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GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR THE NEW BIRKENSTOCK PLANT IN PASEWALK KICKS OFF NEXT CONSTRUCTION PHASE

Linz am Rhein, Rhineland-Palatinate / Pasewalk, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, August 17, 2022 - In the week after Easter, the construction work for the lighthouse project finally commenced. Today, three and a half months later, the next construction phase was kicked off with a small groundbreaking ceremony. Taking center stage: the BIRKENSTOCK teams managing the numerous sub-projects of the 110 million euro investment project – represented by the sub-project managers. Reinhard Meyer, Minister for Economy, Infrastructure, Tourism and Labor, extended his warmest wishes on behalf of the state government.

The economic framework conditions have changed considerably since the start of construction. However, this does not cause BIRKENSTOCK's lighthouse project to sway – even if the latest developments on the raw materials markets and the significantly more complex site concept compared to the initial plans have led to a significant increase of the investment amount. As a result, investments totaled around EUR 110 million, more than a third higher than originally planned. This makes the construction of the new site by far the largest individual investment in the company’s history.

Mark Jensen, Chief Technical Operations Officer (CTOO) of the BIRKENSTOCK Group, said at the groundbreaking ceremony: “When we started planning our new plant just under a year and a half ago, the world was a different place. I am therefore all the more grateful to our teams that the project is still on schedule despite inflation, turmoil on the raw materials markets and supply bottlenecks in the construction sector. This is also true for our future staff: we already have 50 employment contracts signed, sealed and delivered. The people in the region are showing huge interest; we’re currently reviewing 500 applications – and production will only start in a year from now! For us, this is a sign that we have made the right location decision and proof of the strength of our organization to implement activities even in turbulent times.”

Reinhard Meyer, Minister for Economy, Infrastructure, Tourism and Labor, said in his statement: “The fact that BIRKENSTOCK is moving to our region sends an important message to everyone here – that sustainable jobs are being created that add value to our region.  The company's investment shows that the efforts promoting Western Pomerania as an industrial hub are paying off. We look forward to welcoming BIRKENSTOCK to our region.”

 

Press contact

Jochen Gutzy

Chief Communications Officer

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

Post address:
Sedanstraße 4
D-50668 Köln

E-mail:
media@birkenstock.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, 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

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