Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 26 - No 1+2
ZEISS Group reports 8% revenue hike but lower margins for fiscal 2023/24 | Carl Zeiss Meditec posts revenue and margin declines for fiscal 2023/24 | HOYA acquires Deutsche Augenoptik | EssilorLuxottica’s M&A program gets an early start into the new year | CooperVision forecasts further market share gains in FY 2025 | Bausch Health confirms it is exploring Bausch + Lomb sale | The Americas and Europe keep driving TOG’s sales growth | Eyecare industry urges UK gov’t to allow more private sector involvement in primary health provision | The Baltic eyewear market rebounds, but long-term outlook is vague | Familiar faces at the CES Awards for 2025 | Bliz Eyewear launches rebranding after EssilorLuxottica takeover | How brick-and-mortar focus and vertical integration are driving JEH profitability | ‘We try to be responsible’ | iVision Tech launches smart glasses for visually impaired | Sun Hing loss widens in H1 despite solid ODM sales
Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 25 - No 23+24
Volume and price effects propel the French optical market over the €8 billion mark, report says | Japan optical retail market value inch up on cautious price hikes | US consumers increasingly opt for budget eyewear in stores, survey finds | Safilo keeps focus on margins as sales slump persists | Marcolin sales still down despite EMEA Q3 rebound, 9M margins slightly up | Thélios to invest in MYKITA | Alain Afflelou posts revenue and margin upticks for FY2024 but debt swells further | Solid but slower revenue growth and pressured margins for Synsam in Q3 | Mister Spex new management hails rebranding initial results in “transition quarter” | Warby Parker raises guidance again as sales momentum continues | National Vision to close 39 stores, moderate new store growth after lackluster Q3 | KITS Eyecare reports higher profit ratios and 34% revenue hike for Q3 | Lenskart close to break-even as revenue jumps 43% in FY2024 | Eyewa gets $100 million cash injection, plans to open 100 new stores in the Middle East next year | MIDO announces upgrades and changes for its 2025 edition | Ray-Ban Meta inspiring competition | Zoff first public financial results show double-digit growth pace and higher margins | iVision Tech parent company’s eyewear business sales jump 28% in Q3
Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 25 - No 21+22
Solid organic growth and US acquisitions keep Fielmann in double-digit growth gear | HOYA Life Care business returns to growth in Q2, confirming IT incident recovery | Zeiss Vision Care to cut production, staff at German plant | ZEISS appoints SMT unit director as next CEO | Essilux Q3 topline up 2% as EMEA and APAC slow down slightly | Nikon stock value jumps on Essilux 5% stake news | Despite a slight slowdown in Q3, Kering Eyewear remains a bright spot for the group | Italian eyewear industry “strong and resilient” amid market slowdown | Industry stocks inched up in Q3, driven by contact lens companies | Hakim Group maintained strong momentum in 2023 | French opticians’ association challenges health insurances’ proxy on optical network tender call | A look at tele-medicine services, new lenses and measurement tools presented at Silmo 2024 | Topcon reports slight eye care sales hike, invests in Ocumetra | JINS revenue up double digit in FY 2024, driven by price mix | Japanese optical retail chain goes public | Zenni, Eyebot using automation to remove eye-test obstacles | Apple to turn AirPods into hearing aids | iVisionTech diversifies into auto sector with purchase of 45% stake in Molex Zetronic | 100% Optical trade show changes hands | Essilux backs chief strategy officer Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio amid hacking probe | “The last thing we want to be is a product for geeks,” Morrow Eyewear CEO
Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 25 - No 19+20
Essilux and Meta announce long-term partnership | Meta advances Ray-Ban Meta, introduces Orion | Latest Spectacles from Snap not yet a product | SILMO Paris back to cruising speed with an increased focus on new tech | Silmo reports slight attendance increase, celebrates Silmo d’Or 30th anniversary | Italian eyewear exports fall in Q2, sector’s full year showing seen in line with 2023 | Specsavers profitability keeps declining | New alliance in the Middle East optical retail sector | Rodenstock to repurpose main German site as engineering center and transfer lens production to Czech plant | ZEISS invests in light field display technology startup with vision care platform in mind | Innovation, digitization, sustainability and selective retail on 60 year-old Silhouette’s agenda | MYKITA signs unexpected partnership with an LVMH brand | Inspecs topline down 5% in H1, rebound expected in H2 | Hong Kong-based Icare to open eyewear factory in France | Price reductions and Southeast Asian competition pressure Arts Optical ODM business | Japanese upmarket retail group JEH shows no signs of slowing down | The Vision Council reports on ‘Made in the USA’ | Blenders makes it to ‘Prime Time’
Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 25 - No 17+18
