All Eyewear Intelligence articles in Volume 26 No. 17+18
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PDF NewsletterEyewear Intelligence: Vol 26 - No 17+18
VSP Vision acquires Marcolin | Essilux ups stake in Nikon again, but further steps will require Japan’s green light | Ray-Ban Meta drives 110% jump in global smart glasses shipment, AI polarization | Meta to release commercial AR glasses by September? | “It seems the industry is ripe for change,” Flō Optics CEO | A closer look under Lenskart’s hood | Fielmann enters new HQ on a strong footing | Mixed results in Q2 for Synsam Group | All eyes on margins at Mister Spex as sales nosedive | Warby Parker upgrades outlook after strong Q2, ends home try-on service as door count hits 300 | Price hikes, sales mix boost National Vision in Q2, largely offsetting slightly lower consumer traffic | TVC sees potential link between latest US eyewear purchase trends and tariffs uncertainty | Zoff owner doubles doorcount to 620 with M&A deal | TRIVEX more resistant than polycarbonate, PPG and HOYA research shows | Conant reports 11% sales hike in H1, invests in automated lines and smart eyewear lenses | CooperVision slows down in Q3 despite strong EMEA showing | Alcon’s contact lens sales jump 9% in Q2 | US tele-optometry kiosks startup gets $20m cash injection | Arts Optical hit by US tariffs double whammy in H1
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News briefs
Mykita opens second store in Thailand
MYKITA has announced the opening of a new store in Bangkok, its second and largest in the country and its 15th globally. Located in the centralWorld, a renown shopping mall, the new shop was designed by the company’s in-house architecture team. It offers the brand’s complete portfolio as well as ...
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News briefs
US online vision acuity tests supplier takes over European peer
Visibly, a Chicago-based healthcare technology company specializing in online visual acuity tests, has announced the acquisition of Easee, an Amsterdam-based supplier of similar services. Visibly, which says it has developed the first FDA-approved online visual acuity exam, stressed that the acquisition will enable it to expand its business with healthcare ...
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News briefs
Giorgio Armani dies at 91
Giorgio Armani, the famous Italian fashion designer passed away last week at the age of 91, his company announced in a statement. The group, which he and his partner Sergio Galeotti founded just 50 years ago in 1975, is one of the largest independent fashion businesses today with an annual ...
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News briefs
RayNeo signs license deal with audio expert B&O for its AR eyewear
RayNeo, the TCL subsidiary focusing on augmented reality (AR) eyewear, has announced the signature of a global and long-term strategic licensing partnership with Bang & Olufsen, the famous Danish brand of high-end speakers. The Chinese-based company said that the combination of its products’ AR functionalities with Audio by Bang & ...
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ArticleVSP Vision acquires Marcolin
VSP Vision, parent company of Marchon Eyewear, is acquiring Marcolin from PAI Partners and minority shareholders, the US vision care group announced in a statement last Friday. “The addition of Marcolin is another example of our commitment to purposeful growth that will provide greater value for VSP members, ...
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ArticleArts Optical hit by US tariffs double whammy in H1
Arts Optical’s bottom line swung to red ink in the first half of fiscal 2025 as the Hong Kong-based eyewear manufacturer faced strong headwinds in its Original Design Manufacturing (ODM) division where sales dropped double-digits in key markets. Necessary adjustments to changing US trade tariffs, in terms of production and ...
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News briefs
OWA to discuss the role of women in optical innovation in SILMO panel discussion
The Optical Women’s Association (OWA) will be holding a panel discussion at the SILMO PARIS trade show on Sept. 26 at 4:30pm at the SILMO Talks Stage. Sponsored by the exhibition organizers, “Seeing Beyond: The Power of Women in Optical Innovation” will look at how women are driving change in ...
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News briefs
Staar Surgical’s main shareholder to vote against sale to Alcon
The acquisition of Staar Surgical, a California-based refractive surgery company that specializes in Implantable Collamer Lenses (ICLs), by Alcon is facing some headwinds. A few weeks after the official announcement, it has emerged that Broadwood Partners, the largest stakeholder in Staar Surgical with a 27.3 percent share, is opposing the ...
