All Article articles – Page 204

  • Article

    Improving Hoya Will Move Some More Output Outside Japan

    2002-11-13T00:00:00Z

    Hoya plans to transfer to its large factory in Thailand the balance of its Japanese production of eyeglass lenses for the mass market, which is relatively small, but it will continue to make high-end products in Japan. The idea is to reduce costs in view of the continued decline in ...

  • Article

    Luxottica Improves Its Margins

    2002-11-13T00:00:00Z

    The largely flat market in the USA affected Luxottica's sales but it didn't prevent the group from raising its net income by 16.5 percent in the first 9 months of this to e297.7 million on a relatively modest 5.2 percent growth in sales over the period to e2.4 billion, with ...

  • Article

    Sola Improves Sales And Results

    2002-11-13T00:00:00Z

    Sola International reported improved results in the 2nd quarter ended Sept. 30 that exceeded analysts' expectations, indicating progress in fulfilling the strategic objectives laid out by its CEO, Jeremy Bishop, a couple of years ago. North American sales made a 7.2 percent jump. Sales in Europe, which represent about 35 ...

  • Article

    De Rigo Will Buy Back Up To 10% Of Equity

    2002-10-24T00:00:00Z

    De Rigo is preparing to buy a maximum of 4,400,000 of its own shares back from the New York Stock Exchange. The board of directors met last Monday to draw up the terms of a resolution that will be put to a shareholders' meeting to be held on Nov. 22 ...

  • Article

    Essilor Reports 7.3% Sales Growth For 9 Months

    2002-10-24T00:00:00Z

    At 7.3 percent on a comparable basis, the growth rate reported by Essilor International today for the first 9 months of this year was exactly the same as in the first 6 months, and the momentum is expected to continue through the end of 2002. No details could be obtained ...

  • Article

    Grandvision's Sales Growth Accelerated To 7.5% In The Third Quarter

    2002-10-24T00:00:00Z

    The only major problem market for the French optical retailing group is Italy, where it has decided to slow down its expansion following disappointing results again in the 3rd quarter. GrandVision has opened 4 GrandOptical stores in Italy so far this year, and transformed another one, taking the total count ...

  • Article

    French Production Goes Up Again

    2002-10-24T00:00:00Z

    French manufacturers of lenses and frames had a very good second quarter this year, according to their national trade association, GIFO. After a 3 percent rise in the 1st quarter, as compared to the same period last year, their sales growth accelerated to a 5.5 percent increase in the 2nd ...

  • Article

    Rhunke Switched To The Synoptik Banner Today, Targeting Third Place In Germany

    2002-10-24T00:00:00Z

    All the 52 stores of the Rhunke chain in Germany, the 106-year-old former family-owned firm which eventually grew into Europe's largest optical retail chain before World War Two, were renamed as Synoptik today. Like the former Optik Express stores bought by Synoptik in Poland two and a half years ago, ...

  • Article

    Bausch & Lomb Improves Margins

    2002-10-24T00:00:00Z

    The company's sales grew by 11 percent in the 3rd quarter to $466.7 million, but they would have risen by only 9 percent without favorable currency conversions. Net income declined to $9.4 million from $20.5 million, but excluding extraordinary items in the latest period, it would have risen to $26.1 ...

  • Article

    Oakley Downplays The Competition From The Fashion Brands

    2002-10-24T00:00:00Z

    Certain large rimless styles of fashion sunglasses that have become popular in Southern Europe apparently affected Oakley's sales in Europe, which were below expectations in 3rd quarter, but the company thinks the fad will be over next year. Oakley is reacting in part by accelerating new product development, raising advertising ...

  • Article

    Bushnell Opens An Italian Sales Office

    2002-10-24T00:00:00Z

    Bushnell Performance Optics, the US company that bought Bollé, Serengeti and Tasco in the last few years, is taking greater control over the distribution in Europe by opening its Italian sales subsidiary for all its 5 product lines next January, while striving for a greater presence in Germany where it's ...

  • Article

    Two Major French Buying Groups Put Their Purchasing Power Together

    2002-10-24T00:00:00Z

    About 2,300 independent optical stores in France, plus a few others in Belgium and Switzerland, will now talk to suppliers with a single voice in an effort to obtain better conditions on their purchases, representing the largest opticians' group of the kind in Europe. Out of all these stores, 1,102 ...

  • Article

    Ciba Vision Has Mixed Results, New Ceo

    2002-10-24T00:00:00Z

    Joseph Mallof is set to become the new CEO of CIBA Vision next week, replacing Glen Bradley who is retiring after 33 years with the company, ever since he joined the former Geigy Chemical in 1969. Under Bradley, sales have grown more than 14 times over. A former Proctor & ...

  • Article

    Cesare Paciotti Signs Up Eyevit, Replacing Ic Optics

    2002-10-24T00:00:00Z

    Cesare Paciotti, a well-known Italian shoe designer, has not renewed its eyewear licensing agreement with IcOptics, which continues to generate about 80 percent of its sales from the eyewear line of its major shareholder, Gianni Versace. Paciotti has now opted for a much smaller company, located in the center of ...

  • Article

    Italy's Optical Retail Chains Join Forces

    2002-10-24T00:00:00Z

    A new association has been founded by some of Italy's major optical retail chains in order to defend the industry's interests in negotiations with national and international institutions, and to guarantee the quality of goods and services provided to the consumer. Called Andom, a name which means ?national association for ...

  • Article

    Marchon Gets The Coach License

    2002-10-24T00:00:00Z

    Coach, a leading US marketer of handbags and other luxury leathergoods, has awarded its eyewear license to Marchon, covering the manufacture and distribution worldwide of sun and ophthalmic models. The sunwear models will initially be offered in Coach stores. Marchon plans to sell it also to selected sunglass retailers in ...

  • Article

    Moulin's Controlling Stake In Metzler International May Evolve

    2002-10-24T00:00:00Z

    Moulin International may further raise its 54.16 percent controlling stake in Metzler International to help the German-based company consolidate its international distribution network and to offset its recent losses, following the partial integration of Filos and other operations. In any case, Metzler executives indicate that its future equity structure is ...

  • Article

    Italian Eyewear Exporters Suffer A Slump In The Usa, But Grow In Europe

    2002-10-24T00:00:00Z

    Italy's eyewear exports were decidedly mixed in the 1st half of 2002. They fell drastically in the USA but fared well in Europe and particularly well in France. The overall drop in value, down 0.9 percent as compared to the first 6 months of 2001, was mainly due to the ...

  • Article

    Allison's Sales Are Up 37 Percent, Thanks Mainly To The Gianfranco Ferre Line

    2002-10-02T00:00:00Z

    Allison contributed to the positive results of its parent company, IT Holding, a fashion group, which closed its first-half results for 2002 with sales up 26.1 percent to e312.8 million. The Italian eyewear manufacturer's first-half turnover of e34 million represented a 37 percent increase over the same period of last ...

  • Article

    Ennio De Rigo And Giuliano Tabacchi Are About To Land On The Emerald Coast

    2002-10-02T00:00:00Z

    The two executives are considering reinvesting some of their profits from the eyewear sector into a large new hotel complex on Sardinia's Emerald Coast, one of the most prestigious sea resorts in the Mediterranean area. The new real estate development include 4 Luxury Connection hotels that are being sold by ...