Private equity house Permira investigates sale or US float of Dr Martens

Private equity house Permira is preparing to hire bankers to investigate the sale or possible US IPO of iconic British footwear brand Dr Martens.

According to Sky News, Permira, which acquired the brand for £300m in 2014, will have a banker in place by the summer.

All options for the private equity house are open, including a sale to a major strategic investor or a float, with New York, not London, thought to be the preferred option.

Dr Marten's has enjoyed a resurgence in its performance of late under new CEO Kenny Wilson who joined the brand from Cath Kidston last May.

In February the company announced plans to invest £2m in its factory in Northampton, which would include increasing the capacity to enable the production of 165,000 pairs of boots a year and the creation of a heritage centre.