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ArticleZoff owner doubles doorcount to 620 with M&A deal
Intermestic, the Japanese group behind the Zoff optical retail chain, has announced the full acquisition of Visionary Holdings, the operator of Megane Super, another retail chain with 300 stores in the country. Intermestic is reportedly investing 19.1 billion Japanese yen (€110m) in the operation, which is expected to complete on ...
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News briefs
Zyloware acquires Kenmark Eyewear
Zyloware, which describes itself as “the longest-running family-owned and operated eyewear company in the United States,” has announced the acquisition of Kenmark Eyewear. Founded in 1972 and based in Kentucky, Kenmark Eyewear was operating as an employee-owned business. The company’s large portfolio includes a mix of licensed brands (Vera Wang, ...
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Article“It seems the industry is ripe for change,” Flō Optics CEO
Things went relatively fast for Flō Optics. Only 15 months after the Israeli-based startup first showcased its optical coatings 3D printing technology at Vision Expo West in November 2023, it announced a $35 million Series A funding round, including from several eyewear industry players. However, when we sat down with ...
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ArticleFielmann enters new HQ on a strong footing
Fielmann Group has confirmed that its consolidated sales for the first half of 2025 increased by 12.3 percent to €1,224 million, in line with the preliminary results announced in July together with the company’s 2030 strategic plan. We focus in this article on the new financial information released by the ...
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News briefs
DITA Eyewear goes direct in China
DITA Eyewear has announced that it was switching to a direct sales organization in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau through its subsidiaries Dita (Shanghai) Business and Trading Co., Ltd. and Dita Eyewear, Ltd (HK). By adopting a direct sales model, the company said that it is enhancing its ability ...
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News briefs
New TVC survey gauges tariffs impact on US eye care practices
A large majority (62 percent) of US eyecare practices reported that tariffs have already affected their business and 66 percent said they expected continued or worsening impact through the end of the year, according to a survey conducted in early July by The Vision Council through its eyecare provider research ...
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News briefs
JINS founder’s son to become group President
Effective Nov. 27, 2025, Ryo Tanaka will become President and COO of JINS Holdings. He will succeed Hitoshi Tanaka, his father and the founder of the company, in the role of President. Hitoshi Tanaka will remain the group CEO and will also assume the role of Chairman. Ryo Tanaka ...
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ArticleAll eyes on margins at Mister Spex as sales nosedive
Mister Spex revenue dropped by 21.7 percent to €52.9 million in Q2 2025, sharply accelerating its fall from the previous quarter (-12.5 percent). “The decline in revenue is the result of a deliberate strategic choice to prioritize profitability and cost efficiency over pure volume growth,” Mister Spex wrote in its ...
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ArticleCooperVision slows down in Q3 despite strong EMEA showing
CooperCompanies has reported a 6 percent year-over-year increase in Q3 revenue to $716.4 million for its CooperVision (CVI) business. In constant currencies, CVI sales were up by 2 percent in the quarter, below the company’s expectations and slowing down sharply from the 7 percent growth reported for the previous quarter. ...
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ArticleEssilux ups stake in Nikon again, but further steps will require Japan’s green light
Bis repetita, but with a stronger magnitude this time. On Oct. 7 last year, Nikon’s stock value jumped by 8 percent as it emerged from an official filing at a regional finance bureau that EssilorLuxottica had increased its stake in the Japanese group to 5.10 percent. Yesterday (Aug. 27), it ...
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ArticleTRIVEX more resistant than polycarbonate, PPG and HOYA research shows
PPG Optical says that a new study in collaboration with HOYA Vision Care showed that its TRIVEX lens material outperforms polycarbonate in terms of impact resistance. Earlier research had already shown the material’s superior performance in other areas, including weight, chemical resistance and optical clarity (Abbe value), the company stressed. ...
