Birkenstock

Birkenstock Holding plc
FormerlyBirkenstock Group B.V. & Co. KG
Company typePublic
IndustryShoe manufacturing
Founded1774; 250 years ago (1774)
FounderJohann Adam Birkenstock
Headquarters,
Germany
Key people
ProductsShoes
RevenueIncrease 1.49 billion (2023)
Decrease €261 million (2023)
Decrease €75 million (2023)
Total assetsIncrease €4.83 billion (2023)
Total equityIncrease €2.40 billion (2023)
OwnerL Catterton (83%)
Number of employees
c. 6,300 (2023)
Websitebirkenstock-group.com
Footnotes / references
[1]

Birkenstock Holding plc is a German shoe manufacturer known for its sandals and other shoes notable for contoured cork footbeds (soles), made with layers of suede and jute, which conform to the shape of their wearers' feet. Founded in 1774 by Johann Adam Birkenstock and headquartered in Neustadt (Wied), Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, the company's original purpose was to create shoes that support and contour the foot, compared to the flat soles of many shoes during that time. In 1896 the Fussbett (footbed) was designed, and by 1925, Birkenstocks were sold all over Europe.[2]

In 1966, Margot Fraser first brought Birkenstocks to America. In the United States, they were sold in health stores, thus becoming associated with hippies in the 1970s.

  1. ^ "Birkenstock Holding plc 2023 Annual Report (Form 20-F)". US Securities and Exchange Commission. 18 January 2024.
  2. ^ Loh, Tim. "How Birkenstock Became an Improbable Luxury Empire". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.