All Article articles – Page 158
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New Owners Take Over Briko
The Italian brand of sports eyewear, apparel and accessories has been taken over by B Holding, a diversified conglomerate owned by the family of Silvano Boroli, involved in wineries and publishing. The acquisition of other related assets is expected to follow soon. Briko had been the property for many years ...
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Specsavers Buys A Chain In Finland
Specsavers has acquired a Finnish optical retail chain, Tähti Optikko, for €15 million from Kesko Corporation, a large Finnish retail conglomerate involved in other activities. With 31 company-owned stores and 98 franchises, the chain had net sales of €20.8 million in 2007, up by 7.3 percent from the previous year. ...
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Optical Master Club, A New Italian Group
A new buying group was established in Italy three months ago, with 70 sales outlets on the country's mainland territory. But the members of Optical Master Club have no commercial obligations: For example, even when the Club has an agreement with a supplier, the individual members may refuse to go ...
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HIGHMARK'S VISION COMPANIES PERFORM The vision subsidiaries of Highmark...
HIGHMARK'S VISION COMPANIES PERFORM The vision subsidiaries of Highmark brought in record numbers for the year ended Dec. 31, 2007. Together, Davis Vision, Viva International, the Eye Care Centers of America (ECCA) and Empire Vision had revenues of more than $1 billion for the first time last year. Net ...
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An In-depth Look At Soft Contact Lenses In Europe
The total value of the soft contact lens market in 18 major European countries reached €1,151 million in 2007, a 7.4 percent increase from the previous year. All markets showed growth with the exception of Greece, which went down by 1.39 percent. Russia grew by an impressive 50.8 percent. ...
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Luxottica Scales Down Stores Openings As Dollar, Economy Hit Earnings
Luxottica has decided to reduce investments by about €50 million to less than €300 million this year in an effort to maintain its profit margins, which were trimmed by the dollar's weakness against the euro and the slowdown of the U.S. economy. In North America, where the group has ...
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Essilor's Growth Softens To More Normal Levels
Essilor reported a 3.6 percent increase in revenues to €762.2 million for the first quarter ended March 31, but on a comparable basis, assuming no acquisitions and no changes in exchange rates, the growth would have been 6.2 percent. That's down from recent growth rates of more than 8 percent ...
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Look Unveils Magnesium Eyewear
Look Occhiali is launching a new corporate image around the name of Augusto Valentini, an Italian designer whom the firm has taken on its payroll, turning the name into a form of trademark identified with the notion of technical and material innovation. The Italian company will launch its first collections ...
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A Redesign For New York Fair
International Vision Expo East is redesigning its floor plan at New York's Jacob Javits Convention Center for March 2009. After approving a series of changes, the fair will be drawing on New York's reputation as a leading fashion capital with six major aisles being named after Manhattan's glamorous avenues and ...
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Mido Moves To March, Next To Other Fashion Fairs
Citing «shifting market needs,» MIDO's executives are bringing the fair's exhibition dates forward next year at Milan's Rho-Pero Fieramilano from the usual timeline in early May to a March 6-9 schedule. Confirming what we had already published in EWI last Feb. 29, the announcement was made at the Vision Expo ...
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Fielmann Sees Still More Possibilities For Growth
Despite its strong and rising market shares in the German-speaking countries, Fielmann sees further possibilities for growth through expanded sales of progressive lenses, sunglasses, contact lenses and hearing aids, according to its annual report. While expanding the average size of its existing stores to help meet the growing demand from ...
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Fielmann's Quarterly Profits Grow By Nearly One-third
The leading German optical retail chain had a pre-tax profit of €38.7 million in the first quarter ended March 31, a 31.8 percent increase over the same period last year. Its net income rose by 53.6 percent to €27.1 million, with the disproportionate increase in the final result attributed to ...
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First Scotland, Now The World
Black & Lizars, Scotland's largest independent optical group, is planning to expand throughout the U.K. and overseas following its acquisition by a London-based consortium in a deal reported to be worth more than £20 million (€25.4m-$39.6m), according to Optician magazine. Before the takeover, Black & Lizars, which is ...
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Safilo Loses Stella Mccartney License To Luxottica
Safilo lost the small but high-profile Stella McCartney license to Luxottica, raising some concern that the group could also lose the crucial Gucci brand to its arch-rival. Luxottica signed a long-term exclusive license deal to design, produce and sell Stella McCartney sunglasses worldwide from Jan. 1, 2009. The deal ...
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Italian Eyewear Exports Grow By 14.2 %
talian eyewear exports enjoyed strong growth in the first nine months of 2007. According to the figures announced by the Italian eyewear industry association, ANFAO, exports were up by 14.2 percent overall to over €1,720 million. Compared to the 5.4 percent rise for the Italian fashion system as a whole, ...
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Safilo’S 2007 Results
While outlining its new 5-year business plan, Safilo released preliminary results showing improved profit margins and a 6.1 percent sales increase to €1.190 billion in 2007, with most of the growth recorded in the retail sector. The gross profit rose increased by only 5.2 percent to €698 million, but operating ...
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Fielmann Raises Profits By 27%
The pre-tax profit of the leading German optical retailer grew by 27 percent to €136 million in 2007, according to preliminary figures. The result includes exceptional net gains of around €10 million which relate, among other things, to a decision by the German Social Court that settles the claims of ...
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Del Vecchio Is Accused Of Tax Avoidance
Leonardo Del Vecchio, chairman of Luxottica, has been found guilty of tax avoidance by a court in Belluno, the capital of eyewear manufacturing in Italy. He is accused of having established a company in Germany for the sole purpose of avoiding the payment of capital gains taxes and taxes on ...
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Ocuco Acquires A French Software Firm
Earlier this month, this fast-growing Irish company changed its name to Ocuco and acquired a French software provider in order to facilitate the expansion of its business in Europe. Formerly called OcucoRelcon, the company had bought up four other similar companies over the past two years in the UK and ...
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Alcon Improves Results
Alcon reported a net rise in sales and earnings in the 4th quarter, despite one-off charges related to the recent acquisition last November of a 77.4 percent stake in WaveLight, the German manufacturer of refractive lenses. The group generated $1,469.7 million in revenues in the quarter – up by ...
