The latest news, analysis and data on corporate strategic initiatives, the latest mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, insolvencies and cooperations in the eyewear industry.
Del Vecchio heir calls for a change of strategy at Essilux
Leonardo Maria del Vecchio, one of the eight heirs of Luxottica founder Leonardo Del Vecchio, called for a change of strategy at EssilorLuxottica, in which the Del Vecchio family holding company Delfin is the largest shareholder with a 32.4 percent stake, noting that value of the eyewear giant’s stock has ...
Del Vecchio heir steps down from Essilux management positions
Leonardo Maria del Vecchio, one of the eight heirs of Luxottica founder Leonardo del Vecchio, is stepping down from the management positions he holds at EssilorLuxottica, namely Chief Strategy Office and President of the Ray-Ban brand, the company confirmed.
ZEISS bets on eye-tracking as smart glasses learn to look inward too
ZEISS Ventures has led a €2.2 million investment round in SeeTrue Technologies, a Finnish tech company developing miniaturized eye-tracking technology, the group announced on August 5. Superhero Capital and North Karelia Growth Fund also participated, alongside other investors. The funding is aimed at accelerating the commercialization of SeeTrue’s low-power eye-sensing ...
Delfin considering asset spinoff, shareholding pact for controlling Essilux stake
Delfin, the Del Vecchio family holding company that controls EssilorLuxottica with a 32.4 percent stake, is considering a spinoff of its assets among other possible solutions to an impasse between the heirs of Luxottica founder Leonardo Del Vecchio, according to a report in Il Sole 24 Ore.
SENZ and the bid to bundle AR’s visual stack
On June 17 Applied Materials announced an OEM system for smart glasses, comprising waveguide optics, a light engine, sensing, vision correction and electronic dimming.
Essilux owner Delfin approves financial statements as impasse over revamp continues
Shareholders of the Del Vecchio family holding company Delfin, the controlling shareholder of EssilorLuxottica, approved 2025 financial statements in a meeting on June 30, but a deadlock over a planned reorganization to overhaul the ownership structure of the holding company moved no closer to being resolved as a clash between ...
Revamp at Essilux owner Delfin hits snag
A plan for Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio to become the largest shareholder in the Del Vecchio family holding company Delfin that controls EssilorLuxottica is up in the air, after banks financing the €10 billion deal sought new guarantees from Delfin itself.
Essilux and Applied Materials partner on R&D to tackle the AR glasses display conundrum
EssilorLuxottica has announced a joint development agreement with Applied Materials, a global leader in materials engineering, in the wearable technology domain. The objective of the partnership is “to develop lightweight, high-performance optical systems critical to scalable AR experiences.”
Qualcomm invests $10 million in Inspecs, launches smart eyewear turnkey program
Qualcomm Technologies, the global leader in wireless chipsets for electronics, is investing $10 million in Inspecs, the UK-based eyewear group, announced yesterday. We estimate that the investment, which is being made through the purchase of newly issued ordinary shares, will give Qualcomm a 6–7 percent stake in Inspecs. The proceeds ...
Essilux brings some wearables production to Italy with R&D synergies and supply chain risks in mind
EssilorLuxottica will start producing some wearables at its Agordo plant in Veneto, Italy, by early 2027, the group and a coordination of three trade unions (Filctem CGIL, Femca CISL, Uiltec UIL) announced earlier this week. While most of the production of such products, including the AI and AR glasses developed ...