Prada May Postpone IPO in an Uncertain Market

Earlier in the year, rumors swirled about a potential Prada IPO, divesting the company of a third of its shares and forcing the Prada family to reduce drastically its 95% stake.

 It's not news that the design house
needs cash — experts have criticized the house for neglecting to
stake a claim in burgeoning Asian markets, and the house is in debt
after a 1999 shopping spree that included Jil Sander and Helmut Lang.
Enterprising CEO Patrizio Bertelli (husband to design brainiac
Miuccia Prada) noted after the New Year that Prada might hit the
chopping block in Milan by year's end.
And yet, Prada may need to
postpone its public offering another time (it avoided an IPO
following the 9/11 attacks), as experts estimate its worth at almost
$2 billion less than they predicted earlier in the year.