Latest Headlines – Page 3
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ArticleJapan’s top retailer builds 'open factory' to tackle procurement issues and 'transmit the joy of craftsmanship'
Megane Ichiba, Japan’s leading optical retailer under the Megane Top brand, is investing 4.4 billion Japanese yen (€25m) in the extension of its manufacturing plant in Sabae, Fukui prefecture. The group stressed that its investment was aimed at both tackling procurement issues and revitalizing the region. The construction of the ...
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ArticleKering Eyewear and Valentino sign eyewear license as parent companies reframe acquisition deal
Kering Eyewear and Valentino, an Italian fashion brand owned by the Qatari investment fund Mayhoola, have announced the signature of a global eyewear license agreement. Effective Jan. 1, 2026, the eyewear subsidiary of French luxury group Kering will develop and distribute Valentino-branded sun and optical collections. “We are delighted to ...
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ArticleSilmo Paris doubles down on technology
SILMO will be expanding its usual Futurology space at the next edition of the trade show in Paris (Sept. 26-29), rebranding it Futurology & Tech Village and putting the spotlight on artificial intelligence (AI). The area will be divided into four key zones showcasing different applications of AI in the ...
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ArticleCapital increase to enable Multiópticas to expand
Multiópticas secured in August a capital increase of €45 million from its own shareholders and intends to use the funds to carry out a five-year plan to spread out the business, according to the Spanish paper Expansión. “The company’s own shareholders have trusted in this project and disbursed the capital, ...
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ArticleAmazon to join the AR glasses fray
Amazon is developing two AR glasses for two different use cases, The Information has first reported after speaking with people close to the matter. “Amelia”, the first model, is aimed at the online retail giant’s delivery drivers and will probably focus on itinerary guidance. It will reportedly be ready for ...
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ArticleGiorgio Armani leaves instructions for the sale of his group
The Italian fashion house Giorgio Armani SpA should sell a 15 percent stake to the French luxury goods group LVMH, the Franco-Italian eyewear group EssilorLuxottica, the French beauty and cosmetics group L’Oréal or another luxury group in the next 12 to 18 months, the designer Giorgio Armani has stipulated in ...
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ArticleJEH slows down as inbound tourists’ buying spree subsides
JEH Holdings, the Japanese-based operator of the Kaneko Optical and 999.9 optical retail chains, has reported a 6.9 percent increase in sales to 4.7 billion Japanese yen (€27m) for the quarter ended July 31, confirming the company’s slowdown in recent months. Sales for the first six months of FY 2026 ...
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ArticleTopcon Healthcare steps into mental health diagnosis with new investment
Topcon Healthcare is making a strategic investment in Senseye, a US-based start-up “developing the first mental health diagnostic platform powered by ocular biomarkers,” according to the official statement. “Topcon Healthcare’s investment is more than capital, it is validation from a global leader in digital health technology that the eye holds ...
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ArticleTeam in Taiwan claims breakthrough in autofocals
A team of young researchers working under Lin Yi-hsin, Professor of photonics at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU), has developed a gradient-index (GRIN) lens and put it into some eyewear. The result, the Taipei Times reports, is the world’s first pair of electronically tunable liquid crystal (LC) glasses ...
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ArticleVSP Vision acquires Marcolin
VSP Vision, parent company of Marchon Eyewear, is acquiring Marcolin from PAI Partners and minority shareholders, the US vision care group announced in a statement last Friday. “The addition of Marcolin is another example of our commitment to purposeful growth that will provide greater value for VSP members, ...
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ArticleArts Optical hit by US tariffs double whammy in H1
Arts Optical’s bottom line swung to red ink in the first half of fiscal 2025 as the Hong Kong-based eyewear manufacturer faced strong headwinds in its Original Design Manufacturing (ODM) division where sales dropped double-digits in key markets. Necessary adjustments to changing US trade tariffs, in terms of production and ...
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ArticleZoff owner doubles doorcount to 620 with M&A deal
Intermestic, the Japanese group behind the Zoff optical retail chain, has announced the full acquisition of Visionary Holdings, the operator of Megane Super, another retail chain with 300 stores in the country. Intermestic is reportedly investing 19.1 billion Japanese yen (€110m) in the operation, which is expected to complete on ...
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Article“It seems the industry is ripe for change,” Flō Optics CEO
Things went relatively fast for Flō Optics. Only 15 months after the Israeli-based startup first showcased its optical coatings 3D printing technology at Vision Expo West in November 2023, it announced a $35 million Series A funding round, including from several eyewear industry players. However, when we sat down with ...
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ArticleFielmann enters new HQ on a strong footing
Fielmann Group has confirmed that its consolidated sales for the first half of 2025 increased by 12.3 percent to €1,224 million, in line with the preliminary results announced in July together with the company’s 2030 strategic plan. We focus in this article on the new financial information released by the ...
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ArticleAll eyes on margins at Mister Spex as sales nosedive
Mister Spex revenue dropped by 21.7 percent to €52.9 million in Q2 2025, sharply accelerating its fall from the previous quarter (-12.5 percent). “The decline in revenue is the result of a deliberate strategic choice to prioritize profitability and cost efficiency over pure volume growth,” Mister Spex wrote in its ...
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ArticleCooperVision slows down in Q3 despite strong EMEA showing
CooperCompanies has reported a 6 percent year-over-year increase in Q3 revenue to $716.4 million for its CooperVision (CVI) business. In constant currencies, CVI sales were up by 2 percent in the quarter, below the company’s expectations and slowing down sharply from the 7 percent growth reported for the previous quarter. ...
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ArticleEssilux ups stake in Nikon again, but further steps will require Japan’s green light
Bis repetita, but with a stronger magnitude this time. On Oct. 7 last year, Nikon’s stock value jumped by 8 percent as it emerged from an official filing at a regional finance bureau that EssilorLuxottica had increased its stake in the Japanese group to 5.10 percent. Yesterday (Aug. 27), it ...
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ArticleTRIVEX more resistant than polycarbonate, PPG and HOYA research shows
PPG Optical says that a new study in collaboration with HOYA Vision Care showed that its TRIVEX lens material outperforms polycarbonate in terms of impact resistance. Earlier research had already shown the material’s superior performance in other areas, including weight, chemical resistance and optical clarity (Abbe value), the company stressed. ...
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ArticleUS tele-optometry kiosks startup gets $20m cash injection
Eyebot, the US company developing a platform combining self-service vision test kiosks with remote eye doctor prescriptions, has announced that it has raised $20 million in Series A funding, with global private equity fund General Catalyst as the round leader. AlleyCorp, Bauskunst, Village Global and Ubiquity Investors, all returning investors, ...
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ArticleMixed results in Q2 for Synsam Group
Synsam Group Q2 revenue increased by 6.9 percent year on year to 1,841 million Swedish crowns (€165m), slowing down sharply from the 12.3 percent growth reported in the previous quarter. The deceleration was mostly attributable to the group’s business in Denmark that is increasingly impacted by consumer credit regulation changes. ...
