The latest news, analysis and data on corporate strategic initiatives, the latest mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, insolvencies and cooperations in the eyewear industry.
New 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 ...
Hoya production and order systems greatly affected by cyberattack
Please click here for the most recent update on this news.
New management structure and increased retail focus for MPG
Following the death at the end of 2023 of Dr. Michael Pachleitner, its founder and CEO, the eponymous MPG (Michael Pachleitner Group) is entering a new era of its history with a new management structure and a strategic focus on the development of its retail business unit. We sat down ...
Two 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.
iVision Tech enter lens business as 2023 parent company sales rise 19%
The Italian eyewear group iVision Tech announced it was entering the lens sector with the acquisition of a 60 percent stake in Bulgarian lens producer IVILENS OOD for €280,000, as it continues on the acquisition path following the purchase of the French high-end eyewear manufacturer Henry Jullien in September.
New owner for Horizons Optical
Oakley Capital, a London-based private equity investor focusing on mid-sized companies, has announced its acquisition of a majority share in Horizons Optical, the Spanish-based supplier of software and equipment for the production of customized ophthalmic lenses. Horizons Optical, which was originally the R&D division Indo Optical was spun off from ...
Mazzucchelli takes further steps on sustainability journey
Mazzucchelli 1849 is building a new factory in its hometown of Castiglione Olona in northern Italy, set to be opened in the second half of this year. Giampietro Pedrazzini, CEO, spoke to us recently about how that facility fits into Mazzucchelli’s plans to reduce its environmental footprint, along with other ...
Hans Anders and Eyes + More owner up for sale
According to various reports in the Dutch financial press, which we could confirm with people close to the matter, the optical retail group behind the Hans Anders, Eyes + More and Direkt Optik banners has been put up for sale by 3i, its major shareholder since 2017. In its last ...
Backed by new financial partner, Opal-Demetz plans more M&A
We have learned at the recent Mido show in Milan that Opal-Demetz, the French company specializing in children’s eyewear, sports eyewear and low-cost frames known as in France a “deuxième paire” (a second pair of eyeglasses, sold at a nominal fee to customers), opened its capital to private equity at ...
Rodenstock upgrades portfolio, fine-tunes group strategy and synergies
After its participation at the opti show in Munich in January, Rodenstock presented its latest innovations at its booth during the Mido show in Milan, from Feb. 3 to 5. The German-based lens maker introduced this year its new LayR coating, which it describes as an extension of its biometric ...