Dolce & Gabbana CEO Could Look at IPO in Future, Priority Now Is a Stronger Business

Models present creations for Dolce & Gabbana Fall/Winter 2024/25 men's collection in Milan, Italy January 13, 2024. (Reuters)
Models present creations for Dolce & Gabbana Fall/Winter 2024/25 men's collection in Milan, Italy January 13, 2024. (Reuters)
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Dolce & Gabbana CEO Could Look at IPO in Future, Priority Now Is a Stronger Business

Models present creations for Dolce & Gabbana Fall/Winter 2024/25 men's collection in Milan, Italy January 13, 2024. (Reuters)
Models present creations for Dolce & Gabbana Fall/Winter 2024/25 men's collection in Milan, Italy January 13, 2024. (Reuters)

Dolce & Gabbana is not ready for an initial public offering but is prepared to consider it in the future, the Italian luxury group's chief executive said on Monday.

"We are open to looking at (a listing) but before that we want to consolidate our business," CEO Alfonso Dolce said, answering a question at the Milano Fashion Global Summit 2024.

"We have the social responsibility of so many families," he added, referring to the group's employees, and of those working in companies that supply it.

In July, Dolce had said the fashion company was ready to assess opening up its capital to new investors either through a listing or other routes, in an interview published Corriere della Sera's L'Economia weekly supplement.

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana founded the company in 1985 and they are still in charge of creative direction.

They have no direct heirs. Alfonso and Domenico Dolce are brothers.



Italian Shoemaker Geox to Invest $125 Million in 5-year Plan

FILE PHOTO: Geox shoes are seen in a shop in Rome, Italy, April 10, 2016. REUTERS/Max Rossi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Geox shoes are seen in a shop in Rome, Italy, April 10, 2016. REUTERS/Max Rossi/File Photo
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Italian Shoemaker Geox to Invest $125 Million in 5-year Plan

FILE PHOTO: Geox shoes are seen in a shop in Rome, Italy, April 10, 2016. REUTERS/Max Rossi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Geox shoes are seen in a shop in Rome, Italy, April 10, 2016. REUTERS/Max Rossi/File Photo

Italian shoemaker Geox plans to invest about 120 million euros ($125 million) as part of an industrial plan to 2029 and has signed a five-year deal with a leading Chinese operator to expand its presence in the country.

The maker of breathable, waterproof footwear said in November it would end direct operations in the unprofitable Chinese and US markets after posting a 9.7% yearly drop in nine-month revenue globally, Reuters reported. It said it would continue its business in the two countries through local partnerships.

In addition to the investments, announced in a statement late on Monday, the group said it would extend by 24 months the medium- to long-term debt repayment plans as part of a debt refinancing agreement with creditor banks including Monte dei Paschi and the Italian units of BNP Paribas and Credit Agricole.
Geox controlling shareholder LIR, the family holding of its chairman and founder Mario Moretti Polegato, will contribute up to 60 million euros to the industrial plan, the statement said.
The shoemaker expects yearly revenues above 850 million euros by 2029, compared with 720 million in 2023, with compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5% in the next five years, and an EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) margin over 7% by 2029.