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Synsam adds new house brand, plans to double Swedish plant output this year
Only a few weeks after the launch of Isak.V, Synsam Group has announced the creation of Alicia Lind, a new house brand made in its in Swedish factory in Frösön. The new brand’s first collection includes 14 ophthalmic frames retailing at 2,500 Swedish crowns (€234), and six sunglasses (SEK 1,500 ...
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European software suppliers partner to simplify optical shops order management
OCUCO, EVEX/OPTIC and Neox-IT, three practice management software suppliers respectively based in Ireland, Germany and France, are partnering in the UK to simplify access to suppliers’ catalogs and order processes for opticians in the country. The integration is made through iZyCoreConnect, a platform developed by IZySolutions, NeoX-IT’s parent company. The ...
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Alain Afflelou launches audio glasses private label
Alain Affelou is launching Magic Connect, a pair of modular audio glasses, across its retail network in France, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxemburg and Portugal. Weighing 30 grams and connected by Bluetooth to a nearby smartphone, the glasses integrate touch pads, speakers and a microphone for audio functionalities such as placing ...
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ArticleNational Vision sees adjusted comp sales rising 3-6% as product mix, customer shift continues
National Vision said it expects adjusted comparable sales to rise by 3-6 percent in 2026, as it pointed to success in efforts to increase the share of premium eyewear in its product mix and attract a growing number of managed care and other more profitable customers. The US optical retailer ...
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ArticleReported Meta-Essilux arm-wrestling on AI glasses pricing highlights diverging priorities
Meta and EssilorLuxottica are working through disagreements over the pricing and promotion strategy of their Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, with the tech giant pushing for lower prices and the eyewear group pushing in the opposite direction, according to “people familiar with the matter” quoted by Bloomberg News earlier this week. ...
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European fashion retail group tests the distribution of Reebok audio glasses
MODIVO Group, a European footwear and apparel retailer, will test the distribution of Innovative Eyewear’s audio glasses in its Sklep Biegacza running stores. The partnership will initially focus on Reebok, one of the licensed brands in Lucyd’s portfolio, which also includes Eddie Bauer and Nautica (all from Authentic Brands Group) ...
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ArticleVision Group CEO sees ‘a lot of white space’ to expand store fleet
Vision Group has made expansion through acquisitions a key part of its growth strategy, and there’s no sign that will change anytime soon. Marco Procacciante, the CEO and founder of the eyewear retailer that boasts Italy’s largest network of optical stores Eyewear Intelligence that he sees “a lot of white ...
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Eyes + More switches gear in Sweden
Nexeye opened three new Eyes + More stores in Sweden earlier this month, bringing its total footprint in the country to four locations. The stores are located in Gothenburg, Norrköping and Malmö (2). The group says that it is planning to open dozens of Eyes + More stores across Sweden ...
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News briefsFrench optical sees modest gains in FY25, survey says
A survey conducted by Acuité of about 350 opticians in France shows year-on-year sales growth of about +1.5 percent for FY 2025, up from 2024’s 0.9 percent. Some 61 percent of respondents report positive revenues for 2025. The optical/eyewear sector saw modest growth of 1.5 percent – more than apparel ...
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Ace & Tate takes over small Spanish DTC brand
Ace & Tate, the Dutch-based eyewear company, is acquiring Project Lobster, a Spanish direct-to-consumer omnichannel eyewear brand that filed for bankruptcy at the end of 2025. Ace & Tate will take over five of the seven Project Lobster stores located in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, and keep operating them under ...
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MIDO Awards celebrate store designs and innovation, industry sustainability efforts
The MIDO 2026 Awards ceremony that was held at the international trade show in Milan last weekend focused on retail experience and sustainability. On the retail side, two optical shops in Lisbon, Portugal, have received the Best Store Award: AndréOpticas Chiado was recognized for its store design inspired by vintage ...
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ArticleKenyan retail startup aims for scale and impact in East Africa
Backed by Japanese and Indian investors and by a French optical retail veteran, Kenyan optical retail startup Mamy Eyewear plans to grow from five stores in Nairobi to over 100 locations in East Africa within five years, leveraging AI-powered eye exams and affordable pricing to address the region’s critical shortage of eye care services.
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Eyes + More opens 300th store
Eyes + More has announced the opening of its 300th store, a 93-square-meter location in Linz, Austria. The retail chain, which also operates stores in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden, is now targeting 30 openings in Austria in the midterm. At the European scale, it has set itself a ...
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KITS EYECARE opens second store, secures C$15m lending facility
KITS EYECARE, the Canadian-based e-tailer, will be opening in Q1 2026 a 230-square-meter store in Toronto, its second brick-and-mortar location. The decision to open a new store, which also includes a café space, is grounded in the success of the Vancouver flagship shop, the company explained: opened in 2021, the ...
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ArticleZEISS leverages vision care synergies in smart eyewear, ophthalmology
ZEISS has announced the creation of a new strategic business unit called ZEISS Extended Reality which, combined with ZEISS Vision Care, will make up the group’s Consumer Markets segment. Established last month, ZEISS Extended Reality will unite in one division the different teams that have been working on extended reality ...
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Megane Ichiba targets 30% market share in Japan
Megane Ichiba, the leading optical retailer in Japan under the Megane Top banner, is aiming to increase its domestic market share from 20 percent currently to 30 percent in the midterm, President Masahiro Tomizawa said in an interview with the Nikkei Shinbun last week. Tomizawa also set a target of ...
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ArticleNational Vision outlines path to high-single-digit sales growth, margin expansion
National Vision announced plans for high-single-digit sales growth in each of the five years through fiscal year 2030, as it looks to further broaden its focus beyond its traditional cash-paying customer, increase the share of premium products and open 240 new stores. Comparable sales are seen increasing at a mid-single-digit ...
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ArticleAfflelou network sales up 5% in FY2025
Network sales were up mid-single digits in France and Spain, the retailer’s two key markets. Margins also progressed year over year despite increasing and substantial debt-related costs.
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Zoff topline jumps by 21% in Q3
Zoff revenue jumped by 21.2 percent year on year in Q3 to 14.4 billion Japanese yen (€79m), more than doubling in growth pace from the 10.1 percent increase reported for H1. The Japanese-based retail group saw its topline progress by 14.0 percent to ¥38.3 billion (€211m) in the first nine ...
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ArticleStrong Q3 sales growth for Synsam despite Denmark subscriptions slump
Synsam Group revenue returned to double-digit growth in Q3 after a 6.9 percent hike in the previous quarter. Total quarterly sales rose by 11.0 percent year over year to 1,731 million Swedish crowns (€158m), driven by sharp increases in Sweden and Norway (see table). They were up by 12.4 percent ...
