"Barbie" boosts sales, Bucken shoes rumored to be listed, valuation could reach up to 10 billion US dollars.

Less than a month later, there is news that German sandal brand Birkenstock is going public again. On Monday, July 31, Eastern Time, media reports cited insiders as saying that private equity firm L Catterton, which owns Birkenstock, plans to list Birkenstock in the United States as early as September this year. The valuation of Birkenstock could exceed $8 billion, with a maximum valuation of $10 billion. The aforementioned insiders said that L Catterton is still considering and has not yet finalized the timing and fundraising scale of the IPO. Although both Birkenstock and L Catterton representatives declined to comment on this listing news, recent signs indicate that it may be the right time for the IPO. Some media pointed out that in the recent popular movie "Barbie," there is a scene where the protagonist Barbie wears pink Birkenstock sandals, which has boosted the sales of Birkenstock. In early July, it was reported that L Catterton, supported by luxury goods giant LVMH, had been consulting with advisors such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, and Birkenstock may go public in the United States this year or next year, with an IPO valuation of over $6 billion. Even if the valuation is only $6 billion, it is still more than 22% higher than the valuation when L Catterton acquired Birkenstock over two years ago. In late February 2021, L Catterton reached an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Birkenstock, with the brand's valuation at that time being 4 billion euros, equivalent to $4.9 billion. The recent disclosure mentioned that the highest valuation of Birkenstock will reach $10 billion, which is double the valuation from two years ago. Birkenstock is a legendary brand with a history of 250 years and began selling sandals in the United States in 1966. It has become a highly popular fashion brand due to its collaboration with fashion brands such as Dior, Valentino, and Italian luxury footwear brand Manolo Blahnik. Bank presentation documents obtained by the media show that Birkenstock's revenue increased by 29% last year, reaching approximately 1.2 billion euros, or $1.3 billion, with adjusted earnings of 395 million euros. In May of this year, Birkenstock's official website disclosed that the company had repaid $50 million of its USD Term Loan B in advance, stating that this reflects the company's continued excellent business performance, strong liquidity, and commitment to deleveraging its balance sheet. Birkenstock's official website previously revealed that the company is investing heavily in building production plants in Germany, including a 120 million euro industrial park in the northern city of Pasewalk. In March of this year, Birkenstock announced that the industrial park in Pasewalk, about an hour's drive from Berlin, will be completed, with plans to install production machinery in April and put the production facilities into operation in the third quarter, with the first batch of products expected to be launched no later than October.