All Eyewear Intelligence articles in Volume 21 No. 16+17
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PDF NewsletterEyewear Intelligence Newsletter: Vol 21 - 16+17
Eyewear market seen as normalizing | Safilo Q3 beats forecast | Fielmann raises guidance after Q3 | Inspecs posts H1 loss but optimistic | KKR buys 1-800 Contacts | Strong expansion for Hallmann | Smart glasses from Essilux, Facebook | Marcolin signs on Max Mara | Silmo Paris announces awards online | Alibaba partners with Dufry | LGBTQ collections go mainstream
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News briefs
Safilo extends Pierre Cardin license to end 2026
Safilo has renewed until Dec. 31, 2026, the license to design, manufacture and distribute eyewear under the Pierre Cardin brand. The companies have been working together for three decades, with the presentation of the first Pierre Cardin branded collection dating back to 1991. In a statement, the designer Pierre Cardin ...
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News briefsWalmart sells Asda to a group of investors
The American retailer Walmart has agreed to sell a majority stake in Asda, its British chain of supermarkets, to a group of investors comprising the brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa and TDR Capital. The deal values Asda £6.8 billion (€7.5bn-$8.8bn). Walmart will keep a minority stake in Asda. The deal ...
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News briefsMPG hires Eric Hurkmans
Michael Pachleitner Group (MPG) has hired the industry veteran Eric Hurkmans as its new head of retail purchase. He has been in the position since September. Before joining MPG, Hurkmans worked for more than six years at Hans Anders in the Netherlands, where he became buying director. His previous job ...
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ArticleEyewear market seen normalizing driven by prescription frames
The eyewear industry started picking up in June after the easing of Covid-19 related lockdown measures in some key markets. It is expected to gradually return to past levels, underpinned by pent-up demand for ophthalmic eyewear. A phenomenon, that has prompted manufacturers to focus on prescription frames.
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ArticleAlibaba in partnership with the duty free retailer Dufry in omnichannel drive
The Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba has entered into a partnership with the Swiss duty free retailer Dufry that will further integrate online and offline shopping. The parties will form a strategic joint venture in China, and Alibaba will become a minority shareholder in Dufry.
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Article
Silmo Paris announces its Silmo d’Or awards online
In spite of the cancellation of this year’s edition of the show, the organizers of Silmo Paris have decided to proceed with some parts of their usual program, including the annual distribution of the Silmo d’Or awards. However, instead of the usual festive event, the Silmo d’Or laureates were announced ...
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News briefs
Barton Perreira in James Bond licensing deal
Barton Perreira, a Los-Angeles based eyewear company, has signed an exclusive global James Bond licensing agreement with EON Productions with the release of the film No Time to Die. The brand is the eyewear partner of the film, in which feature three eyewear styles. Under the deal, Barton Perreira will ...
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News briefs
Dragon Eyewear adds two goggles to its line
Dragon Eyewear is releasing two goggles for the forthcoming winter season. The PXV2 is a new version of the PXV, with the addition of a Swiftlock on its lens. Meanwhile, the RVX OTG features a new version of the Swiftlock itself, Swiftlock 2.0, thanks to which it can be worn ...
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ArticleMarc Simoncini, Alain Afflelou most admired French businessmen
Marc Simoncini and Alain Afflelou were elected as the most admired French businessmen in a poll organized by the magazine, Capital. Simoncini, who topped the ranking, is the founder of the dating website Meetic and until recently involved in the eyewear business. He entered the eyewear business in 2011 with ...
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News briefs
Guess, Marcolin support The Get In Touch Foundation
For the fifth year in a row, Guess and Marcolin are supporting a breast cancer awareness campaign organized by The Get in Touch Foundation with the creation of a capsule collection. The collection will comprise an ophthalmic and a sunglass frame, both embellished with a rose gold ribbon, the symbol ...
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News briefsMarcolin appoints Alessandro Beccarini style & product development director
Marcolin has appointed Alessandro Beccarini as style & product development director. He will oversee the management and development of all the company’s brands, “anticipating and delivering on the market’s needs.” He will report to Marcolin’s chief executive and general manager Fabrizio Curci and work with the creative direction and style ...
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News briefsMarchon obtains the Converse license
Marchon has entered an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with the American footwear and apparel brand Converse. The sun and optical collections designed under the new partnership will roll out globally at the beginning of January 2021. Taking cues from the brand’s footwear, most notably the Chuck Taylor All Star ...
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News briefs
Safilo completes sale of Martignacco site
Safilo has completed the sale of a factory in Martignacco, situated in the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, to iVision Tech, a unit of iVision Group, an Italian concern with activities spreading from software to face masks. No financial details were released. The facility will be reconverted to manufacture ...
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Article
Safilo Q3 sales better than expected
Safilo estimates that in the third quarter its net sales grew by a mid-single-digit rate at constant exchange rates compared with the same quarter of 2019. It also expects to return to a profit at adjusted Ebitda level. Previously, the company had forecast a moderate decline in sales for the ...
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News briefs
Luxottica launches training, job placement program for young opticians
Luxottica, the Italian frame maker of the EssilorLuxottica group, is launching a professional training and job placement program dedicated to top graduates from Italian optics schools. The “Campus Program” offers them to participate in 80 internships held in stores of Luxottica’s Italian retail network. The interns be able to work ...
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News briefs
Roka and Machines for Freedom team up for sunglasses
Machines For Freedom of California and Roka of Texas have released two sunglass models for cycling. The GP-1 Series (retailing at $250) issues from Roka’s Advanced Performance line, and the Oslo ($175) from the company’s Modern Classics line. Both models have bendable titanium core wires, customizable no-slip Geko nose pads ...
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ArticleFielmann raises FY guidance on better-than-expected Q3 results
Fielmann posted “considerably” better-than-expected third-quarter results and has lifted its full-year guidance. According to preliminary estimates, consolidated sales were about €420 million compared with €400.0 million a year earlier and pre-tax profit is around €80 million against €78.5 million in the third quarter of 2019. The German eyewear retailer pointed ...
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ArticleStrong expansion for the Hallmann chain with MPG’s help
The Austrian-based Michael Pachleitner Group (MPG) reported on a strong expansion of the network of Optik Hallmann stores since it acquired a minority stake of 19 percent in the German chain in 2015, supplying it with German-made lenses. From only 40 stores at the time of the acquisition, it has ...
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News briefs
I-deal Optics renews Rafaella license
The Michigan-based eyewear firm I-deal Optics has renewed until Dec. 31, 2023 a license agreement to design, produce and distribute sun and prescription eyewear under the Rafaella brand. I-deal Optics has held the license since 2018. Rafaella is a women’s clothing brand owned by Perry Ellis International.
