Moleskine set to open book on stock float as backers cash in
MOLESKINE, the iconic black notebook brand, will file for its long-awaited stock market debut later this month as its private equity owners Syntegra Capital seek to finally cash in on their €66m (£52m) investment.
The Italian company Moleskine Srl, set up in 1997 to produce replicas of notebooks used by early twentieth century bohemian artists, is set to file for a float on the Milan stock exchange in “a few weeks,” Syntegra partner Marco Ariello told City A.M. yesterday.
The price has not yet been determined. The firm has appointed big name investment banks, including Goldman Sachs and UBS, to run the sale, it is understood.
The Moleskine launch will mirror the IPO of another high end Italian luxury goods company Brunello Cucinelli, which floated in Milan in April.
Syntegra Capital, formerly SG Capital, bought Moleskine in October 2006 and sold a 15 per cent stake to Index Ventures in January 2011. The firm was valued at around €200m last year.