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BIRKENSTOCK wins Footwear Plus Company of the Year Award 2021

02.03.2022

Novato, California / Linz am Rhein, Rhineland-Palatine, 2 March 2022 – BIRKENSTOCK, the iconic German footwear brand and inventor of the footbed with a family tradition in shoe making of almost 250 years, has been honored as “Company of the Year 2021” by Footwear Plus. The awards, which are highly recognized in the industry, are presented by the Footwear Plus magazine, a leading B2B publication of the footwear industry, published in the US and read by industry decision-makers worldwide. The Plus Awards, now in its 23^rd year, recognize excellence in design and retail across major categories. The winners were determined by the votes of thousands of industry insiders and consumers.

“2021 was another record year for Birkenstock”, says Oliver Reichert, CEO of the BIRKENSTOCK Group. “It was such a busy year with a few highly rewarded high-profile collaborations, including our project with Jil Sander, a number of exciting new product drops and fantastic progress in our closed-toe footwear business. Our business has performed extremely well, across all categories, sales channels and markets. I am truly impressed and grateful for the passion our teams and partners have shown in making 2021 the most successful year in our company's history while serving our millions of fans around the globe. I say this with humility as 2021 was a tough year with quite some challenges for our industry as a whole.”

David Kahan, CEO Birkenstock Americas, adds: “On behalf of our entire global organization, we are pleased to receive the Plus Award. Being recognized by our peers and, most importantly, our valued retail partners, lends validation to our commitment to serving our millions of brand fans who love our products and get so much satisfaction from the Birkenstock brand.”

“Congratulations to Birkenstock on winning the prestigious ‘Company of the Year’ Plus Award,” says Greg Dutter, Editorial Director of Footwear Plus. “A year highlighted by the company’s acquisition by L Catterton, Birkenstock continued to push the envelope on all fronts: new products, categories and another multi-million investment initiative that creates 1,000 new jobs in Germany. Despite massive pandemic disruptions, Birkenstock continued to be a top and trusted resource for its retail partners.”

The award-winning Footwear Plus magazine is the leading B2B fashion publication of the footwear industry. In a world of instant messages, texting, daily e-mail blasts, junk mail, 24-hour news outlets and tickers across the bottom of countless TV channels, Footwear Plus is a magazine in the truest sense of the format: in-depth, comprehensive and analytical, not to mention beautiful. Industry leaders rely on Footwear Plus to educate, inform, provoke and inspire.

For more information visit www.footwearplusmagazine.com.

About BIRKENSTOCK

BIRKENSTOCK is a global brand which embraces all consumers regardless of geography, gender, age and income and which is committed to a clear purpose - maintaining foot health. Deeply rooted in studies of the biomechanics of the human foot and footed on a family tradition of shoemaking that can be traced back to 1774, BIRKENSTOCK is a timeless «super brand» with a brand universe that transcends product categories and ranges from entry-level to luxury price points while addressing the growing need for a conscious and active lifestyle. Function, quality and tradition are the core values of the lifestyle brand which features products in the footwear, sleep systems and natural cosmetics segments. BIRKENSTOCK is the inventor of the footbed and has shaped the principle of walking as intended by nature (“Naturgewolltes Gehen”).

With around 6,200 employees worldwide, BIRKENSTOCK is convinced that how things are made matters as much as the product itself. To ensure these quality standards, the Group operates a vertically integrated manufacturing base and produces all footbeds in Germany. In addition, BIRKENSTOCK assembles over 95% of all products in Germany and sources over 90% of materials and components from Europe. Raw materials are processed to the highest environmental and social standards in the industry. For materials testing BIRKENSTOCK operates state-of-the-art scientific laboratories.

Headquartered in Linz am Rhein, the BIRKENSTOCK Group also operates its own sales offices in the United States and Canada as well as in Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Norway, the Netherlands, Dubai, Singapore and India.

Birkenstock Group B.V. & Co. KG Burg Ockenfels,
Linz am Rhein, Germany

You can find our online shop at www.birkenstock.com