US business propels Fielmann topline over €1 billion in H1 while price mix effects bolster margin gains | Mister Spex to close all international stores under new restructuring plan | Synsam posts record earnings in Q2 | National Vision downgrades outlook after mixed Q2, announces stores fleet review and new president | Warby Parker upgrades FY outlook again on good Q2 results but bottom line remains in the red | Tokai looks to expand commercial and industrial footprint outside Japan | Zeiss survey shows parents’ high level of concern about their children eye health | Fast-growing Thai Optical Group to increase RX capacity by 25% | Conant H1 sales jump 18%, plans new production plant in Thailand | Neurolens says it can increase reading speed | CooperVision upgrades FY outlook again as topline momentum continues | Ukraine eyewear market partly bounces back amid ongoing challenges | Snap, Meta to reveal AR glasses | Aerial Vision buys 5.3% of iVision Tech, becomes a strategic partner | Kits Eyecare revenue up 26% in Q2
Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 25 - No 15+16
Essilux mixes med-tech and streetwear in shopping basket | Essilux posts solid Q2 results, answers questions on Supreme, Meta | Meta reportedly in discussion to take a 5% stake in Essilux | HOYA temporarily puts life care unit topline recovery over bottom line target | Kering Eyewear outperforms group in both revenue growth and profitability in H1 | Safilo topline down 3.1% in Q2 as EMEA slows down, but margins keep improving | Marcolin posts higher margin ratios on declining sales in H1 | Fielmann posts double-digit sales increase and higher profit ratios in H1 | Mister Spex founder and CEO steps down, former Luxottica manager takes key role | Private equity fund about to invest in Lunettes Pour Tous | The new reality of the Russian eyewear market | Brazilian optical retail market value up 5% in 2023 | A majority of stock listed eyewear companies saw their share value decline in Q2 | The Vision Council reviews Q2 in the US | Sun Hing progress in Asia offsets sales drop in key markets but gross margin takes a hit
Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 25 - No 13+14
Double-digit growth puts Specsavers above the £4 bn annual revenue mark | Fielmann more than doubles US retail footprint with new acquisition | Most top industry players maintained momentum last year, but frames companies slowed down | Spanish optical market up by 6.0 percent in 2023 | Backed by new investor, Vision Group aims for more acquisitions | Afflelou sales up 5 percent in Q3 | Multiópticas changes its corporate structure | New brand aims to revolutionize shape-memory eyewear with versatile proprietary technology | Mitsui expects return to growth for vision care unit sales in FY 2024 | Essilor, MicroOLED developing AR, with EU help | Google takes a seat at AR Alliance’s board, alongside Meta, Essilux and others | Zuckerberg on smartglasses and AI | SILMO Paris invites ECPs to grasp new technologies and reinvent the shop experience | J.F. REY new owners look to balance brand DNA and changes while navigating supply chain issues | Kirk & Kirk turns to crowfunding for marketing budget boost | Increased production capacity supports Menicon’s sales growth, weighs on profitability | French company offers quick 3D-printed substitute frames
Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 25 - No 11+12
German optical market slightly positive in 2023 despite declining volumes | Hoya reports 3% lens-revenue growth in Q4, expects flattish sales in 2024 following cyberattack | ZEISS Consumer Markets segment up 5% in H1 | ZEISS Vision Care publishes results of myopia control research on Asian and Caucasian children | Stable revenue and margins for Rodenstock in 2023 | Safilo Q1 revenues inch down as momentum in Europe fails to fully offset North American decline | Marcolin posts higher margins on lower sales in Q1, discloses more details on fiscal 2023 | Double-digit revenue growth and enhanced mix yielded higher profitability for De Rigo in 2023 | Synsam Group driven by Sweden and subscription plans in Q1 | Mixed Q1 results for Mister Spex as sales of prescription glasses decline slightly | Walgreens hoping to divest Boots in the UK | Warby Parker raises guidance after sales jump 16% in Q1 | National Vision accelerates remote eye exams following tepid Q1 comparable sales growth | Vision Council switches 2024 US market forecast to “growth” after positive Q1 | CVI upgrades outlook again as increased capacity kicks in | Price hikes and sunglasses drove Paris Miki’s growth in FY 03/2024 | Topcon looks outside the core ophthalmic sector | Topcon topline driven by “blossoming” Screening Business and currencies | Carl Zeiss Meditec revenue and margins down in H1 | Arts Optical posts 5% annual revenue growth on OEM business rebound in H2
Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 25 - No 9+10
