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PLAINVILLE, Mass.—Hilco Vision has acquired Hamburg, Germany-based premium ready reader glasses company, I NEED YOU (INY), effective October 30, the company announced. Ross Brownlee, CEO of Hilco Vision, noted, “We have continued to build our European footprint since the acquisition of Breitfeld & Schliekert (B&S) in Germany in 2015. The market leading I NEED YOU brand of ready readers is synonymous with quality, service, design and breadth of offering. We have a strong admiration for the professionalism and market orientation that the Gellermann family has brought to the category since founding the company in 1993. We are truly excited to leverage their experience and capabilities as we strive to delight our customers with category leadership in all our product offerings.”

In the immediate term, the businesses will operate independently and there will be no needed change to how business is conducted with either company, the announcement said.

“We are very proud of the products and service levels that have brought recognition and success for I NEED YOU in Germany and throughout Europe, stated Uwe Gellermann, founder of INY. He added, "We felt that partnering with Hilco Vision would ensure the brand would continue to grow and find new customers globally.” Stated INY's joint managing director, Neele Schierholz, “We are a very customer centric organization and importantly, we felt a very strong alignment of values between the two companies.”

Uwe Gellermann and Neele Schierholz will continue in their leadership roles as part of Hilco Vision, working in partnership with the Hilco Vision European leadership team of Frank Thiel and Bernd Pigorsch..

Hilco Vision is an industry leading global vision care company delivering comprehensive solutions to customers, built on a platform of innovation and operational excellence. It has direct subsidiaries in the US., Canada, U.K., Germany, Australia, China, and the Netherlands. The company’s product portfolio is concentrated on five primary product categories: professional optical tools, ophthalmic supplies, vision protection, consumer accessories and lens care.