Carlyle Group Is Interested In Buying British Shoe Brands.

It is reported that the American private investment giant Carlyle Group is considering the acquisition of the British shoe brand Dr. Martens (Dr. Martin), valuing the latter more than 1 billion pounds. Dr. Martens is currently owned by Permira, a European Private Equity Fund.
Although all parties concerned have not confirmed the news, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that Carlyle Group is paying attention to Dr. Martens, but is still in its early stage. This means that the Carlyle Group has yet to make a final decision, nor has it made specific quotations for Dr. Martens, and other potential bidders may also emerge.
Dr. Martens, founded in 1960, is famous for its rubber bottom shoes and brand positioning of anti mainstream culture. The brand was previously owned by Griggs family, headquartered in pampton County, Bei'an. Permira bought Dr. Martens at 300 million pounds 5 years ago.
Dr. Martens is a very unique brand, which can not only make use of its traditional positioning, but also keep up with the trend. Permira has provided substantial support to the brand in expanding its physical stores and online businesses, and has helped to improve its performance significantly. In the 12 months ended March 31, 2019, sales of direct sales benefited from electricity providers, including Dr., increased by 42%. In the full fiscal year, the sales of Dr. Martens increased 30% to 454 million pounds, while EBITDA (interest tax depreciation and amortization profit) increased by 70% to 85 million pounds. During the period, the brand added 20 stores, pushing the total number of stores to 109.
The electricity supplier channel contributed 67% of the direct sales, while the expansion of the store promoted the profit growth of the direct business to 199 million pounds. Recently, Dr. Martens has been targeting the "pure" trend. At present, boots of pure material account for 4% of its total sales.
It has been reported that Permira is planning to withdraw its investment in Dr. Martens next year, and is currently working with Goldman Sachs and Robert W Baird to plan to sell Dr. Martens or be listed in the US. And Permira gives a valuation of up to 1 billion 200 million pounds, about 14 times the brand EBITDA.
Carlyle itself may also be looking for a new challenge. They hope to invest in a large and potentially potential brand. Italy Golden Goose Deluxe Brand is one of the precedents. Carlyle bought the fast expanding high-end brand in 2017.
In September this year, sources said that Carlyle Group plans to sell Golden Goose to make full use of its current valuation. It is reported that the bidding process of Golden Goose is expected to start between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. When Carlyle first invested in Golden Goose, its annual sales volume was about 100 million euros. It is estimated that its sales have increased to around 260 million euros in recent fiscal year, and profits are also growing rapidly. Golden Goose is currently estimated at around 1 billion euros.