All Article articles – Page 199
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Possibly Threatened By Luxottica, De Rigo Continues Its Lackluster Course
A new spate of unconfirmed press rumors indicates that Luxottica may be on the verge of signing an agreement with Prada for the production and distribution of eyewear under its various brands, replacing Eyewear International Distribution (EID), the joint venture that Prada has with De Rigo. Luxottica is already helping ...
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Europe Drives Ocular Sciences' Growth
Ocular Sciences' European sales grew by 36 percent in the 1st quarter in dollar terms, thanks in part to a 17 percent appreciation of the euro during the period, and they are bound to increase further following the signing of a multi-year pan-European supply agreement with Pearle Europe and another ...
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Pearle Europe Improves Sales And Operating Earnings
Pearle Europe's revenues increased by 22 percent to e470 million in the 2002 fiscal year, generating an improved operating profit of e64 million. These results, which have been published by its two main shareholders, don't include the sales of Instrumentarium, the international Nordic retail chain acquired last November for e124.9 ...
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Optima Introduces Its Polycarbonate Lenses In Europe
Asahi-Lite and its US affiliate, Optima, are negotiating with the Czech government to set up a factory there that will possibly service all of Europe with the latest version of Optima's Resolution, a line of polycarbonate lenses whose special manufacturing process eliminates the problem of birefringence typical of other polycarbonate ...
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Tokai Raises Its European Presence, Licenses Galileo For Italy
Galileo has been granted the exclusive Italian license for a new line of customized free-form back-surface progressive lenses produced by Tokai, marketing it under the Identica brand name. The Italian company, recently acquired by Ital-Lenti, has committed itself to purchase 170,000 semi-finished lenses per year from the Japanese company, which ...
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New Training Programs And Weather Forecasts Should Spur Sunglass Sales
The European Sunglass Association will kick off at its annual convention in Barcelona next month a new training program for optical industry executives, retailers and salespeople which, along with other actions, should help give a new impulse to the sunglass market, which has been suffering serious declines in Italy and ...
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Guildinvest Invests In New Strategies
The 966 optical stores trading under the Krys, Vision Plus and Vision Originale banners, which are managed by the Guildinvest buying group, raised their combined sales by 8.5 percent to e526 million last year, with a growth of 5.1 percent on a same-store basis. That doesn't include the sales of ...
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Intercast Works With Zeiss On Sun Lenses
Carl Zeiss and Intercast Europe have signed an agreement for the production and distribution of quality lenses for sun eyewear that will ensure maximum synergies between the German and Italian firms. Under the terms of the agreement, Intercast will sell Zeiss lenses to the top-end sunglass manufacturers, while Zeiss will ...
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The Parent Of Vision-ease Has Only A Momentary Profit
After a major restructuring process, BMC Industries' optical products group, represented essentially by Vision-Ease, reported an honorable 13.7 percent operating margin for the 1st quarter ended March 31, which compares to a negative margin of 7.5 percent in the same period one year ago, and the company sees potential for ...
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Hoya's Vision Care Margin Rises To 16%
In the financial year ended last March 31, Hoya Corp. improved to 16.0 percent the operating margin of its vision care operations, which comprise its ophthalmic lens and equipment business, as compared to 15.5 percent in the prior year, thanks in part to the 9.5 percent appreciation of the euro ...
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Fielmann, Which Is Considering Some Foreign Acquisitions, Defies The Market With New Record Quarterly Results
The giant German optical retailer, which achieved positive net interest income for the first time in its history in the 1st quarter of this year, would not mind making a friendly takeover bid for GrandVision, partly in view of its relatively low stock market price, although the management if the ...
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Bausch & Lomb Is Bullish After A Relatively Good Quarter
Contact lenses propped up Bausch & Lomb sales in the 1st quarter of this year and the continued growth of the soft contact lens market should help the company to achieve a stronger sales increase in the mid-single digits for the full year. Meanwhile, the company is raising its R&D ...
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Moulin Negotiates New Licenses, And Metzler Makes Profits Again In Italy
Metzler International has not renewed two licenses in its portfolio, Vivian Westwood and Les Copains (see also article on Allison further down), which expired at the end of the 1st quarter. However, its Hong Kong-based parent company, Moulin International, is negotiating now with a couple of other internationally renowned brands, ...
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Luxottica Makes A Friendly Bid For Opsm
The takeover offer, which we had predicted, values the leading optical retail group in the Asia/Pacific region at Aus$550 million (e309m-$340m), with a 21.9 percent premium over OPSM Group's closing price on the Sydney stock exchange of A$3.20 on Apr. 24, the last day that its shares traded prior to ...
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Sars Halves The Chinese Presence At Mido
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome has practically halved the presence of exhibitors from China and other risk areas in the Far East at the MIDO fair starting in Milan this Friday. Two Canadian suppliers have cancelled their stands, mainly because they expect fewer visitors at the fair from China, which ...
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Sales And Profits Go Down For Luxottica
The divorce from Giorgio Armani, the strengthening of the euro against the dollar and the difficult international situation have all created an explosive mix that even the giant of the eyewear industry has been unable to avoid. In the 1st quarter of 2003 Luxottica posted its first drop in sales ...
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Weak U.S. Sales Stifle Essilor's Growth
Markedly lower foot traffic in American optical stores hurt Essilor International badly in the 1st quarter. The group's revenues fell by 8.8 percent to e517.8 million, as compared to the same period a year ago, due in part to the devaluation of the dollar and the yen. In local currencies ...
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The German Market Is Off By 2%
Germany's economic woes took their toll on the country's opticians, whose retail sales sank by 2 percent to an estimated level of e3.958 million in 2002, despite a continued upward trend in the consumers' choices and in the average price of the products sold. In terms of volume, the number ...
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De Rigo Should Improve After Bad Year
De Rigo is still a candidate to license another major upscale fashion brand, but no negotiations are afoot for the moment. Company officials claim that De Rigo was the best candidate to take over Luxottica's license for Giorgio Armani eyewear before Safilo snatched the contract under ?mysterious? circumstances ? probably ...
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Oakley Is Optimistic After Weak Quarter
The company's net income declined to $3,208,000 in the 1st quarter from $5,562,000 in the same period a year ago, exceeding analysts' projections. Earnings will probably remain depressed in the 2nd quarter but they should increase sharply in the 2nd half. Meanwhile, revenues rose by just 1.5 percent to $111.2 ...
