All Article articles – Page 228
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Loubsol's Club Med Promotion Looks Like A Win-win Proposition
Loubsol seems to have hit the jackpot with an ingenious promotion for its new licensed Club Mediterranée line of sunglasses, first launched at the Silmo fair in Paris one year ago. The licensor, the licensee, operators of independent optical stores and final consumers are all gaining something in the end ...
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Oakley Launches A Comprehensive Internet Strategy
The US sunglass and sports eyewear leader has announced a unique 4-channel strategy, using 4 different types of ?internet storefronts? to win over more customers for its diversified range of products, to raise customer awareness of the Oakley brand and to improve customer service. The company's corporate website, www.oakley.com, ...
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Half-year Figures Confirm New Momentum For Italy's Exports
After a big slump in the first quarter, Italy's eyewear exports are on the way up again. The dramatic 12 percent shortfall that had been registered in the first 4 months of 1999 has been reduced to 9.5 percent for the first 7 months, thanks to a better performance in ...
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Maui Jim Is Doubling European Sales
Maui Jim claims to be number three in the US sunglass market, after Ray-Ban and Oakley, but it's still small in Europe. Started up one and a half years ago, the US company's European operation sold about 15,000 pieces to about 200 clients with a total of about 600 shops ...
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Zeiss Posts An Extraordinary Loss
One-time reorganization costs, writeoffs and provisions led the Carl Zeiss group to post a net loss of about 100 million DM (e 50m) in the year ended Sept. 30, but the management predicts a return to positive results in the current year. The group's operating income actually improved on a ...
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Pro-laser Moves To Germany
Pro-Laser, the small Israeli high-tech company that bought a few weeks ago Weco and Rodenstock Instrumente, is moving its operational headquarters to Weco's main office in Düsseldorf to help speed up its own transformation into a global eye care company, focused on providing specific and turnkey lens manufacturing solutions and ...
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General Optica Envisages Early 2000 Ipo
Certain investors are skeptical. Anyway, group officials confirm that the Italo-Spanish chain of optical shops, General Optica International, is working on a public offering on the Madrid stock exchange which should now take place next February or March, after several failed attempts that have been attributed to stockmarket conditions and ...
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Essilor Grows By 5.8% In The Third Quarter
France, the rest of Europe, North America, South America and Asia all contributed to the 5.8 percent increase in Essilor's turnover, on a comparable basis, in the 3rd quarter ended Sept. 30. It's a better score than the 2.8 percent increase of the 1st half of the year, and it ...
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Foreign Attendance At Silmo Is Up 7.9%
SILMO, now by far the world's largest eyewear fair at this time of the year, is becoming more international. The number of visitors from outside France at the Oct. 23-25 session of the Paris show reached 9,884, or 7.9 percent more than a year ago, with double-digit increases from outside ...
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Dollond & Aitchison Weighs On De Rigo, But Prada Is Its Next Hope
De Rigo will not provide profit or loss figures for the first 9 months of 1999. The sales results show the effect of the company's acquisition of Dollond & Aitchison and its investments in the 51 percent owned Ranieri Argentina and De Rigo Hellas distribution operations Group turnover jumped by ...
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Oakley Sues Safilo, Raids Counterfeiters, Controls Australian Distribution
The patent infringement suit launched by Oakley against Safilo America and its Smith Sport Optics subsidiary is similar to those still pending in US courts against Nike and against the Bausch & Lomb brands acquired by Luxottica last June - Ray-Ban, Reva, Killer Loop and Arnette - in relation to ...
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Bushnell's Parent Company Wants Bolle'
The majority shareholders of Bollé have signed a definitive agreement to sell the sports and street eyewear company to Worldwide Sports & Recreation, a private company that owns the Bushnell and Voit brands. WSR plans to run Bollé as a separate, stand-alone company, but with major synergies in warehousing and ...
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Lenscrafers Chief Quits Luxottica
Luxottica reports the departure of one of its 7 board members, David Browne, who actually represented LensCrafters, the group's large US optical chain. Browne will also quit its operational functions, including responsibility for the group's commercial operations. No clear explanation could be obtained for Browne's resignation. Luxottica chief Leonardo ...
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Fielmann Expects Double-digit Growth
The leading European chain of optical stores is budgeting double-digit increases in sales and profits for 1999 as well as 2000 following an excellent third quarter and a planned acceleration in the domestic and foreign expansion of its store network. The number of new store openings should double next year ...
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Safilo Invests On Sunglasses
Safilo sees a big potential for expansion in sunglasses, which last year represented only 34 percent of its total turnover. The Italian firm wants to replicate in this sector the success it has enjoyed in sports eyewear, where it will reach a turnover of 100 billion Lire (e100m-$100m) this year ...
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Italian Eyewear Exports Plunge 12%
The Italian eyewear industry continues to lose ground, struggling to defend its world leadership position. The domestic market has also been suffering in the first 4 months of this year, considering that a sharp 12 percent drop in eyewear exports was accompanied by a an 8 percent fall in imports. ...
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Rodenstock Gets Control Of 2c Optics, Forms An Alliance With Pro-laser
Rodenstock had already acquired in March of 1998 a minority stake in 2C Optics. This small US manufacturer of ophthalmic Rx lenses, which employs just over 80 persons, has developed a proprietary Automated Prescription Technology process which, according to Rodenstock, is expected to revolutionize the spectacle lens industry. Protected by ...
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Specsavers Goes Into Dental Care, While Optic 2000 Diversifies Into Earing Aids
GrandVision already has two legs in France with its optical and photo shops. One of Britain's leading optical chains, Specsavers, will add a second leg by opening next April the first of a chain of 100 franchised dental care laboratories, taking advantage of special legislation that allows dentists to own ...
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Oakley Raises Its Net Profit By 25% In The Third Quarter
Oakley reported yesterday a 25 percent increase in net income for the 3rd quarter ended Sept. 30, to $10,322,000 (e9,584,000), but the gross margin was flat. The increase was generated mainly by improved expense discipline, more efficient shipping and warehousing operations, and lower warranty expenses. Sales rose by ...
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Grandvision Starts Growing Again
GrandVision seems to have overcome at least in part its initial problems in the UK where Vision Express, the local chain acquired in 1997, had generated last year an operating loss of 60 million French francs (e9m-$10m) on 10.3 percent lower sales of e185 million ($199m), contributing to a 70 ...
