All Eyewear Intelligence articles in Volume 24 No. 13+14
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PDF NewsletterEyewear Intelligence: Vol 24 - No 13+14
Fielmann enters U.S. market with dual acquisition and high-profile recruitment | Two retail groups top our Q2 stock price chart | Safilo close to a complete solution for its Longarone plant | Driven by lenses, Spanish optical market tops pre-Covid level in 2022 | Alain Afflelou banner posts 8% growth in Q3, Spain up double digits | More “boutique” and more lenses on Mister Spex roadmap | Vuzix OEM consumer smart eyewear business enters countdown phase | Synsam frames production reshoring delivers 32% CO2 reduction (LCA) | KRYS GROUP to raise lens production capacity by 30% | De Rigo celebrates 40 years of Police | Mitsui to increase MR output and bolster synergies with coating unit in FY 2023 | Screening and shared data at the core of TOPCON 2025 plan | CooperVision to invest $500m in Puerto Rico manufacturing base | EU publishes alarming counterfeiting survey, ramps up IP platform | Go Eyewear Europe signs first fashion license, opens new HQ in Italy | Ten eyewear frames receive a Red Dot design award this year | American eyecare providers expect good things from 2023 | Sun Hing OEM unit hit by lower consumer demand in Western markets
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News briefsItalian exports maintained double-digit growth pace in Q1
The Italian eyewear industry association ANFAO released preliminary exports’ data for the first quarter of 2023 at its general assembly held at the end of last week in Verona. Italian exports in Q1 were up 16.7 percent year-on-year to €1,388 million, decelerating slightly from the 22.5 percent growth reported ...
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News briefs
Marcolin fully acquires Mexico branch
The Marcolin Group has completed the acquisition of Marcolin México, by acquiring the remaining 49 percent stake in the joint venture from Moendi, its partner and one of the largest independent distributor in the country. The joint venture had been established six years ago. The investment follows similar moves ...
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News briefs
New CFO for Safilo Group
Safilo Group has announced the promotion of Michele Melotti as group’s chief financial officer, replacing Gerd Graechsler who decided to leave the company after nine years in this position to undertake a new professional experience. Melotti joined Safilo in 2012 from KPMG Advisory and has taken on increasing responsibilities in ...
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ArticleTen eyewear frames receive a Red Dot design award this year
Red Dot, the German-based company organizing every year since the early 90’s the eponymous international design competition, announced last month the winners of its Red Dot Design Awards for 2023. We take a look below at the ten eyewear frames that were rewarded this year. You will find one picture ...
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News briefs
Wagner + Kühner to exit insolvency proceedings
In a statement relayed by the German optical trade press, Jens Lieser, the administrator appointed to oversee Wagner + Kühner’s insolvency proceedings, has announced that the company would be able to pursue its operations after the acquisition by an unnamed investor. Various restructurings have reportedly been implemented, including the reduction ...
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News briefs
Bausch + Lomb expands drops portfolio with two acquisitions
Bausch + Lomb has announced the acquisition of two eye drops’ brands in the last two weeks as the company is aiming to expand its catalog of over-the-counter (OTC) eye care solutions. The first acquisition is the takeover of Xiidra, an eye-drop solution for the treatment of dry eye disease, ...
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ArticleSafilo close to a complete solution for its Longarone plant
The Safilo Group seems to be coming closer to a satisfactory solution for its industrial site in Longarone, Italy, which the company said it would need to divest at the start of the year due to a “persistent production overcapacity.” Just a few days after confirming talks with Thélios, LVMH ...
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ArticleSun Hing OEM unit hit by lower consumer demand in Western markets
OEM manufacturer Sun Hing Vision Group has reported a 19.6 percent year-on-year drop in revenue to 705 million Hong Kong dollars (€83 m) for its fiscal year ended March 31, 2023. The Hong Kong-based company explained that its business was severely hit last year by the economic crisis in the ...
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News briefs
Dozens of optical shops looted during riots in France
According to a preliminary count by French B to B website Acuité, at least sixty optical shops were looted or burnt down in France during the riots that took place in the country last week, following the death of a young driver in a police roadside check. The survey, published ...
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ArticleTwo retail groups top our Q2 stock price chart
Stock prices of eyewear industry companies confirmed in Q2 their upward trend started in the previous quarter. On a non-weighed average basis, they increased by 12.5 percent quarter-on-quarter overperforming the 6.3 percent rice of MSCI World, a global index comprising over 1,500 companies. EWI Stock price chart Q2 2023 ...
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ArticleGo Eyewear Europe signs first fashion license, opens new HQ in Italy
Portuguese-based GO Eyewear Group Europe is expanding its portfolio with the addition of a multi-year international eyewear license with Italian fashion brand Trussardi, which was previously licensed to the De Rigo Group. The first collections, including both optical glasses and sunglasses, designed by Go Eyewear were presented to VIP opticians ...
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ArticleDriven by lenses, Spanish optical market tops pre-COVID level in 2022
The Spanish optical market grew by 4.4 percent year-on-year to €1.,918 million including VAT in 2022 according to a new report presented yesterday in an online meeting by the Federación Espaňola de Asociasones del Sector Óptico (FEDAO). Adding up to the 20.4 percent rebound reported a year ago for 2021, ...
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News briefs
EssilorLuxottica, Safilo announce licensed portfolio updates
EssilorLuxottica has announced the signature of a 10-year license agreement with Jimmy Choo for the design, production and global distribution of Jimmy Choo Eyewear. The agreement will be effective from Jan. 1, 2024 with an automatic renewal option for five more years. Sandra Choi, Jimmy Choo’s creative director, will oversee ...
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ArticleAlain Afflelou banner posts 8% growth in Q3, Spain up double digits
The Afflelou Group has reported a 4.2 percent year-on-year increase in external sales to €220 million (see table) for its third quarter, ended April 30. On a like-for-like basis, they were up by 5.1 percent versus FY 2022. The company commented that the quarterly sales uptick reflected higher volumes rather ...
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News briefs
ZEISS unveils Research Award recipients at Deutsches Museum
The ZEISS Group remitted its Research Awards at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, which is celebrating the centenary of its planetarium, earlier this week. The main award went to Prof. Dr. Immanuel Block for his research in quantum optics. Among the three recipients of the Carl Zeiss Award for Young ...
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News briefs
Top 50 U.S. optical retailers sales up 4 % in 2022
The 50 largest optical retail players in the U.S. saw their sales increase by 4.0 percent year-on-year to $18.7 billion, according to the recently released annual report by Vision Monday. Vision Source, an optical retail franchise with close to 3,000 locations owned by Essilor of America, tops the ranking with ...
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News briefs
CooperVision launches back-to-school campaign on myopia management
CooperVision has announced the launch of a three-pronged back-to-school communication campain in the U.S. on myopia management. This new consumer-oriented initative is aimed at generating awareness, educating and informing, and driving action with parents and eye care professionals (ECPs), the company said. The campaign will include the publication of myopia ...
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News briefs
JINS recruits Apple former creative director
Japanese-based retail group JINS has announced the recuitment of Paul Nixon to the newly created position of global chief creative director. The American executive was on a career break since November last year after having worked for over 17 years at Apple, most notably as creative director for apple.com, leading ...
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News briefs
Cecop expands footprint with National Eyecare Group in the U.K.
Spanish group CECOP is expanding its international footprint through the integration of National Eyecare Group (NEG), a purchasing group in the U.K. with over 1,000 members, in its network. The investment was presented as a merger by both companies in their communication. NEG was founded in 1979 by Michael ...

