Latest Headlines – Page 205
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Ocular Sciences Predicts Slow Growth
Consumer traffic in US stores was slow last December and the pattern continued into January. Based on this trend and on the recent pricing problems experienced in Europe, where it is accelerating the reorganization of its production apparatus, Ocular Sciences predicts that its revenues will increase by only between 3 ...
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Luxottica Reaches An 11.9% Net Margin, Anticipates A Temporary Dip
The market leader posted higher earnings in the 4th quarter, in spite of disappointing Christmas sales in the USA that led to a 1.5 percent decline in retail sales on a same-store basis. However, Luxottica's chairman, Leonardo Del Vecchio, predicted yesterday that there will be no more growth in profit ...
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Luxottica Acquires The Versace Eyewear Business, Leaves Nm To Italocremona
The new licensing agreement signed with Gianni Versace on Jan. 15 binds the Italian fashion house until 2013, with an option on a further 10-year period, and includes the acquisition of all the shares in IC Optics, the joint venture set up in 1999 by Versace together with its former ...
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Essilor Reaches A 15.9% Operating Margin
Essilor International reports a 26.3 percent increase in net income to e180.2 million for the 2002 financial year on 3.1 percent higher sales of e2,135 million. On a comparable basis, eliminating currency factors and the consolidation of Dollond & Aitchison's laboratory in the UK, group sales enjoyed a better than ...
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Soft Italian Sunglass Market Depresses Grandvision's Growth, But Annual Sales Are On Budget
All the components of the French optical retailing group had sales increases on a comparable store basis in the 4th quarter of 2002, except GrandOptical Italy and the Solaris chain of sunglass stores. A declining sunglass market in Southern Europe, partly attributable to the Italian fad for cheaper rimless shades, ...
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Alain Afflelou Improves Margins Further
The French franchisor's net income grew by 12 percent in the 1st half ended last Oct. 31 to e8.6 million, generating a net margin of 18.7 percent of its revenues. As previously reported, the latter rose by only 4.6 percent to e45.9 million, with those of the affiliated stores increasing ...
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Oakley Sends Off Another Warning
Stéphane Devort has become sales manager of Oakley Europe, reporting to Josée Perreault who is in charge of sales and marketing. He will coordinate a new team of field sales managers, two for each one of the main markets covered by the subsidiary ? France, Italy and Spain. One field ...
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Ciba Makes Management Changes And Reports A 6% Sales Increase
Roland Carlen, who has been running CIBA Vision's global lens care business, steps into a new position as head of European operations, reporting to Jürgen Kudelka, head of CIBA Vision International. He will be replaced in his former post by Steve Obsdaldeston, the current president of CIBA Vision North America, ...
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Transitions Has Reorganized Its European Business
Transitions Europe has been renamed as Transitions EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) to reflect an expansion of its field of operations following the recent appointment of Brett Craig as its new managing director (see previous issue of EyeWear Intelligence). As part of this reorganization, the territory covered by Transitions ...
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The German Market Is Off By 5%
The German optical market declined overall by an estimated 5 percent in 2002, according to ZVA, the country's optical retailers' association. Aside from the difficult economic conditions, which delayed customers' purchasing decisions, ZVA blames a boom in the sale of ready-made readers. Sold mainly in the department stores and the ...
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Opti München Continues To Grow And Its Swiss Sister Disappears
O.K. Messen, the Austrian-based organizer of the young German optical fair, wants to build Opti München up from a successful and well-established national show to a more international fair, encompassing all the German-speaking countries to begin with. In a step in this direction, it's putting an end to ...
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New Scenarios Emerge For The Major Italian Eyewear Groups
Luxottica is set to buy De Rigo, or to take Prada away from that company. Armani is about to sign up with Safilo. De Rigo is negotiating with Marchon for the US market. All these and other recent rumors, which have not been confirmed by the industry's major players, and ...
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Safilo Repays Debt And Credit Suisse Acquires A Minority Stake
Credit Suisse First Boston Private Equity (CSFB) has agreed to pay about e270 million for a minority stake in Safilo and representation on the Italian group's board of directors. The family of Safilo's chairman, Vittorio Tabacchi, will probably use a large part of this money to help pay back a ...
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Rodenstock Seeks A Minority Investor
Rodenstock confirms reports that its talking with potential partners about the sale of a minority share in the family-owned company to help finance a new program of growth in the domestic market, in the USA and in Japan over the medium and long term. However, while several competitors have shown ...
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Zeiss Raises Its Eyewear Sales By 5%
Carl Zeiss will present several new lenses at the Opti München fair next month. Contrary to a previous report, its new 1.74 index aspheric product will come in single vision. Among other novelties, the company will also introduce new polarized lenses with new fashion colors. Zeiss' so-called Markenoptik division, ...
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Visibilia Gets Mandarina Duck License
The Italian eyewear producer has added another prestigious label to its portfolio, which already includes names such as Trussardi, Laura Biagiotti, Blumarine and Alessandro Dell'Acqua. Mandarina Duck, a trendy Italian brand of handbags, luggage and other accessories, has signed a global eyewear licensing deal with Visibilia, hot on the heels ...
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Pearle Europe Improves Sharply
In making a partial announcement about its own results for the 3rd quarter ended last Aug. 3, Cole National says its share of Pearle Europe's net income almost quadrupled in the period to $2.1 million. The publication of the group's complete financial statement for the quarter has been delayed by ...
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Oakley Fires Many European Agents
Oakley will take an extraordinary charge of 2-3 cents a share in the 4th quarter on the cost of terminating prematurely its exclusive contracts with numerous independent agents all over Europe. Some of them have been working for the company for up to 10 years in their own specific territories, ...
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Type 20 Appoints New Executives
Alessandro Cereda, 36, is the new commercial director of Type 20 International, the company that markets the Arnette and Briko brands of eyewear. Cereda has been deeply involved in the sporting goods sector before, acting among other things as product manager and export area manager of Diadora, as sales manager ...
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Ocular Sciences Shifts The Focus On Dailies From Europe To Japan And Accelerates Its Productivity Plan
A price war with CIBA Vision in Europe over daily disposable contact lenses has led Ocular Sciences to ?relax? its efforts in this market and to take the battle to Japan, where it hopes to obtain better margins for the same products. At the same time, OC will accelerate the ...
