By Staff
Friday, September 25, 2020 12:39 AM
PARIS—
Silmo has released the first selections of nominations for the 27th
Silmo D’Or awards. The awards ceremony gives prizes to recognize the creativity of the optical products for design, innovation and technology.
By Staff
Friday, September 25, 2020 12:24 AM
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—
Kenmark Eyewear and
Kensie have announced the renewal of an exclusive licensing agreement for the design, development, production and worldwide distribution of eyewear for the Kensie brand. This agreement will extend through June 2024—Kenmark Eyewear has partnered with Kensie since 2009, launching the brand within the optical industry. The brand includes Kensie optical, Kensie sun and Kensie girl segments. Marissa Cundiff, Kenmark Eyewear marketing director, said, “We’re thrilled with the renewal of Kensie. It’s such a fun, colorful brand to work on and we love what we have created together over the years.
By Staff
Thursday, September 24, 2020 12:30 AM
NEW YORK—
LION Eye Group, a network of independent optometry practices that utilizes various key initiatives and protocols across strategic and non-clinical operational disciplines to increase provider profitability, entered into a master service agreement with
ABB Optical Group.
By Staff
Thursday, September 24, 2020 12:24 AM
MONTREAL, Canada—
WestGroupe has announced that Alexis Nyiro has been promoted to director of product and marketing. Nyiro joined WestGroupe 11 years ago, and “has been instrumental in the design and development of WestGroupe’s product portfolio and has been an integral part of marketing our brands over the years,” the company said.
By Staff
Thursday, September 24, 2020 12:15 AM
TROY, Michigan and NEW YORK—
I-deal Optics and
Rafaella, a division of Perry Ellis International, have announced a multi-year extension of their licensing agreement. The agreement grants I-deal Optics the rights to design, produce and distribute sun and prescription eyewear under the Rafaella brand through Dec. 31, 2023. I-deal Optics has held this license since 2018. Rafaella was initially launched in 1982, and is now a well-established lifestyle collection of on-trend and ready-to-wear styles that embrace women’s individual shapes.
By Staff
Wednesday, September 23, 2020 12:24 AM
LONGARONE, Italy—The
De Rigo Group and
Tumi have announced an exclusive license agreement for the design, production and distribution of Tumi-branded sunglasses and prescription frames for both men and women.
By Staff
Wednesday, September 23, 2020 12:21 AM
DALLAS—
Eyemart Express, a leading national optical retailer, is kicking off its fifth annual fundraiser to benefit Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C).
By Staff
Tuesday, September 22, 2020 12:21 AM
LYON, France—
Bollé Brands has named François Benaben as the president of its sport and luxury division. Benaben, formerly vice president of the Rossignol Group for Europe, Asia and the Southern Hemisphere, has spent 14 years in several sales and category management positions at various companies.
By Staff
Monday, September 21, 2020 12:18 AM
NEW YORK—
Jobson Optical Research’s 2020 Optical Retailer Report & Directory is now available. The directory contains a comprehensive list of the top optical retailers in the U.S., including contact information for the company headquarters, key executives, buyer names for all product categories, and trade names including DBAs. The list includes 72 headquarter locations. In addition, the report and directory includes
Vision Monday’s annual
“Top 50 U.S. Optical Retailers” ranking and analysis, which includes 2019 estimated sales and business unity counts for each retailer.
By Staff
Wednesday, September 16, 2020 12:24 AM
PADUA, Italy—
Safilo Group has announced the signing of a new Term Loan Facility for €108 million (127,944,900 USD) to provide Safilo with additional liquidity in order to finance working capital and investment needs for its activities located in Italy.
By Staff
Wednesday, September 16, 2020 12:21 AM
NEW YORK—Danish eyewear brand
Christopher Cloos has named NFL superstar Tom Brady as its newest global brand ambassador, kicking off a partnership that includes the launch of the exclusive Cloos x Brady eyewear collection. The collection features both blue light and sunglasses, and is made from biodegradable material. Brady worked closely with the Christopher Cloos team to c
reate and design the collection. Brady said, “Christopher Cloos' commitment to health, wellness, and sustainability—without sacrificing style—really resonated with me. I love their commitment to excellence and discipline to make things happen. I'm proud of the partnership and what we have been able to create together with the Cloos x Brady collection. Not to mention I love wearing them and hope everyone will too!"
By Staff
Wednesday, September 16, 2020 12:15 AM
DULUTH, Ga.—
National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYE), appointed Naomi Kelman, former CEO and president at Willow, to its board of directors, effective Sept. 14. “We are so excited to have Naomi join our board of directors,” said Reade Fahs, CEO at National Vision. “We developed a deep respect for Naomi a decade ago—during the five years she so successfully ran Johnson and Johnson’s contact lens business for the Americas. Her subsequent experience in digital transformation and the development of disruptive products, along with her success at scaling health care models will be valuable to National Vision as we continue our growth trajectory.”
By Staff
Tuesday, September 15, 2020 12:24 AM
LONGARONE, Italy—
Marcolin Group has announced the signing of a new licensing agreement for the design, production and worldwide distribution of
Max Mara sunglasses and eyeglasses.
By Staff
Thursday, September 10, 2020 12:30 AM
NEW YORK—The ongoing recovery in the optical and eyecare segments hit a bump in the road last week as optical sales fell throughout the country, according to the latest Jobson COVID-19 Performance Tracker for the week ending Sept. 6. The dip comes as coronavirus cases and hotspots crop up across the nation, with COVID-19 cases rising in 30 states over the past week (according to the
CDC COVID Data Tracker ). While the specific service/product categories gross revenue, frame units and lens pairs all dropped by 2 index points last week, exams refractions were down 3 index points.
By Staff
Thursday, September 10, 2020 12:24 AM
AMSTERDAM—
GrandVision NV (Euronext: GVNV) has agreed to utilize on a limited basis a digital eye test platform developed by
easee, which the companies said gives customers another avenue to renew their glasses and contact lens prescriptions other than through in-store visits. The platform is being piloted with GrandVision’s Finnish and Polish retailers, Instru Optiikka and Vision Express, respectively, according to the announcement this week.