All Eyewear Intelligence articles in Volume 23 No. 19+20
View all stories from this issue.
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News briefsPit Viper bold marketing pays off
According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Pit Viper, the Salt Lake City-based brand of sport sunglasses is planning to expand its product range, so far limited to 11 models, by adding seven new styles. The company is also reportedly looking to expand its business in the ...
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PDF NewsletterEyewear Intelligence: Vol 23 - No 19+20
Good momentum at Silmo Paris | Fielmann opens subsidiary in France, appoints general manager | French market up 16% in 2021 with little impact from healthcare reform | French supermarket chain invests in Sym Optic | Backed by private equity fund, Cosium eyes international expansion | Leading French buying group evaluates lens suppliers | Under new ownership, DEG acquires William Morris | New owners for Cébé | Bollé accelerates in RX | Fast-growing Blickers launches private label | MPG prepares for integration of former GrandVision stores | New report puts global ophthalmic lenses and frames’ market at €22bn | Strong stock price variations for eyewear companies in Q3 | U.S. eyecare market insulated from inflation, CLI survey says | Arts Optical grows 12%, driven by wholesale and lenses
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News briefs
Topcon explains mid-term growth strategy
In its annual report, eye care equipment maker Topcon, said that it has identified its screening business and its China business as the two main mid-term growth drivers. In the screening business, the company is expecting continuous growth for screening and tele-optometry devices from Europe and the U.S. for the ...
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News briefs
EssilorLuxottica and Myopia Profile launch podcast series
EssilorLuxottica and Myopia Profile have announced a new chapter in their partnership with the launch of a podcast series which will be available exclusively on Leonardo, the Italo-French group’s learning platform. The podcasts will focus on providing simple steps and practical advice on myopia management to eye care practitioners (ECP) ...
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News briefsEssilorLuxottica makes Fortune's "Change the World" top 10
EssilorLuxottica ranks sixth in Fortune’s “Change the World” list for 2022. The annual ranking by the international media group recognizes the positive social impact of companies through activities that are part of their core business strategy. Listed companies, which have to apply to take part, are evaluated mainly on their ...
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ArticleNew owners for Cébé
Bollé Brands has announced the divestment of its Cébé brand, which will be acquired by D.MO/RACER a new entity formed for the occasion. Born in the French Jura region in 1892, Cébé develops a range of outdoor sport products including sunglasses, ski goggles and helmets. The brand, along with Bollé ...
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ArticleBacked by private equity fund, Cosium eyes international expansion
CAPZA, a European private investment fund with €7.4 billion of assets, announced in September the acquisition of a minority stake in NeoX, a newly created entity bringing together a number of tech companies in the medical field, in particular suppliers of practice management software. NeoX was formed around Cosium, the ...
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News briefs
Successful second edition of ABDO’s sustainability summit
The Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) held its second SEE summit on the environment on Oct. 3 and has made the recording of the event available for all on its website here. The main presentations were made by Thiago Gentile of Plannet Zero, a carbon strategy consutancy of Redshaw ...
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ArticleFielmann opens subsidiary in France, appoints general manager
Fielmann’s agenda in France seems to be accelerating as the German-based retail group established a subsidiary in the country this summer. The company, whose strategic Vision 2025 plan announced in 2019 calls for the entry of one new country per year, has said that it was keeping an eye on ...
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News briefs
Zenni speeds through 50 million pairs’ mark, launches new app
U.S. online optical retailer Zenni has announced that it has sold more than 50 million pairs of glasses since its launch in 2003. The company added that it has doubled its sales’ output in less than four year as the previous 25 million pairs’ milestone was reached in March 2019. ...
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News briefs
Afflelou to drop low-cost banner in 2024
The Afflelou Group will discontinue its low-cost banner Optical Discount by the end of 2024, according to a report by French optical website Acuité. Optical Discount franchises have reportedly been given the option to cancel their franchise contract with a 3-month notice or to pursue the collaboration until December 2024. ...
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News briefs
VSP acquires PECCA
VSP Vision – owner of Marchon Eyewear– has acquired Professional Eye Care Associates of America (PECAA) from the private equity firm Nautic Partners. No financial details have been disclosed. Founded by optometrists Bradley Smith, Lance Anderson and David Wolf in 2006 in Portland, Oregon, PECCA provides “customized tools, progressive tactics, ...
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ArticleStrong stock price variations for eyewear companies in Q3
On a non-weighted average basis, stock prices of publicly listed companies in the eyewear sector went down by 1.3 percent in the quarter to September 30 in an apparent relative recovery from the 17 percent dive reported for the previous quarter. It compares slightly unfavorably with the global MSCI index, ...
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ArticleFast-growing Blickers launches private label
Blickers, one of the fast-growing multibrand online eyewear retailers in Europe, is launching its private label range of sunglasses and optical frames to complement its website offerings and further accelerate its growth. Called 99 Essentials, the collection includes 99 SKUs chosen based on the company’s big data analysis of best-selling ...
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News briefsSafilo signs new credit line to pay back debt, support growth
Safilo Group has signed a financing agreement for €300 million with maturity in September 2027. It consists of a term loan facility of €150 million, a revolving credit facility of €75 million and a capex line of €75 million. The term loan, set for Sept. 29 of this year, will ...
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ArticleFrench supermarket chain invests in Sym Optic
Sym Optic, the French supplier of remote refraction exams and optical products, has raised €5 million in new funds from several investors including Les Mousquetaires group, one of the leading retail groups in France, Macif, an insurance company, and three private equity funds. The company said that the new cash ...
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ArticleLeading French buying group evaluates lens suppliers
Along with Galileo Business Consulting, the Centrale des Opticiens (CDO) – which purports to France’s largest buying group for independent opticians – has conducted a survey of its membership to map the lay of the land between opticians and their lens suppliers. The results were released on the occasion of ...
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News briefsCooperVision MiSight recognized by German awards
CooperVision’s MiSight 1 day contact lenses have received a special mention for “Excellence in Business to Consumer” in the Medical and Health category at the 2022 German Innovation Awards. In CV’s press release Johannes Zupfer, the company’s general manager for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, describes the contacts as designed to ...
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ArticleGood momentum at Silmo Paris
Silmo Paris closed its doors on Monday afternoon after a well-attended and lively edition that confirmed the post-pandemic rebound of the trade show. Although attendance and exhibiting surface remained lower than in the 2019 edition, with travel restrictions still in place in some regions, they were significantly higher than in ...
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News briefs
Safilo to start using Tritan Renew in polarized lenses
The Safilo Group is pursuing its partnership with Eastman with the scheduled introduction of the U.S. chemical supplier’s Tritan Renew material for its polarized lenses. The Italian eyewear manufacturer will start using the material from August 2023 in its Under Armour collections, before a progressive roll-out across its portfolio of ...
