Posts Tagged ‘Prada’

The Way to an Investor’s Heart is Through His Wife’s Closet?

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011


(photo credit: fimoculous)

If you were a major luxury fashion house going public in an attempt to raise $3 billion from Asian investors, would you spend hours working on your investor PowerPoint presentation, or would you wrap a bunch of models in snakeskin and have them walk around at the Plaza Hotel?

Guess which way Prada went?

The Italian company is pursuing an IPO, which means it’s going to sell off pieces of itself to public investors, in Hong Kong this month. In order to woo potential investors, it held a relatively small fashion show for tycoons and their wives and daughters. Female tycoons either didn’t exist or were mysteriously lost in the editing of this WSJ piece about the event.

Prada is valued at $15.7 billion, so with this initial public offering, they’re giving up ownership of almost 20% of the company. But they’ve got to raise that cash somehow if their plans for world fashion domination are going to work out.

In other news, here’s a handy list of some of the biggest IPOs in U.S. history.

Hey, investor. Would YOU be wooed by a runway show?

Is Prada Stock Better Than A Prada Bag?

Monday, February 7th, 2011


credit: amandabhslater

After 10 years of talks, Prada is going boldly forward where no other Italian company has gone before: the Hong Kong stock exchange.

  • The company wants to expand its operations, and that means it needs cash. So it’s going after an initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong to raise money from investors.
  • The IPO is expected to do well because of a favorable economic climate and the designer’s excellent reputation.
  • If it follows through with the IPO, Prada will be the first European luxury brand listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

Facts & Figures

  • Prada was founded in 1913
  • Founder Mario Prada’s granddaughter currently owns 95% of the company

Best Quote

“Confident in the future development of the group, we can now face the coming challenges with serenity and seize the best opportunities offered by the international capital markets.” – Prada Chief Executive Patrizio Bertelli

What do you think?

What do you do when you need cash?