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Essilux topline still up double digits in Q1 despite wholesale slowdown
EssilorLuxottica reported Q1 sales up 4.1 percent year on year to €7,127 million, or 10.8 percent at constant exchange rates, with the gap largely reflecting the weaker US dollar against the euro in recent months. “With the third consecutive quarter of double-digit growth, we once again demonstrate the strength and ...
Eyewear remains 'highly attractive and reliable growth engine' for Kering
Kering Eyewear quarterly revenue reached a record high of €489 million in Q1, growing by 3 percent year on year or by 7 percent on a comparable basis. The performance marks a significant acceleration from Q4 2025 when sales declined by 2 percent (+3 percent in comparable terms).
JINS finds “second growth engine” overseas as domestic business disappoints
JINS HOLDINGS lowered its full-year outlook for fiscal 2025/26 (ending Aug. 31) after first-half results showed a mixed performance: double-digit revenue growth but a sharp drop in domestic profitability.
Chinese smart glasses firms eye IPOs in race with big tech
Prominent Chinese smart glasses companies are increasingly turning to the stock market to fund their growth in a fast-moving, highly competitive sector.
Del Vecchio heir and Essilux manager increases stake in controlling shareholder Delfin
Leonardo Maria del Vecchio, Chief Strategy Officer at EssilorLuxottica and one of the heirs of Luxottica founder Leonardo del Vecchio, has reached a deal that will make him the largest shareholder in Delfin, the Del Vecchio holding company that in turn controls Essilux with a 32.4 percent stake.
Safilo in exclusive talks to acquire Spy+ and Serengeti from Bollé Brands
Safilo Group appears set to acquire the SPY+ and Serengeti brands from Bollé Brands, after the signature of an exclusive agreement between the two companies was announced earlier this week. Although no transaction has been finalized at this stage as discussions are still ongoing, the deal seems very likely to ...
Kering Eyewear expects 'execution' and AI glasses to drive next growth phase
Kering presented yesterday ReconKering, its strategic turnaround plan, to investors during its Capital Markets Day (CMD) in Florence, Italy. “ReconKering is designed to restore clarity, rebuild execution discipline and place the Group back on a long‑term leadership trajectory,” the official release reads.
Julbo tops €50m in sales as new owner builds on brand heritage
After more than 135 years of history, including over four decades under the leadership of the Beaud family, Julbo was acquired by Peugeot Frères Industries, the investment arm of the Peugeot family, in 2022. We recently sat down with Damien Guillobez, CEO of Julbo, to discuss the sport eyewear company’s ...
GlassesUSA.com parent company increase capacity
Optimax Eyewear Group, the operator of GlassesUSA.com, is expanding the manufacturing capacity of its Atlanta facility by 50 percent by investing “heavily in automation and optical precision.” The move follows a 30 percent year-over-year surge in orders, the company said, stressing the positive impact of three of its satellite businesses: OTTICA, a multi-brand luxury eyewear online shop, FORK Eyewear, a sunglasses brand and United Vision ...
AI startup takes aim at eyewear e-tail shortcomings
Eyvero.AI, a Balkans-based IT startup, is launching several AI-powered tools, covering areas such as virtual try-on, or rather “anatomic immersion” as the company puts it, progressive lens fitting analysis, and the creation of digital frame images and marketing materials.
GlassesUSA.com operator launches multi-brand luxury eyewear webshop
Most large eyewear companies in the luxury segment, save one, partner with the new online shop.
Ultracheap Blacksheep flagship store to open at Paris’ BHV – except not
Blacksheep, a French-based pure online player selling ultra-low-priced eyewear, is reportedly preparing to open a 200-square-meter shop at the BHV department store in Paris, for what seems to be the brand’s first venture into brick-and-mortal retail. Founded by Pierre Wizman – the French entrepreneur that created Polette, another DTC eyewear ...
Spain to face shortage of opticians, FEDAO warns
Spain’s boomers are retiring, and its subsequent generations have produced too few opticians to replace them. The warning comes from FEDAO, the federation of Spanish optical trade associations, which with Deloitte’s help has confirmed a structural deficit in the industry. The 2025 edition of FEDAO’s Libro blanco de la visión ...
Eyewear companies’ average stock price down 3% in Q1
The stock prices of the 25 listed eyewear companies composing our quarterly chart decreased by 3.4 percent on a non-weighted average basis in Q1 2026. While the decline marks a sharp contrast with the 8.9 percent growth recorded in the preceding quarter, it largely reflects a difficult quarter for stock ...
National subsidies boost smart eyewear sales during Chinese Spring festival
Sales of AI glasses at Huaqjianbei, the world’s biggest electronics wholesale market located in Shenzhen, jumped by 80 percent year on year during the Chinese Spring Festival earlier this month, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP). The surge was partly caused by the inclusion of the product category ...
French 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.
