The German shoe manufacturer Birkenstock will in future manage its own sales in Australia. On Wednesday, the listed parent company Birkenstock Holding Plc announced that it had acquired the distribution company Birkenstock Australia Pty. through its subsidiary Birkenstock International Asia GmbH. Ltd. will acquire. A corresponding binding agreement has already been signed. The transaction is expected to close before the end of the month.
According to the parent company, the Melbourne-based company Birkenstock Australia has its roots in the 1990s and is still owned by the founding Goerke family. It operates two stores in Melbourne, a partner store in Sidney and an online shop. The wholesale network currently includes more than 300 B2B partners. In total, Birkenstock Australia employs around 60 people, and annual sales recently amounted to 88.6 million Australian dollars (49.5 million euros).
Birkenstock is investing in one of its most important markets in the Asia-Pacific region
With the takeover of the company, the shoe supplier is underlining its commitment to “invest in the Australian market” and thus “further exploit the growth potential of one of Birkenstock’s largest markets in the Asia-Pacific region,” it said in a statement.
According to the company, Marcel Goerke will continue to lead Birkenstock Australia as Managing Director following the completion of the acquisition until further notice to ensure a smooth transition. The aim of this solution is to “maintain important business relationships and minimize operational risks,” explained Birkenstock. In his future role, Goerke will report to Klaus Baumann, the group’s Chief Sales Officer.