Things are getting better for Rodenstock. The German producer of eyeglass lenses and spectacle frames managed to record a sales increase of 4.8 percent to €361 million in 2010 – the first increase since 2007.

With revenues of €282 million, the business area of eyeglass lenses accounted for 78 percent of the company's total turnover. Sunglasses and spectacle frames made up 18 percent of total sales, reaching €65 million in 2010. Other business areas accounted for 4 percent of the turnover, or €13.2 million.

Rodenstock's new management is looking at annual sales increases of between 3 and 5 percent between now and 2015. As previously reported, much of this growth should come from the eyewear segment, whose sales are expected to double. It wants to do this by concentrating on its strongest brands, including Rodenstock, Porsche Design, Alfred Dunhill and Mercedes-Benz. Less successful licensed brands will be put to a test in view of downsizing the brand portfolio, reducing costs and the complexity of the operations.