Birkenstock is more than just a sandal – and in demand all over the world. Now the traditional company from Rhineland-Palatinate wants to grow further.
The world-famous sandal manufacturer Birkenstock, headquartered in Linz am Rhein in Rhineland-Palatinate, wants to invest around 100 million euros in its expansion.
Almost four months after its takeover by the US company L Catterton, Birkenstock announced on Monday that it would invest around 50 million euros in the modernization of its largest factory with 1900 employees in Görlitz, East Saxony. Above all, cork-latex sandals are to be produced there. A further 50 million euros are to flow into the construction of a new plant for the production of plastic sandals. The “Handelsblatt” had previously reported on it.
For the new factory with only 400 and later 1000 jobs, Birkenstock is looking at three to four possible locations in eastern Germany and northern Bavaria. The decision is to be made in autumn 2021 – and production in the new factory will start in 2023. In Rhineland-Palatinate, the long-established company is already “closely rooted” in the Neuwied district with a plant in Sankt Katharinen and a logistics center in Vettelschoss, it said.
The Birkenstock brand goes back to 1774. “We currently employ around 5500 people worldwide – and the trend is rising,” said a company spokesman. In 2019, according to earlier information, Birkenstock posted sales of around 720 million euros with a net profit of 130 million euros – and in the Corona year 2020, despite two-month factory closings, revenues were around the previous year’s level.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
