Birkenstock, the iconic sandal maker founded in 1774, filed its paperwork for an initial public offering on Tuesday, and warned investors of the risks posed by counterfeit brands that use social media to promote their products.
"In the past, third parties have established websites to target users on Facebook or other social media platforms with 'look alike' websites intended to trick users into believing that they were purchasing Birkenstock products at a steep discount," the filing said.
"Should counterfeit products be successfully sold on e-commerce platforms managed by third parties, our brands and reputation could be damaged."
Seven years ago, Birkenstock publicly quit Amazon in the U.S. due to an eruption of counterfeit and unauthorized sales on the site.
The company also said at the time that it would no longer allow authorized Birkenstock merchants to sell on Amazon.
Persons:
Birkenstock
Organizations:
New York Stock Exchange, Facebook, Amazon
Locations:
Germany, London, U.S