Latest Headlines – Page 117
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Spy keeps improving
Spy Optic continued to improve its results in the first quarter ended last March 31. Its net losses were reduced to $721,000 in the period from $2,608,000 in the same quarter a year ago, while sales increased by 10.6 percent to $9,008,000. However, the company's sales outside North America were ...
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Fielmann is looking for steady progress
Fielmann says it has sold more than 120 million pairs of glasses since it opened its first store 40 years ago. The company reckons that 23 million people are wearing Fielmann glasses now and that 90 percent of them intended to buy their next pair from one of its stores. ...
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Some new figures from the German-speaking countries
At its annual press conference, the German opticians' association, ZVA, reported that about 11.3 million pairs of complete glasses were sold in Germany in 2012, 2 percent more than in 2011, and a further six million existing frames were fitted with new lenses. The figures are better than the preliminary data that ...
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Big temporary drop in Essilor’s growth
A number of factors led Essilor International to book a sales increase of only 0.5 percent to €1,276.3 million in the first quarter ended March 31, in contrast with the strong year-on-year sales increases that it usually reports. On a comparable basis, the turnover was actually flat as the slight ...
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Luxottica sees Armani sales reaching €130 million this year
Luxottica said that the launch of the three Armani brands it snatched from Safilo has been excellent and that the labels are expected to generate more or less €130 million in revenues this year, and about 10 percent of that amount was achieved in the first quarter. The brands' impact ...
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Safilo offsets Armani loss, makes more profits
Safilo managed to offset the loss of the Armani brands in the first quarter of 2013 thanks to organic growth of its remaining brands and the addition of Polaroid Eyewear. Sales rose by 2.9 percent to €297.0 million in the period from €288.7 million a year earlier. The top line ...
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Vuarnet sunglasses are set for strong growth
Vuarnet Sunglasses, which has remained the property of Neo Capital after the London-based investment fund sold its 47 percent stake in Alain Mikli International to Luxottica at the beginning of this year, is targeting sales of about €20 million five years from now, as compared the €5 million level reached ...
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Europe records mixed CL sales in 2012
In 2012, the value of soft contact lens sales to eye care professionals (ECP) across a combined 31 European countries reached €1,396 million, up by 1.7 percent from the previous year, according to the most recent census released by Euromcontact. However, the data collected and assessed in the study for ...
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Optrafair teams up with Optician for London
The British Optrafair show in Birmingham reported a total of 6,600 registered visitors, down slightly from 6,647, but many of the 200-plus exhibitors praise the high quality of the attendees. An industry stalwart, Frank Norville, said his company experienced the best Saturday in the 42 years that it has been ...
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U.S. index shows improving ratings among independents
The U.S. Optical Business Barometer (OBB), a monthly gauge of general business attitudes among independent ECPs surveyed by Jobson Optical Research, rose to an index 3.8 in March, as compared to 3.7 in February, reflecting a positive attitude among independent eye care professionals. However, the March 2013 rating was lower ...
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Lots of marketing by Oakley in Europe
Oakley has unveiled a Europe-wide integrated campaign featuring three motorsport icons: Fernando Alonso, the Spanish Formula 1 world champion, Valentino Rossi, one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all times, and Sébastien Loeb, the French rally legend. They will be featured in the company's new “Change Perspective” campaign, which ...
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The European market is stable
The European optical retail market was largely stable last year, according to GfK. The market research company estimates that it declined by only 0.2 percent to around €12 billion in 2012. Sales of spectacle lenses grew by 0.5 percent in terms of value, and contact lenses and related products went ...
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Antonio Bortuzzo is now running Viva
After playing important roles in the Italian and French eyewear industry, Antonio Bortuzzo will officially join Viva International at its head office in New Jersey as chief executive on May 6. The 53-year-old Italian industry veteran is happy to move this time to the U.S. as he has been married ...
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Marchon grows by more than 12%
Marchon Eyewear closed 2012 with turnover of €600 million, which contributed to global sales of $4.5 billion dollars for VSP Global, the largest not-for-profit vision benefits and services company in the USA. Eyewear sales grew by 12.7 percent, or by 21 percent for ongoing operations, i.e. excluding newly acquired ...
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Rebound in Safilo’s European sales, thanks to Polaroid
Safilo's European sales rose by 26.2 percent to €128.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2012, with a 24.7 percent increase in local currencies, thanks to organic growth as well as the new Polaroid house brand, which contributed to more than 50 percent of the increase. Polaroid Eyewear was bought ...
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Safilo prepares for the repayment of a high-yield bond
Safilo's board has authorized the management to arrange a €100 million financing package in view of the reimbursement of its high-yield bond maturing in May 2013 and the funding of business developments. The group has set up a new revolving facility of €60 million with a group of banks. The ...
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S&P sees Luxottica's outlook improving
Luxottica has announced that Standard & Poor's changed its outlook on the group from stable to positive on March 27. At the same time, the rating agency affirmed its “BBB+/A-2” long- and short-term corporate credit ratings for the group.Standard & Poor's said that the change in outlook follows another year of strong ...
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De Rigo grows by 6%
De Rigo raised its sales by 6 percent to €340 million in 2012. Wholesale revenues grew by 1.4 percent to €217 million. Results are not yet available for the group's two retail chains, but they were down for General Optica in Spain and up for the Boots Vision joint venture ...
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Brazilian retailers change ownership
After growing at an annual compound rate of about 15 percent over the past few years, the Brazilian optical retail market continues to change its contours, as documented in previous issues of Eyewear Intelligence. After the acquisition of Tecnol by Luxottica at the end of 2011, it's now the turn ...
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After 100 years, Eschenbach is looking for new acquisitions
Eschenbach is looking for new acquisitions like those of Brendel and Tura in the U.S. and of International Eyewear in the U.K., which have allowed the German company to boost its presence in these markets. It has already become the largest supplier of prescription frames in the domestic German market, ...
