Warby Parker files to go public

Warby Parker Inc. is getting ready for its Wall Street debut.

The eyewear brand publicly filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for its proposed public listing of its Class A common stock.  Warby Parker intends to list its stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “WRBY.”

In June, the company announced it had confidentially filed for a stock market listing in the United States. In its most recent 2020 funding round, Warby Parker raised $120, giving it a value of $3 billion, according to PitchBook data.

According to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Warby Parker’s sales — and losses — have grown during the past three years.  The brand's net revenue in the fiscal years 2018, 2019 and 2020 were $272.9 million, $370.5 million and $393.7, respectively.  Its net loss was $22.9 million in 2018 and $55.9 million in 2020. It broke even in 2019. Its net loss was $22.9 million in 2018 and $55.9 million in 2020. (It broke even in 2019.)

Warby Parker was founded online in 2010. The brand’s affordable and fashionable prescription glasses — and policy of sending customers multiple pairs of frames to try on at home — quickly developed a fast following.  

The company opened its first physical store in 2013, in New York City. Currently, it operates more than 145 stores across the United States and Canada.