News Detail Press

Linz am Rhein ,
30.04.2021

L Catterton Completes Acquisition of BIRKENSTOCK

L Catterton, the largest global consumer-focused private equity firm, today announced that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of global lifestyle brand BIRKENSTOCK. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

In conjunction with the closing, BIRKENSTOCK has formed and appointed six members to the Company’s Supervisory Board, including: Michael Chu, Global Co-CEO, and Nik Thukral and Luigi Feola, Managing Partners at L Catterton; Oliver Reichert, CEO of BIRKENSTOCK; and one representative each from both GIC and Financière Agache.

In partnership with L Catterton and Financière Agache, BIRKENSTOCK intends to continue its growth trajectory by investing further in its business and expanding its market leadership in Europe and North America while growing its presence in future markets, particularly in China and Asia.

Michael Chu said: "We are pleased to have completed the acquisition of BIRKENSTOCK, and I look forward to working closely with Oliver and the exceptional management team, as well as my colleagues on the Supervisory Board, to drive growth and unlock new opportunities for a business with an unrivaled heritage.”

Oliver Reichert said: "L Catterton and Financière Agache have an unmatched expertise and international network of resources, and we are confident this partnership will serve as a major leap forward for BIRKENSTOCK. Our company has long been at the forefront of the footwear and lifestyle industry worldwide thanks to the outstanding skills and abilities of our people. Today we are opening a new, very promising chapter in the company's history."

About L Catterton

With over $25 billion of equity capital across its fund strategies and 17 offices around the world, L Catterton is the largest global consumer-focused private equity firm. L Catterton's team of nearly 200 investment and operating professionals partners with management teams around the world to implement strategic plans to foster growth, leveraging deep category insight, operational excellence, and a broad partnership network. Since 1989, the firm has made over 200 investments in leading consumer brands. For more information about L Catterton, please visit lcatterton.com.

About Financière Agache

Financière Agache is a holding company controlled by Agache, the Arnault family holding company. Financière Agache and its affiliates hold a 97.5% ownership in Christian Dior, the controlling shareholder of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world’s leading luxury products group. Financière Agache also holds a portfolio of diversified financial investments.

Press contact

Jochen Gutzy
Chief Communications Officer

Birkenstock Group B.V. & Co. KG
Burg Ockenfels
53545 Linz

Postal address:
Sedanstraße 4
D-50668 Köln

E-mail:mediabirkenstockcom

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, we believe how things are made matters as much as the product itself. To ensure these quality standards, we operate a vertically integrated manufacturing base and produce all our footbeds in Germany. In addition, we assemble over 95% of our products in Germany and we source over 90% of our materials and components from Europe. We process our inputs to the highest environmental and social standards in the industry by operating state-of-the-art scientific laboratories for materials testing.

BIRKENSTOCK runs operational sites in Germany, in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, Bavaria, Saxony, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. 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, 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