All articles by Pierre-Marie Bernard
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ArticleIndustry stocks inched up in Q3, driven by contact lens companies
The share price of stock-listed eyewear companies increased by 1.5 percent in the three-month period ended Sept. 30, underperforming the MSCI World Index which includes 1,500 companies worldwide across different sectors and grew by 6.7 percent. As usual, however, our quarterly eyewear industry-specific average is calculated on a non-weighted average ...
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Article“The last thing we want to be is a product for geeks,” Morrow Eyewear CEO
Morrow Eyewear just launched the third generation of its liquid crystal multifocal glasses. CEO Frederiek Yesbaert explains the recent upgrades and discusses the startup’s mid-term roadmap in terms of product development and distribution.
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ArticleNikon stock value jumps on Essilux 5% stake news
Nikon Corporation stock price increased significantly after official filings revealed that EssilorLuxottica, its long-time partner in ophthalmic lenses, had increased its stake in the company to 5.1 percent.
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ArticleHakim Group maintained strong momentum in 2023
Group revenue jumped by 40 percent in 2023, in line with the previous year’s pace, despite fewer acquisitions.
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ArticleSilmo reports slight attendance increase, celebrates Silmo d’Or 30th anniversary
Organizers of SILMO Paris have announced that 32,125 visitors took part in the 2024 edition of the show that took place from Sept. 20 to 23, improving from the 31,337 who came last year and inching up closer to the pre-COVID levels (approximately 35,000). A little over half (52 percent) ...
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ArticleNew alliance in the Middle East optical retail sector
MAGRABI Retail Group, the leading optical retailer in the Middle East region, has announced that it will take over 89 Rivoli Vision stores across the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain in what was described as a merger and an historic partnership. The alliance of the two multi-brand retailers will expand ...
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ArticlePrice reductions and Southeast Asian competition pressure Arts Optical ODM business
Eyewear manufacturer Arts Optical has reported mixed results for the first half of fiscal 2024. While the topline maintained a high-single digit growth pace, reaching $606 million Hong Kong dollars (€70 m), the group’s key Original Design Manufacturing (ODM) division underperformed. Furthermore, profitability continued to decline at both gross and ...
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ArticleZEISS invests in light field display technology startup with vision care platform in mind
CREAL, a display technology startup based in Switzerland, has announced that ZEISS will license its light field display technology and integrate it into its vision care devices. By replicating real-world light to provide digital imagery with genuine depth, CREAL’s light field 3D display technology enables the digital replication of any ...
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ArticleJapanese upmarket retail group JEH shows no signs of slowing down
JEH Holdings, operator of the Kaneko and 999.9 retail chains, posts another strong quarter as inbound tourism keeps boosting sales volumes and average prices.
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ArticleEssilux and Meta announce long-term partnership
EssilorLuxottica and Meta have announced that they will collaborate on the development of multi-generational smart eyewear products into the next decade, building on their Meta Ray-Ban success.
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ArticleMYKITA signs unexpected partnership with an LVMH brand
German eyewear designed brand has announced a partnership on a co-branded sunglasses collection with Rimowa, a brand of French luxury group LVMH, which usually entrusts its eyewear projects to its own eyewear subsidiary.
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ArticleHong Kong-based Icare to open eyewear factory in France
Icare, the eyewear manufacturer based in Hong Kong, is investing over €5 million in the building of a new eyewear factory in France, which will complement its industrial structure that currently includes production sites in China and Cambodia. The new facility will be established in Vendôme, a small city in ...
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ArticleInspecs topline down 5% in H1, rebound expected in H2
Confirming its previous guidance on a business slowdown in the first half of this year, INSPECS Group has announced that its H1 revenue declined by 7.3 percent year-on-year to £103.0 million (€122m). At constant exchange rates, sales were down by 5.2 percent versus H1 2023. Inspecs attributed the sales drop ...
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ArticleRodenstock to repurpose main German site as engineering center and transfer lens production to Czech plant
German-based lens maker has announced the transfer of its lens production from its German site in Regen to its plant in the Czech Republic in the coming months. Regen will be repurposed as engineering and R&D center and its workforce will be halved in the process.
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ArticleSpecsavers profitability keeps declining
Specsavers has seen its profitability decline again in fiscal 2023/24, with its operating margin sliding below the 10 percent mark for the second consecutive year.
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ArticleInnovation, digitization, sustainability and selective retail on 60 year-old Silhouette’s agenda
Silhouette celebrates its 60th company anniversary with product innovations while focusing on qualitative retail distribution, digitization, sustainability and independence.
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ArticleUS business propels Fielmann topline over €1bn in H1 while price mix effects bolster margin gains
Driven by its US acquisitions and price-mix improvements, Fielmann Group has reported a double-digit revenue increase and significant margin improvements in H1 2024.
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ArticleCooperVision upgrades FY outlook again as topline momentum continues
CooperCompanies has upgraded its fiscal 2024 financial outlook for its CooperVision business unit following a second consecutive quarter of double-digit organic revenue growth.
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ArticleFast-growing Thai Optical Group to increase RX capacity by 25%
Lens manufacturer Thai Optical Group is planning significant investments in RX lenses production capacity increase as the segment revenue increased by 50 percent in H1 2024, driven by the Americas and Europe.
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ArticleSynsam posts record earnings in Q2
Nordics optical retail leader group Synsam has posted record earnings on a return to double-digit revenue growth for Q2 2024, driven by fast-growing eyeglasses and contact lenses’ subscriptions.
