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Menicon to build a new factory in Japan
Japanese-based contact lens maker Menicon has announced the acquisition of a 93,000 square-meter site in Fukui prefecture, Japan. The company will build there what will become its largest domestic production site for contact lenses and lens care products and is also considering the establishme of research and development operations related ...
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Safilo Group and Missoni extend eyewear partnership
Safilo Group has announced the renewal until 2029 of its license agreement for the design, production and global distribution of Missoni-branded eyewear. Safilo has been partnering with the women’s luxury fashion brand since 2020 and Angelo Trocchia, CEO of the eyewear group, stressed that the Missoni eyewear collection has been ...
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Marcolin negotiations with strategic investors reportedly hit a €1.3 billion snag
According to an article published last Saturday by the Financial Times (FT), EssilorLuxottica, Kering, Safilo and Marchon have all expressed interest in the acquisition of Marcolin, as PAI Partners is looking to sell its majority stake in the company. While EssilorLuxottica and Kering seem to be the most likely candidates ...
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Menicon partners with Japanese universities for research on CL materials and recycling
In a double initiative aimed at researching next-generation materials for contact lenses and at recycling plastic waste generated for their distribution, Menicon has announced the creation of the Research Center for Miru Mirai (litterally “see” and “future” in Japanese) in partnership with the Tohoku University. The University of Tokyo will ...
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The Vision Council looks at US glasses wearers’ style preferences
US women are twice as likely as men to choose tortoise (26 percent vs. 12 percent) or multicolor frames (24 percent vs. 10 percent) when they purchase glasses. Conversely, men tend to opt more often than women for metallic frames (34 percent vs. 21 percent). These are some of the ...
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EssilorLuxottica and Dolce&Gabbana eyewear partnership extended to 2039
EssilorLuxottica and Dolce&Gabbana (D&G) have announced the early renewal of their licensing agreement for the design, production and global distribution of D&G-branded prescription frames and sunglasses. Effective since Jan. 1, 2020, the current agreement was set to expire at the end of 2029, but both parties have agreed to replace ...
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Generational change at the helm of Charmant Group
Japanese-based Charmant Group has announced the appointment of Koji Horikawa as its new president and CEO, succeeding his father Kaoru Horikawa, founder of the company. The decision was approved at a shareholder meeting a few days ago. Koji Horikawa started working for Charmant 34 years ago and has since then ...
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OBE acquires Italian components manufacturer
OBE Group, the German-based specialist in hinges, has announced the acquisition of OMM, a supplier of made-in-Italy metal components to high-end eyewear manufacturers. Founded in 1978 and located in the Cadore eyewear cluster in Italy, OMM currently employs 40 people. The acquisition enables OBE to add another production facility to ...
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Serengeti Eyewear operations return to the U.S.
Bollé Brands has announced that it was moving its global Serengeti Eyewear operations from Lyon, France, to its U.S. headquarters in Carlsbad, California in order to reignite the “American soul” of the brand. The relocated global management positions include brand vision, marketing, creative and product development and will come under ...
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Karün Eyewear and partner to turn cigarette butts into eyewear frames
Karün Eyewear, the Patagonia-based eyewear brand, announced at the recent Mido show in Milan that it would soon launch eyewear frames made from Celion, a new cellulose acetate material recycled from cigarette butts. Celion is supplied by IMEKO, also a Chilean-based and certified B Corporation, which collects and chemically processes ...
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Alcon Q4 contact lens sales jump 9%
Alcon reported sales of contact lenses totaling $579 million in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, up by 9 percent on a reported basis compared to the year earlier and 10 percent higher at constant-currency rates. The company said that product innovation had driven strong demand for contact lenses, including ...
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Mondottica Group to develop Reebok eyewear license
Mondottica Group and Authentic Brands Group (Authentic) have announced the signature of a license agreement for the design, production and global distribution of optical frames and sunglasses for Reebok, one of the 50+ brands in Authentic’s portfolio. The first Reebok eyewear collection under this parthership, which was previewed at the ...
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100% Optical ends 10th edition show with record attendance
Organizers of the 100% Optical show that closed its doors on Feb 26 in London have announced that this year’s edition, which marked the event’s 10th anniversary, has drawn 11,725 attendees or approximately 10 percent more than the year before. The trade fair exhibitors included instrument manufacturers, software providers, contact ...
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General Óptica promotes new CEO from within
Juan Antonio Franzi is replacing Jordi Fontcuberta as CEO of General Óptica, the Spanish-based optical retail chain belonging to Italian eyewear maker De Rigo. Fontcuberta is retiring after 24 years at the helm of the company, which expanded from about a hundred to three hundred shops during his tenure, including ...
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Maui Jim partners with Red Bull events
Maui Jim has announced that it has signed a three-year partnership with Red Bull for the “co-creation” of a series of action sports events. These Red Bull-branded events, focused on skateboarding and watersports, include Boarding Pass and Terminal Takeover (skateboard, New Orleans, U.S.), Magnitude (surf, Hawaii, U.S.), Cope ‘n’ waken ...
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EssilorLuxottica and Michael Kors extend their collaboration
EssilorLuxottica and Michael Kors have announced the early renewal of their licensing agreement for the design, production and global distribution of prescription frames and sunglasses under the Michael Kors brand. Both companies started their eyewear partnership in 2015. The new agreement will take effect from Jan. 1, 2025 for a ...
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French families rank their favorite optical chains
“Marques et familles” (Brands & Families), a French marketing organization researching French families’ favorite brands in different sectors, has released the results of the 10th edition of its survey which was based on a poll with close to 2,000 families at the end of 2023. In the optical retail category, ...
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Wiley X to reshore assembling of products at HQ
Wiley X, the U.S.-based brand of protective eyewear for professionals and outdoor enthusiasts, has announced that it would start to assemble all new products from its 2024 collections and beyond in-house at its headquarters in Frisco, Texas. The company said that the initiative would enable it to expand its manufacturing ...
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Safilo emissions reduction targets approved by SBTi
Safilo Group has announced that its near-term science-based sustainability targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI). The organization is a partnership between Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). According to its ...
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Anfao exits Confindustria Moda
Italian eyewear industry association Anfao said it was exiting Confindustria Moda, the umbrella association representing the country’s fashion industry. Anfao’s exit comes after Sistema Moda Italia (SMI), which groups textile and apparel firms, and Ferorarafi, for jewelers, left the body. According to Anfao, a founding member of Confindustria Moda, the ...