News that is of interest to those who have money to invest: the jewelry chain Claire’s has decided to list on the stock exchange in the United States. The company describes itself as “the world’s leading retailer of fashion jewelry and accessories for young women, teens, tweens and children,” with 3,477 stores and franchises in the United States and 40 other countries. Claire’s is currently controlled by the Apollo Management fund, which purchased it in May 2007. Among the company’s directors is former CEO Robert DiNicola. The company’s overall revenue for 2012 was $1.5 billion, representing growth of 1.8%. Despite the crisis, the accounts have been progressing for 13 quarters: around 95% of its stores have positive cash flows. Long story short: Claire is as healthy as a fish and makes money. But she is very much in debt, because whoever bought her, that is Apollo Management, saw fit to pass the cost of her purchase into her. That is, first he asked the banks for money to complete the operation, then he put a lot of the debts incurred on Claire’s balance sheet. Smart, right? The fact is that the company now has a debt of 2.3 billion in its belly. Much more than he collects in a year. Hence the idea of going to the stock market to make some money. Which are always handy, right?
