'Oréal, it had also halted production because its owner had been arrested for assisting the Germans during the war.
Then there was Chanel. Several of their stores remained closed, with rumors circulating that Coco Chanel had been closely involved with the Germans during the war. Now, Mrs. Coco had fled to Switzerland.
Hardy had sent letters to all of L'Oréal's shareholders and Mrs. Coco Chanel, expressing Hardy Group's interest in purchasing so of their shares if they were willing to sell.
At the end of the day, it was all about survival.
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