All Article articles – Page 105
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Venice shows the world’s first sunglasses
Sunglasses were invented three centuries ago in Venice. The glassworks on the island of Murano – where the city's glass-making industry was transferred in 1292, partly because of the fire risk – produced the first lenses to protect the eyes from the sun. The city is now paying tribute to ...
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Salmoiraghi pulled out of serious trouble
We have repeatedly asked Salmoiraghi & Viganò, Italy's largest optical retail chain, to provide its latest financial figures, but we have been unsuccessful. We have now obtained the data for the company's last financial year, ended Sept. 30, from a document filed with a Chamber of Commerce in February.In the ...
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Optic 2000 wants to service 18% of the French stores
Optic 2000 reported last month a 9.3 percent increase in its revenues to €456 million in 2013, thanks in part of higher purchases of private label items by the retailers affiliated to the French voluntary group. The cooperative generated a profit of around €8 million, down from €12 million in ...
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Boots Opticians posts a 4.2% sales increase
Boots Opticians reported a 4.2 percent revenue increase to £349 million (€429.77m-$584.88m) for the year ended March 31, with comparable revenues from company-owned stores up by 4.3 percent. The British chain of ophthalmic and dispensing optician stores, which is a subsidiary of Alliance Boots, attributed the improvement to good growth in ...
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Mitsui acquires SunSensors
Mitsui Chemicals is moving into the rapidly growing photochromic lens market with the acquisition on May 15 of the SunSensors business of Corning Inc. The Japanese company, which is already one of the major suppliers of ophthalmic lens materials, says that it will “aggressively develop and sell competitive new photochromic ...
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China fines lens firms for anti-trust behavior
Following an investigation across the lens industry, the National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China has imposed fines amounting to one or two percent of sales on some major foreign suppliers of ophthalmic lenses that enjoy high market shares, alleging that they have effectively controlled the ...
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The U.S. Optical Business Barometer fell slightly in April
The overall rating of the U.S. optical business environment showed a slight decrease in April, down to a rating of 3.70 as compared to a March rating of 3.72, according to the Optical Business Barometer (OBB) compiled by Jobson Optical Research. The rating improved, however, against an April 2013 rating ...
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Visibilia gets the Betty Barclay license
Visibilia GmbH of Germany signed a worldwide license agreement with Betty Barclay this spring. The license for Betty Barclay eyewear was previously held by Müller Marketing, but it has not been marketed for the last 18 months or so. The first collection of sunglasses under the Betty Barclay brand name ...
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Spy becomes more optical, more international
Sales were up by 2.0 percent to $9,192,000 at Spy Optic in the first quarter ended March 31. They included closeout sales of around $400,000, lower than before, and were driven by a 97.3 percent jump in sales of Spy's new line of prescription frames to around $1 million. They ...
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Google Glass works with Marchon, names a new boss
Luxottica will not be the only supplier of stylish Google Glass frames. Marchon Eyewear has announced the launch of a limited edition of enhanced reality Google Glass frames signed by Diane Von Furstenberg, the American fashion designer with whom it has a long-standing eyewear license.Called Goggle Glass DVF, the line ...
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Electric tuns into a lifestyle brand
Electric, the Californian brand of sunglasses co-founded by Kipp Arnette 14 years ago, is running a temporary store across from the entrance of the huge Citadium lifestyle store in downtown Paris until tomorrow, featuring its new logo and an expanded line of products being developed under the same brand. Other ...
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The Sunoptic group launches the Montana Eyewear brand
The Sunoptic group, one of the world's largest suppliers for private label prescription frames, reading glasses and sunglasses, has come out with its own new label, Montana Eyewear, starting with a line of readers developed with the help of a Swiss designer. Named after the Swiss resort of Crans Montana, ...
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New regulations under the spotlight in Budapest
There is a chance that eyewear manufacturers will be able to put the same barcode on their products in the European Union and the U.S. to allow consumers to check their dependability and other characteristics.Addressing the second annual convention of the European Sunglass Committee of the Vision Council, held in ...
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Zeiss' vision care sales go down
Zeiss reported last month a drop of 8 percent to €384 million for its vision care business group, which essentially consists of Carl Zeiss Vision Care, in the first six months of its financial year, ended on March 31. On a comparable basis, taking into account changes in exchange rates, ...
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Interesting data from the first VisionWatch Europe study
Average retail prices for all kinds of eyewear tend to be higher in Europe than in the U.S., judging by the first VisionWatch survey conducted by the Vision Council on the Old Continent. The survey also shows, among other things, relatively strong demand for corrective sunwear in France and a ...
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Menrad is distributing Revo in Europe
Menrad, the German producer of ophthalmic frames and sunglasses, has signed a long-term agreement for the distribution in Europe of Revo sunglasses with B. Robinson Optical of New York, the brand's exclusive licensee for eyewear, covering all sales channels including specialty outdoor. Menrad knows this brand of performance eyewear well ...
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New products by Hoya
Hoya Vision Care announced in the last few days the introduction of several new products including a more reactive photochromic lens, Hoya Sensity. It became available in Europe and South Africa on June 2 in bronze brown and silvery grey tints, replacing the company's Suntech Intense offer.The Japanese company, which ...
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Hoya steps up production
Hoya Corp. has decided in principle to start up a new manufacturing facility for ophthalmic lenses before the end of this year in the Philippines, where Seiko Epson already has its own plant, investing in the new facility in various stages. Hoya bought a 30 percent stake in its Seiko ...
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Michael Kors license may generate $100 million in annual revenues for Luxottica
Luxottica announced a new license agreement with Michael Kors Holdings, adding that it could generate more than $100 million in annual revenues in three years' time. Following the entry of the American fashion license in its portfolio, Luxottica will drop a secondary license with annual revenues of about €10 million. ...
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Italia Independent went up by 59% in 2013
Italia Independent is gaining strength with an aggressive sales strategy that is also giving results on the financial markets. Its growth in the fourth quarter of last year was on a par with the fast development of the previous quarters. Turnover reached €24.9 million for the entire financial year in ...
