Retail & Distribution
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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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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.
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ArticleNational Vision downgrades outlook after mixed Q2, announces stores fleet review and new president
Following lower-than-expected results for Q2 2024 and a downgrade of its full-year outlook, National Vision has announced a series of initiatives aimed at driving future profitable growth.
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ArticleMister Spex founder and CEO steps down, former Luxottica manager takes key role
Effective July 31, 2024, Dirk Graber, founder of German-based retail group Mister Spex, is stepping down from his role as CEO of the company after the supervisory board accepted his request to be relieved from his duties. The announcement, which comes only a few months after the departure of former ...
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ArticlePrivate equity fund about to invest in Lunettes Pour Tous
Quilvest Capital Partners, a global investment fund with over $7 billion in assets under management, is in advanced talks for the acquisition of a significant share in French-based optical retail group Lunettes Pour Tous, according to a recent article by L’Informé, a French independent business news website. This followed an ...
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ArticleDouble-digit growth puts Specsavers above the £4 bn annual revenue mark
Publishing its annual business review for its fiscal year ended Feb. 29, 2024, Specsavers has reported group revenue of £4.01 billion, up by 10.3 percent year-on-year at constant exchange rates. This marks a strong improvement from the previous fiscal year when sales were up by 5.6 percent. The performance also ...
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ArticleBacked by new investor, Vision Group aims for more acquisitions
London-based alternative asset manager ICG has agreed to purchase a 49.4 percent stake in the leading Italian eyewear retailer Vision Group as part of a management buyout, acquiring the roughly 46 percent stake held by former private equity group backer Arcadia along with shares from other unnamed investors. ICG will ...
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ArticleFielmann banks on US business and vision care services for mid-term growth
The final annual results for fiscal 2023 released yesterday by Fielmann Group confirm all preliminary results announced in February, notably the double-digit increase in external sales and consolidated sales versus 2022 and a significant rebound in profitability (see table below). Please refer to our previous report for more details on ...
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ArticleNew owner for Nexeye retail group
Global investment firm KKR will become the new majority shareholder of Nexeye, the Dutch-based retail group operating the Hans Anders, Eyes + More and Direkt Optik chains, acquiring it from 3i, another investment fund that owned the company since 2017. The agreement is subject to regulatory approval, but it does ...
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ArticleTwo top-ten German optical retailers join forces to take over Edel-Optics
Optiker Bode and ROTTLER, two family-owned and historical optical retail chains respectively based in Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia, are joining forces to take over Edel-Optics, an online optical retail pionneer in both Germany and Europe. Founded in 2009, the company had filed for insolvency proceedings in February. Edel-Optics has ...
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ArticleEssilorLuxottica expands retail partnership with Reliance Brands in India
EssilorLuxottica is expanding the scope ot its partnership with India’s Reliance Brands, which is taking over the development of the LensCrafters banner and the managing of its franchising network in the country. The development of the LensCrafters franchise was previously in the hands of DLF Brands and a first store ...
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ArticleEssilorLuxottica acquires Japanese retail chain
EssilorLuxottica is about to deploy its full-scale vertical-integration business model in Japan. We have learned that the Italo-French group has acquired the business of Washin Optical, a Japanese mid-size optical retailer founded in 1951, through its Luxottica Japan subsidiary. The information has not been officially announced by the group yet, ...
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ArticleFielmann remains committed to Italian market after closures announcement
After reports in the Italian press at the end of last year that Fielmann was preparing to shut down 11 of its 54 stores in the country, the German-based retail group confirmed some closures but remains intent on developing its network in the country. “Fielmann reaffirms commitment to the Italian ...
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ArticleMorrow Eyewear kicks off European expansion with Novacel partnership
Morrow Eyewear, the Belgian-based company specializing in autofocal glasses, has announced the signature of a partnership with Novacel Optical for the distribution of its eProgressive Glasses in France and Switzerland. The company said that the agreement would enable over 30 million presbyopes in the two countries with its pioneering technology. ...
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ArticleKarün Eyewear to get a Walmart boost
Karün Eyewear, the Chile-based brand of eyewear made from recycled and traceable materials, has signed a nationwide, but non-exclusive, partnership with Walmart for the distribution of its frames in the U.S. retail giant’s Walmart Vision Centers. ”We chose to work with Walmart as our U.S. national retailer to expand access ...
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ArticleAn optical center in 15 minutes and a new investor for Vision Group
Vision Group, one of Italy’s leading eyewear retailers, aims to expand its domestic footprint further before looking at eventual growth opportunities further afield. Marco Procacciante, CEO, talked to Eyewear Intelligence about Vision Group’s growth plans, which are aimed at serving 85 percent of the Italian population with a VisionOttica store ...
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ArticleLunor sees room for international expansion
Lunor, the German-based eyewear company, is looking to reinforce and expand its international presence, notably in Europe and Asia, through a mix of partnerships with long-term distributors and direct distribution in some selected markets. We discussed the company’s international strategy with Thomas Dobler, the German senior manager who was appointed ...
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ArticleFielmann launches proprietary online vision check tool, reports good H1 results
Reporting its preliminary results for the first half of 2023 earlier today, Fielmann Group announced that it would enhance its German e-commerce website next month with a new vision check tool based on a proprietary measurement technology. The new system willl allow users of fielmann.de to check online whether their ...
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ArticleAlain Afflelou banner posts 8% growth in Q3, Spain up double digits
The Afflelou Group has reported a 4.2 percent year-on-year increase in external sales to €220 million (see table) for its third quarter, ended April 30. On a like-for-like basis, they were up by 5.1 percent versus FY 2022. The company commented that the quarterly sales uptick reflected higher volumes rather ...
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ArticleMore “boutique” and more lenses on Mister Spex roadmap
2022 was a mixed year for Mister Spex. While the German-based retailer’s sales kept growing relatively fast – by 8 percent overall and by 11 percent in Germany – profit ratios remained in the red. This led the company to launch a cost-reduction plan in September 2022 and an announcement ...