Fielmann banks on US business and vision care services for mid-term growth | Fielmann sales up double digits in Q1 as US business integration offset European slowdown | US sun business sole exception to EssilorLuxottica’s smooth sailing in Q1 | Kering Eyewear stands out with 8% Q1 revenue hike as group topline slips | US startup picks eyewear market as launch pad for infinitely recyclable plastic material | Revenues up 5% at Optic 2000 Group | Inspecs posts flattish 2023 sales after Q4 drop, but profit ratios improved | New owner for Nexeye retail group | Hinge specialist OBE Präzision adds Vietnam to industrial base, invests in smart eyewear and 3D printing | Disposable daily CLs momentum slowed down in 2023 in Europe, survey shows | Assistance, design key drivers in eyewear purchases | Study suggests readers could ease poverty | Slight average eyewear stocks price hike in Q1 reflects extreme ups and downs | Vuzix losses pile up as AR smart glasses take-off takes its time
Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 25 - No 7+8
Hoya production and order systems greatly affected by cyberattack | Safilo looks at 2024 with confidence and hope after complex 2023 | EssilorLuxottica expands retail partnership with Reliance Brands in India | Product mix drives growth and profitability gains for Mister Spex as customer base stagnates | Organic growth and network expansion fuel Krys Group momentum | Two top-ten German optical retailers join forces to take over Edel-Optics | Afflelou maintains mid-single digit topline growth in Q2, gained market shares in 2023 | New management structure and increased retail focus for MPG | Mazzucchelli takes further steps on sustainability journey | New owner for Horizons Optical | iVision Tech enter lens business as 2023 parent company sales rise 19% | Retail expansion, price hikes and inbound tourism boosted JEH top and bottom lines in fiscal 2024 | Sales and profit up double digits for Conant Optical in 2023
Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 25 - No 5+6
Hans Anders and Eyes + More owner up for sale | EssilorLuxottica accelerates in Q4 to wrap another record year | Fielmann topped sales targets and improved profitability in 2023 | Synsam wraps up another double-digit growth fiscal year | After a good 2023, Atol to accelerate on audition and low-cost banners | National Vision posts good Q4, transitions out of Walmart partnership | Warby Parker sees top line momentum continuing as Q4 loss disappoints | Paris Miki reports Q3 slowdown despite booming sunglass segment | CooperVision raises 2024 guidance despite Q1 slowdown | Bausch + Lomb Q4 contact lens sales inch up 1% amid distribution disruptions | Kits Eyecare topline up 31% in 2023 driven by repeat customers and eyeglasses | Thai Optical Group sales flattish in 2023 | Backed by new financial partner, Opal-Demetz plans more M&A | Meta to provide glimpse of a second line of AR glasses | TPI aims to solve the “chicken-and-egg” 3D printed eyewear problem
Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 25 - No 3+4
Italian eyewear industry cautious on 2024 prospects after exports flatline in H2 | Italy’s ANFAO, Certottica launch sustainable eyewear certification | MIDO drew 40,000 visitors | Kering Eyewear sales surge 35 percent in 2023 | Safilo closed 2023 on a positive note | De Rigo wholesale and retail up double digits in 2023 | Sustained eye care sales growth and IT unit rebound for HOYA in Q3 | Zeiss acquires IP from Mitsui Chemicals | Rodenstock upgrades portfolio, finetunes group strategy and synergies | Fielmann remains committed to Italian market after closures announcement | Inspecs posts mixed results for 2023, resumes acquisitions strategy | Modo begins turnaround of Italia Independent with presentation of spring/summer collection | EssilorLuxottica acquires Japanese retail chain | Store network upgrade, digitization and HR key to Paris Miki rebound | Johnson & Johnson Q4 contact lens sales rise 7.9% | The Vision Council publishes new US optical-market and consumer data
Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 25 - No 1+2
Mido, ANFAO put CSE front and center in 2024 | “We need to train the eyewear factory workers of the future” | Opti gets ready for a 2024 rebound | ZEISS Consumer Markets unit up 5% in fiscal year, group topline over €10bn | German eyewear industry sales inched up in 2023 as exports slowed down | Eyewear stock price up 8% in Q4, sector market capitalization up 10% year-on-year | Essilux unveils Nuance, announces U.S. and Europe launch dates at CES | AI comes to Meta and Ray-Ban’s smart glasses | Smart glasses and AR technologies on display at the CES | Morrow Eyewear kicks off European expansion with Novacel partnership | Kaneko mother company posts very strong 9-month results | Opal Demetz acquires Roussilhe | Mitsui aims to boost its Life & Healthcare business’ profits by 2030 | Double-digit sales growth but lower margin in full year for Carl Zeiss Meditec | Guenther Fielmann has died
Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 24 - No 23+24
Report puts fresh numbers on German optical retail long-term trends | ANFAO taps Lorraine Berton as new president | An optical center in 15 minutes and a new investor for Vision Group | Magrabi aims to consolidate regional leadership before entering new markets | Synsam improves margins, expands EyeView roll out | Afflelou Group ends fiscal year on a strong Q4 | CooperVision slowed down by production capacity limitations | EssilorLuxottica integrates Bliz to sports portfolio | Shamir launches myopia management lens | Karün Eyewear to get a Walmart boost | Smart glasses win at CES 2024
Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 24 - No 21+22
Essilux reports Q3 slowdown, opens new Thai mega plant | Kering Eyewear fueled by Maui Jim in Q3 as comparable growth drops | Is Marcolin going to change hands? | Marcolin sees Q3 sales slip 10%, bolsters house brands with ic! berlin buy | Thélios acquires Barton Perreira | Smith rebound cushions Safilo’s Q3 revenue decline | HOYA lens growth driven by international markets and MiYOSMART in Q2 | Fielmann reports strong Q3, launches eye health services | Mister Spex posts mixed Q3 results | Hakim Group doubled footprint in the last two years | Warby Parker sees sales growth slowing after 14% jump in Q3 | National Vision moves to offset Walmart divorce impact, on track to meet FY guidance | JINS ends fiscal year on high note | Fittingbox acquires main VTO challenger | 10-year old Swiss Eyewear Group has passed the 20 million pairs mark | iVision Tech CEO details group’s strategy | Akoni Group puts focus on craftsmanship-loving opticians and consumers
Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 24 - No 19+20
Italian eyewear exports maintain momentum in Q2 | Silmo Paris kicks off post-Covid trade-show era | A tour of Silmo’s Futurology | French optical market flattish in 2022, official report says | Lafont celebrates French “savoir-faire,” Parisian chic and family legacy on 100th anniversary | Meta and Ray-Ban beef up smart glasses with influencers in mind | Amazon smart eyewear range upgrade includes Safilo partnership | Materialise to 3D-print new translucent material | PPG partners with lens coatings’ 3Dprint start-up | Leica brings ophthalmic lenses business in-house, opens factory | VeneVision adds injection to portfolio with new acquisition | Italian OEM group acquires Henry Jullien | Slow H1 for Arts Optical as sales of OEM prescription glasses drop | Eyewear companies’ average stock price down in Q3
Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 24 - No 17+18
Packed house and new layout for Silmo Paris | Global lens and frames market resilient to Covid and economic crisis, report finds | Thélios opens portfolio to proprietary brands with Vuarnet acquisition | Fielmann upgrades outlook following confirmation of SVS deal | Specsavers full-year results show profitability drop | Driven by sunglasses, Mister Spex posts positive operating margin in H1 | Synsam posts another record quarter | National Vision raises 2023 earnings guidance as prepares for end of Walmart partnership | Warby Parker sweetens outlook after Q2 sales rise 11%, store rollout continues | Safilo reaches deal with Thélios, Innovatek for Longarone plant and workers | The U.K. and North America drove INSPECS in H1 | CooperVision accelerates in Q3, upgrades full-year forecast | Menicon Q1 vision care sales inch up 4% | Modo acquires Italia Independent brand | Lenskart’s Neso Brands invests $4m in French DTC eyewear brand | Portfolio synergies and sunglasses on DEG roadmap
Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 24 - No 15+16
EssilorLuxottica maintains sales momentum in Q2, driven by optical portfolio | Specsavers revenue up mid-single digit in 2022/23 | Fielmann launches proprietary online vision check tool, reports good H1 results | National Vision reels as Walmart prepares to end partnership | Life Care unit drives Hoya in Q1 | Kering Eyewear posts 21 % comparable growth in Q2 | Solid half-year performance for Marcolin despite Q2 slowdown | A slow U.S. market and GrandVision exit weigh on Safilo results | Italian OEM group lists on the Milan stock exchange | Italian OEM cluster group surfing on luxury eyewear momentum | Tooz smart eyewear keeps focus on optical engines and scalability | Essilux to address hearing deficiency with glasses | Apple patents adjustable lenses | Micro-display company gets a €21m boost | Silmo Paris adds CSR prize to events portfolio | Lunor sees room for international expansion
Eyewear 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
Eyewear Intelligence: Vol 24 - No 11+12
How did the top eyewear companies perform in their last fiscal year? | Circularity gaining traction in the French eyewear market | French opticians release new market data ahead of new health care plan negotiations | Materialise and Vuzix join forces in smart eyewear | HOYA Life Care unit posts strong sales and margin increases in Q4 | Rodenstock sales up 4% in 2022 | EssilorLuxottica unveils Ray-Ban Reverse collection | EssilorLuxottica signs JV with GCC luxury powerhouse | Synsam eyewear subscription business underpins record Q1 sales gains | Germany and prescription frames drove Mister Spex’ growth in Q1 | Warby Parker confirms 2023 guidance after Q1 sales jump 12% | Paris Miki reports sales rebound and return to operating profit for 2022-23 | JINS downgrades outlook, rethinks business model and supply chain | NIDEK launches time-saving automated refraction software for ECPs | CooperCompanies upgrades outlook after solid Q2 | Menicon driven by dailies, ortho-k, overseas and currencies in FY2022 | Do soft contacts contain PFAS?