Latest Headlines – Page 4
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ArticleMeta and Essilux reported AI glasses capacity doubling no easy task
Meta and EssilorLuxottica are discussing boosting their Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses annual production capacity to 20-30 million units to address growing demand, Bloomberg reported yesterday. The leak came from people familiar with the matter who asked to remain anonymous, which may also mean that it is a deliberate communication strategy ...
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ArticleNicola Zotta returns to VSP to lead Marchon/Marcolin integration
VSP Vision has appointed Nicola Zotta as its President of Eyewear and Managing Director of both Marchon Eyewear and Marcolin, the Italian eyewear maker whose acquisition was completed at the end of last year. This marks Zotta’s return to Marchon, where he worked from 2009 to 2022, including the last ...
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ArticleEyewear industry stock up 8.9 percent in Q4, 6.2 percent in FY2025
As usual at this time of the year, we complement our quarterly analysis of the stock listed eyewear companies in the last quarter with our market capitalization ranking as we enter the new year. You will find the corresponding tables below. The Q4/FY overall performance Starting with the last ...
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ArticleMeta pauses international Ray-Ban Display launch amid AR supply-chain crunch
Meta has postponed the international launch of its Ray-Ban Display AR glasses, citing overwhelming US demand and waitlists extending into 2026. The delay highlights critical supply chain bottlenecks in waveguide production and memory chips, as the smart eyewear market reaches a tipping point for consumer adoption.
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ArticleGentle Monster throws legal challenge at fast-growing K-eyewear challenger
Gentle Monster is taking legal aim at Blue Elephant, another South Korean eyewear brand successfully surfing the “hallyu”, the global K-pop culture trend, albeit at much lower price points. IiCombined, the mother company of Gentle Monster, reportedly filed a criminal complaint against its competitor with South Korean authorities in December ...
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ArticleUS tariffs weigh heavily on Sun Hing H1 results
Sun Hing Vision Group sales increased by 2.9 percent year on year to 421 million Hong Kong dollars (€46m) for the half year ended Sept. 30, 2025 “despite the overall poor operating environment,” the company stressed. The H1 performance, however, marks a sharp deceleration from the 27.6 percent topline growth ...
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ArticleAfflelou maintains mid-single-digit sales growth pace in Q1
French-based optical franchisor Afflelou Group posted a 5.0 percent year-on-year increase in network sales to €241.3 million for the three months ended October 31, 2025, marking its first quarter of fiscal 2025/26. The growth was driven by strong performance in France and Spain, with hearing aids sales jumping 15.4 percent overall.
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ArticleSeeing a 'strategic opportunity,' Safilo builds up a 25% stake in Inspecs
On Dec. 15, 2025, Safilo officially announced that it did not intend to make a firm offer for the acquisition of Inspecs. The announcement followed Inspecs’ statement on Dec. 10, 2025, that the board had found an agreement with Bidco for an 84 pence (€0.96) per share deal that values ...
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ArticleVision Group acquires LMC/Sensee
Group Héron, the French retail group, is selling the entirety of LMC/Sensee to Vision Group, a Swiss specialist in contact lenses. The financial terms of the sale have not been disclosed. The executive staff at LMC/Sensee is “fully involved in the decision” and will be remaining in place to manage ...
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ArticlePassion and clear positioning fuel Brett Eyewear
After two decades developing eyewear collections for third-party brands, first at LOGO and since 2013 at Special’Eyes, the private label eyewear company he founded, Jean-François Boiteux felt the itch: “I wanted to create an eyewear brand truly in line with my passion for vintage motor vehicles, particularly sports cars and ...
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ArticleZEISS cautious on outlook as strong 2025 revenue growth reveals 'mixed picture'
Reporting a solid 9.2 percent year-over-year increase in total revenue to €11.9 billion for the 2024/25 fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2025, ZEISS Group, however, put much emphasis on the “challenging business environment” and the “mixed picture” across its different segments (see table). Zeiss Group revenue ...
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ArticleMentalities shift, inbound tourism drive Japanese sunglass market boom
“The moment when about 600 students aligned in the school hall put on their sunglasses was a touching scene that symbolized the future,” Japanese retail group Zoff wrote in a press release sent last month. The unusually lyrical comment referred to the company’s partnership with a girls’ junior and senior ...
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ArticleJEH jumps back to double-digit sales increase in Q3
Japan Eyewear Holdings (JEH) revenue bounced back sharply in the third quarter of the group’s 2025/26 fiscal year, increasing by 18.2 percent year over year to 4.5 billion Japanese yen (€25m). In the first half of the year, the Japanese-based retail group’s topline increased by 7.7 percent versus FY 2024/25. ...
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ArticleItalian eyewear exports slip 3% in first eight months as US struggles, other markets improve
The value of Italian eyewear exports in the first eight months of 2025 fell by3.4 percent to €3,519 million as sales in the US continued to suffer in the wake of tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump earlier this year but markets in Europe and elsewhere showed signs of ...
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ArticleInspecs board accepts £85m takeover by two British entrepreneurs
Inspecs Group’s board has agreed to an £85 million acquisition by two British entrepreneurs Luke Johnson and Ian Livingstone, formerly majority owner and chairman of Optika Clulow, after rejecting offers from Safilo Group.
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ArticleGoogle announces first AI (audio) glasses for 2026
The first AI glasses developed by Google, in collaboration with Samsung and Qualcomm on the technology side and with Warby Parker on the frames side, will launch in 2026, the group said earlier this week during its Android Show/XR Edition event. This is the first time that a launch target ...
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ArticleFrench optical market driven by health care needs rather than fashion or promotions, new research stresses
A comprehensive survey of 3,000 French glasses wearers by the country’s main opticians’ association shows that the vast majority prioritise medical necessity over fashion when purchasing new eyewear, with 92% citing visual needs as their primary motivation for renewal.
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Carl Zeiss Meditec posts solid full-year results, terminates CEO mandate
Carl Zeiss Meditec has reported a 7.8 percent year-over-year increase in revenue to €2,228 million in the 2024/25 fiscal year ended Sept. 30. The company’s topline rose by 8.6 percent at constant currencies and by 3.3 percent on an organic basis. The revenue uptick was driven by the ...
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ArticleVSP launches third innovation challenge, scans the 'patient of the future'
VSP Vision, in partnership with Topcon Healthcare and Silicon Foundry, a venture capital firm investing in early-stage technology companies, is launching its third Innovation Challenge, “a worldwide call for visionary solutions that elevate the eye care experience and empower optometrists.” VSP 2026 Innovation Challenge kicks off The VSP Global ...
