Latest News Briefs – Page 8
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News briefsFrench company gets boost from French prez
The French eyewear company Visages, we have learned from VoxelMatters, gave Emmanuel Macron a pair of its 3D printed glasses at the Viva Technology show, held on June 11-14 in Paris, and in exchange received something of an endorsement from the French President, who has called them “surprisingly light” and ...
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Vuzix secures Quanta investment second tranche
Vuzix has announced that it has received the $5 million tranche investment from Taiwanese-based tech group Quanta Computer, bringing its total investment to date to $15 million. As reported then, Quanta and Vuzix announced a $20 million partnership in September last year, with an initial $10 million investment and two ...
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Mister Spex downgrades revenue forecast
Mister Spex has downgraded its revenue forecast for FY2025 after a “weaker-than-expected” second quarter which the group primarily attributes to increased price pressures, notably online and in the sunglasses segment. The German-based retailer said that it chose not to follow the intensified promotional trend in line with its turnaround plan ...
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Marcolin and Gant renew license agreement
Marcolin has announced the early renewal of its eyewear license agreement with fashion brand GANT. The partnership, which includes the design, production and distribution of GANT-branded sunglasses and eyeglasses, has been expanded to 2032. After Adidas and Guess?, it is the third license extension announced by the Italian eyewear maker ...
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Slower revenue growth, higher margins and new acquisition for JEH Holdings
Japanese-based retail group JEH Holdings has reported sales of 4,191 million yen (€25.1m) for its Q1 period ended April 30, 2025, up by 8.6 percent year on year but significantly down from its growth pace in the previous fiscal year (19.9 percent). Sales to inbound tourists to Japan accounted for ...
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Fittingbox gets Amazon-certified
Fittingbox has announced that it has been certified as a “trusted 3D content provider,” after the company successfully completed a training program developed by Pearson Vue for the global e-commerce giant. Practically, this means that companies selling eyewear on Amazon can use Fittingbox’ 3D-rendering technology to enhance their product presentation, ...
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CECOP launches geolocation website to boost members’ online visibility
CECOP is launching Ubika Optic, an optician geolocation website, in Spain. The online platform is designed to help end consumers find a CECOP member optician based on their geolocation, thus increasing the group’s retail members’ online visibility. Each CECOP optician has its own entry on www.ubikaoptic.com with the possibility to ...
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Top 50 US retailers up 4% in 2024, research finds
The top 50 US optical retailers saw their total sales rise by 4.0 percent year-on-year to $21.0 billion in 2024, according to Vision Monday’s annual report which can be read in full here. This marks a deceleration from the previous year when sales increased by 8.0 percent. The ranking is ...
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CVC sells its stake in Synsam Group
Synsam Group has announced that Theia Holdings, a subsidiary of CVC Capital Partners, has sold all of its 24,425,957 shares in the company (a 16.5 percent stake, approximately) for SEK 46.0 (€4.2) each or slightly below the stock market price. CVC Capital Partners has been the largest shareholder in the ...
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French voluntary retail group invests in second-hand eyewear startup
French optical retailer Atol has announced that it has become strategic partner and a shareholder in Zac, a startup specializing on the recycling and retailing of second-hand glasses in the country. The amount of Atol’s investment was not disclosed. The partnership will enable the collection and retail of second-hand glasses ...
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Lenskart prepares for IPO
Indian-based optical retailer Lenskart changed its registered name from Lenskart Solutions Private Limited to Lenskart Solutions Limited on May 30 during a special board meeting. According to several Indian business news outlets, the official name change will allow the company to launch its initial public offering. However, no detailed schedule ...
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EssilorLuxottica issues €1bn bond
EssilorLuxottica successfully launched a bond issuance for €1 billion yesterday, with the order book peaking at €2.5 billion and attracting quality institutional investors, the group said. The bond, which will mature in January 2030, carries a coupon of 2.625 percent with a yield of 2.76 percent. The group said that ...
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Marcolin and Guess longterm partnership to last much longer
Marcolin and GUESS? have announced the very early renewal of their current global license agreement for the design, production and distribution of GUESS- and Marciano-branded sunglasses and eyeglasses. The partnership, which was scheduled to end in 2030, has been extended until 2040. Fabrizio Curci, CEO of Marcolin, said that GUESS ...
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VSP Vision provided over $1m to optometry students through debt relief program
VSP Vision announced that it has provided over $1 million in debt relief through its optometry student loan repayment program, which started in 2023. The company has supported 30 optometry students for the repayment of their loans and plans to fund 20 new recipients this year. Not limited to ...
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Mister Spex launches eye health check service
Mister Spex has announced that it will roll out its eye health check service in all its 65 stores by the end of the month. Aimed at customers over 40 years old, the service includes a refraction, an anamnesis (medical history), the measurement of intraocular pressure and a high-resolution fundus ...
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HOYA Vision Care acquires Centennial Optical
HOYA Vision Care is acquiring Centennial Optical, a Canadian distributor of eyeglasses frames and lenses, sunglasses, lens lab supplies and optical accessories. Centennial’s current lens portfolio includes Rodenstock, Kodak Younger Optics and two house brands (CHOICE and Centroptic). On the frames side, its offering includes brands such as Ben Sherman, ...
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Tifosi Optics appoints new COO
Tifosi Optics, the US brand of sports eyewear, has appointed Michelle Crockett as its new Chief Operating Officer. Crockett joins Tifosi Optics from C&C Consultant Services, where she provided interim leadership and strategic support for eyewear companies like Smith Optics (Safilo Group) and Glasses USA. Her previous experiences include senior ...
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Gentle Monster parent company revenue up 30% in FY2024
According to several reports in several South Korean news outlets, including here, iiCombined, the parent company of Gentle Monster, has posted sales of 789.1 billion korean (€505m) won in fiscal 2024, up 29.7 percent year on year. The eyewear brand accounted for roughly 80 percent of total revenue, followed by ...
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Topcon Healthcare invests in AI health tech company
Topcon Healthcare is making a strategic investment in Pangaea Data, a health tech and artificial intelligence (AI) company specializing in the automatic identification of untreated or under-treated patients for health care practitioners. Pangea Data operates offices in San Francisco, London and Hong Kong. The company’s platform, already deployed in several ...
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Hoya Lens Iberia has a new managing director
HOYA Lens Iberia has announced the appointment of Jaume Sugrañes Mailho as it new Managing Director, overseeing the company’s business in Spain and Portugal. Sugrañes Mailho joined HOYA in 2019 as Sales Manager for Spain and has served as Business Development Director for Western Europe since January 2024. Earlier in ...
