All Article articles – Page 205
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Alain Afflelou Records Slower Growth
The sales revenues of the franchised Alain Afflelou stores in France grew by only 1.8 percent to e95.2 million in the 1st quarter ended July 31, with a 1.9 percent increase on a comparable store basis. According to the company, the French optical market declined in May and June, leading ...
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Pearle Has Become Europe's Largest Optical Retailer - In A Way
Pearle Europe was already the largest one in terms of the number of stores, which have now increased to 1,140 units with the acquisition of 134 optical stores in Finland, 31 in Sweden, 14 in Estonia and one in Russia. These 180 stores, which trade under different banners, are all ...
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Coopervision Benefits From The Integration Of Biocompatibles
The integration of Biocompatibles' eye care business, which was acquired by Cooper Companies last February, is running ahead of plan. It has already led to an improvement in Biocompatibles' gross margin to 61 percent from just over 50 percent thanks to better efficiencies, particularly in the UK where its Farnborough ...
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Esa's Training Guide Is A Big Success
The European Sunglass Association, which is working now more closely with its American counterpart on standards and other issues, is sold out with the first run of 10,000 copies of its Sunwear Training Guide. ESA put this nice and useful book out in 5 languages earlier this year to improve ...
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A Black Year For Visibilia ? Staff Cuts And Urgent Export Drive
In response to difficult times, Visibilia has restructured its manufacturing facilities. The Italian eyewear manufacturer has closed one of its factories, resulting in the loss of 25 jobs out of a total of 135. Located at Ponte, the factory that has been closed down made small parts. Visibilia has also ...
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Eschenbach Buys Brendel Brand And Launches Noves
The leading German eyewear company is integrating the internationally well-known Brendel brand into its own operations, but the conditions have not been finalized yet. Named after its designer, Ann-Kristin Brendel, who will continue to style it, the line has been strong in certain markets, such as the USA, and weaker ...
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D&A's Supply Problems Depress The Results Of De Rigo, Which Gets The Furla License
The difficulties experienced by Dollond & Aitchison, the group's British retail chain, and by EID, its joint venture with Prada, weighed heavily on the group's first-half earnings, aggravating the consequences of a negative trend in sales. While De Rigo's consolidated turnover grew by only 1.7 percent to e274.1 million, its ...
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Marcolin's Earnings Decline
The group's consolidated gross margin actually improved in the 6 months ended June 30, going up to 38.1 percent from the 38.5 percent level of the same period a year ago. However, higher personnel charges, evidently related to the acquisition of Creative Optics in the USA, led to a decrease ...
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Safilo Has Slower Growth, Despite The New Ysl Line, But Opens Paris Showroom
Safilo's turnover for the 1st half of 2002 amounted to e510.4 million, representing a relatively modest 5 percent year-on-year increase, considering that it had jumped by 23 percent for the full 12-month period of 2001. Profits have also lost their momentum, but remain positive in these decidedly difficult times. Operating ...
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Marchon Takes Over The Distribution In France
Marchon has taken over the distribution in France, where it had a joint venture with two French executives, Francis Kessous and Guy Azoulay, who remain in the eyewear business with the Façonnable brand. The new French subsidiary, Marchon France, will continue to be based in Lyon, but it will ...
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Ocular Sciences Improves As Well
Ocular Sciences' net income rose by 21 percent on a pro forma basis to $9,076,000 in the 2nd quarter ended July 30. Total revenues went up by 19 percent to $65.7 million, with organic growth of 14 percent. While US sales grew by 7 percent, sales outside the USA rose ...
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Essilor Reaches A Record 15.8% Margin
Higher than expected sales increases, higher income from Transitions and growing profitability in the USA all contributed to lift Essilor International's operating income by 14.2 percent to e176.9 million in the 1st half of 2002, representing a record margin of 15.8 percent which compares with 14.8 percent in the year-ago ...
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Hoya Attains A 16.8% Margin
The operating margin of Hoya's vision care segment increased to 16.8 percent in the 1st quarter ended June 30, up from 15.4 percent a higher ago, while its turnover increased by only 2.3 percent to 23,573 million yen (e201m-$200m). Its health care segment, which includes contact lenses and hearing aids, ...
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Grandvision's Ebit Margin Rises To 8.8%
The management is confident of being able to reach the previously set profitability targets, calling for operating margins before investments on store openings of 8 percent in 2002 and 10 percent in 2003. In the 6 months ended June 30, the margin was up to 8.8 percent from the 6.8 ...
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Sola Acquires Two More U.S. Labs
Following Essilor's and Hoya's US expansion policy and its own track record in Europe, Sola International has acquired two more prescription labs in the USA with annual revenues of $13.5 million. They are B&W Optical Co. in Baltimore and Southeastern Optical in Roanoke, Virginia. The management stresses once again ...
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Specsavers Expands Rapidly In Holland And Grows Also In The Uk
Capitalizing on the publicity generated by its ?battle of Enschede? against Fielmann (see previous story and previous issue), Specsavers is expanding rapidly in the Netherlands where it is already the 3rd largest retailer after Hans Anders and Pearle Opticiens. The number of its Dutch stores, all held in partnership with ...
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Gerber Coburn Partners With Visionix
Gerber Coburn has formed a strategic alliance with Visionix, the Israeli firm developer of innovative lens inspection and measurement instruments for opticians. Under a new agreement that formalizes previous joint efforts to develop sophisticated lens verification systems for wholesale laboratories, Gerber Coburn will integrate and distribute devices, developed by Visionix, ...
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Fielmann Continues To Improve
Like other German optical retailers, Fielmann hesitates now to make a forecast for the balance of the year, in view of the country's difficult market situation, although discounters in other fields like Aldi or C&A are doing relatively well. Fielmann performed relatively well in the 2nd quarter, leading to a ...
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Vision-ease Suffers A Sales Decline
Douglas C. Hepper, chairman and CEO of its parent company, BMC Industries, says he is ?beginning to see the end of the tunnel.? In the 2nd quarter ended June 30, the group's net loss declined to $2,302,000 from $7,451,000 in the year-ago period, despite a 15 percent decline in consolidated ...
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Pearle Sets A Foot Into Grandvision's Door
Holland American Trust, the main shareholder of Pearle Europe based in Bermuda, has gradually accumulated over the last 9 months a stake of about 5 percent in GrandVision, buying shares in the open market through various intermediate holdings. HAL put together a package of just over 5 percent, which obliged ...
