The IPO year of CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA is 1998
Initial public offering is a type of public offering in which shares of a company usually are sold to institutional investors that in turn, sell to the general public, on a securities exchange, for the first time.
Through IPO a privately held company transforms into a public company. Initial public offerings are mostly used by companies to raise the expansion of capital, possibly to monetize the investments of early private investors, and to become publicly traded enterprises. A company selling shares is never required to repay the capital to its public investors. After the IPO, when shares trade freely in the open market, money passes between public investors.
Although IPO offers many advantages, there are also significant disadvantages, chief among these are the costs associated with the process and the requirement to disclose certain information that could prove helpful to competitors.
The IPO process is colloquially known as going public. Details of the proposed offering are disclosed to potential purchasers in the form of a lengthy document known as a prospectus. Most companies undertake an IPO with the assistance of an investment banking firm acting in the capacity of an underwriter. Underwriters provide several services, including help with correctly assessing the value of shares.
CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA engages in photofinishing and commercial online printing businesses in Germany and internationally. It operates through three segments: Photofinishing, Retail, and Commercial Online Printing. The company offers photographic prints, posters and wall art, calendars, greeting cards, mobile phone cases, and various photo gift items. It also provides online printing services under the SAXOPRINT, CEWE-PRINT.de, viaprinto.de, and LASERLINE brand names; and markets photo products under the CEWE, WhiteWall, Cheerz, and DeinDesign brands, as well as business stationery products. In addition, the company is involved in the operation of retail stores and online shops that offers cameras, lenses, accessories, and services, as well as in real estate and equity investment businesses. It operates approximately 100 stores. The company was founded in 1912 and is headquartered in Oldenburg, Germany.