The latest news, analysis and data on corporate strategic initiatives, the latest mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, insolvencies and cooperations in the eyewear industry.
Magrabi aims to consolidate regional leadership before entering new markets
Following up on our article last February about the expansion of MAGRABI Retail Group, the leading optical retailer in the Middle East region, we talked with Yasser Taher, who was appointed CEO of the family-owned group at the start of this year, after having served as Chief Operating Officer since ...
EssilorLuxottica integrates Bliz to sports portfolio
EssilorLuxottica has announced the integration of BLIZ, a brand of sport eyewear, snow goggles and helmets, in its sport portfolio which already includes Oakley and Costa. The brand was previously owned by Future Eyewear, a Swedish-based eyewear company selling and distributing other brands like Dr. Zipe (sport eyewear), Prestige (sunglasses) ...
Thélios acquires Barton Perreira
Thélios, the eyewear entity of LVMH, has announced the signature of an agreement to acquire Barton Perreira, the U.S.-based luxury eyewear brand. The acquisition follows only a few weeks after that of Vuarnet, the French high-end sports eyewear brand, underlining the expansion of Thélios’ business into proprietary brands and designer ...
iVision Tech CEO details group’s strategy
Still a relatively newcomer in the Italian and international eyewear sector, iVision Tech has gathered a lot of attention from the industry in recent months with the company’s debut on the Euronext Growth Milan stock exchange this summer and the acquisition of French high-end eyewear maker Henry Jullien just before ...
Is Marcolin going to change hands?
According to insider information leaked to Bloomberg, PAI Partners, the majority shareholder of Marcolin Group, is looking to sell its stake in the company and has appointed Goldman Sachs to gauge the market’s interest in a deal that would value the eyewear manufacturer at approximately €1.35 billion.
Akoni Group puts focus on craftsmanship-loving opticians and consumers
In the last few months, Akoni Group has also launched direct–to-consumer initiatives for its Akoni Eyewear range of sunglasses with the opening of an online shop in the U.S., and pop-up stores at Isetan in Tokyo and Hankyu in Osaka, two high-end Japanese department stores in Japan. Toscano told us ...
10-year old Swiss Eyewear Group has passed the 20 million pairs’ mark
Swiss Eyewear Group, the eyewear company behind the INVU brand of polarized sunglasses, has announced that it has sold over 20 million pairs since the creation of the company ten years ago. As reported then in Eyewear Intelligence, the company was founded by a group of former senior managers of ...
Fittingbox acquires main VTO challenger
Fittingbox, the global leader and a pioneer in eyewear virtual-try-on (VTO) services, has announced that it was acquiring its main challenger, Ditto Technologies, from U.S.-based Luna Solutions. It is the first acquisition by Fittingbox since the creation of the company in 2006.
Leica brings ophthalmic lenses business in-house, opens factory
Leica Eyecare, a subsidiary of Leica Camera founded in 2021, has announced the opening of its new company headquarters and production facilities in the central Hesse region, near Frankfurt, Germany. The investment follows the decision of the German group, globally famous for its premium cameras, to bring the production of ...
Lafont celebrates French “savoir-faire”, Parisian chic and family legacy on 100th anniversary
It’s not necessarily an easy task to summarize a century of history and the essence of a company in just a few words, but when we asked Matthieu Lafont, CEO of Lafont, the answer was short and quick to come. “We are since 2023 an independent family business and eyewear ...