Eye on the Industry Episode 14: New Look at 40 with Jacinthe Laurendeau
Thursday, October 8 2026 | 14 h 31 min | Eye on the Industry Podcast
Episode 14 of Eye on the Industry is now available, celebrating 40 years of New Look with company President Jacinthe Laurendeau.
Laurendeau joins hosts Christine Zeggil and Isabelle Tremblay for a bilingual conversation looking back at the evolution of one of Canada’s best-known optical retailers—and ahead to how technology, personalization and human expertise will shape its next chapter.
Laurendeau’s own career has grown alongside the company. She began with New Look as a student optician more than 30 years ago, later becoming a licensed dispensing optician and holding a series of management and leadership roles before becoming President.
During the episode, she reflects on how New Look has evolved from its beginnings under founder and optician Guy Rouleau while maintaining what she describes as its core focus on accessibility, quality and customer service.
Technology has changed considerably over four decades. Laurendeau points to innovations including virtual try-on, digital measurements, online optician services and New Look’s Montreal ophthalmic lens laboratory. Yet she says the company’s underlying priorities remain much the same: innovation, passion and a focus on the customer.
The conversation also touches on New Look’s growth from six to 77 stores in Quebec and Ontario, along with 11 locations in British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
To mark its 40th anniversary, New Look has launched Club 86, a frame collection inspired by the 1980s and reinterpreted with a contemporary perspective. Several models are named after communities the company serves, while one frame, “Guy,” honours founder Guy Rouleau.
Looking ahead, Laurendeau says technology will continue to play a growing role in the customer journey—but not at the expense of personal expertise.
“Our customers and patients want efficiency, but also they need our expertise,” she says. “The human touch is really more important than ever. We need to use technology to improve that.”
Listen to the latest episode of Eye on the Industry with Jacinthe Laurendeau for a look at 40 years of New Look—and where the company sees Canadian optical retail heading next.
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