Party City Holdco Inc., the party supply retailer that runs about 850 stores, has filed documents to raise as much as $500 million through an initial public offering.
The dollar figure is a placeholder, and the actual offering amount will be determined closer to the offering date. Goldman Sachs and Bank of America Merrill Lynch are the lead underwriters.
The documents, filed on Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, do not list how many shares the company’s majority owner, the private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners, plans to sell.
The firm bought a $2.69 billion stake in the company in 2012, and currently owns about a 70 percent stake, according to the filing. The Advent International Corporation, a private equity firm, owns about 24 percent, while smaller investors and the company’s management hold the rest.
Thomas H. Lee’s investment ended Party City’s first attempt to go public in 2011. The company had filed to raise up to $350 million at the time.
Among its risk factors for an I.P.O., Party City listed “helium shortages,†which have affected everything from party balloons to M.R.I. machines and scientific research. The shortage has also decreased Halloween sales, which accounted for 25 percent of the company’s total domestic retail sales in 2012.
Party City reported $1.3 billion in revenue and $52 million in losses in the nine months ended Sept. 30.
The company, which sells balloons, costumes, accessories and other party supplies, plans to open 30 stores a year in North America, according to the filing.
