Blog

August 3, 2020August 3, 2020

SILMO 2020 Outside the Box

The still unstable health situation is driving us to think outside the box and to provide alternatives to a major gathering fraught with cross-border difficulties. After announcing that its 2020 edition would not be held at Paris Nord Villepinte, SILMO Paris activated its plan B to address the optical and eyewear industry’s expectation and the anticipation of exhibitors and visitors hoping to reunite.

An exceptional year calls for exceptional solutions, and this year a nomadic version of SILMO Paris will be held in different formats adapted to the market. Showrooms will open in convenient, convivial locations:

Paris, October 3rd and 4th
Bordeaux, October 12th
Rennes, October 19th
Lyon, October 26th
Brussels: date to be confirmed

Click HERE for the full press release.

August 3, 2020August 3, 2020

CooperVision Hires Rajeev Garg, PhD as Global Head of Myopia Management Strategy

CooperVision has hired Rajeev Garg, PhD, as Global Head of Myopia Management Strategy. In this newly created role, he leads initiatives including market development, acquisitions and joint ventures, technology licensing, and lifecycle management in this growing segment of vision care.

Dr. Garg brings more than 20 years of experience in driving innovation and growth in healthcare, including optometry and ophthalmology. He most recently served as Executive Director, Surgical Marketing at Bausch + Lomb, and prior to that in senior marketing roles within Johnson & Johnson’s cataract, contact lens and sterilization businesses.

“Continuing to advance myopia management requires expanded investment in science and technology, as well as adding to an already strong team of visionary, experienced and passionate people,” said Dr. Juan Carlos Aragon, President, CooperVision Specialty EyeCare. “Garg’s proven expertise will be invaluable as we pioneer new techniques, introduce new products, and establish new collaborations to address the global myopia epidemic.”

Click HERE for the full press release.

July 30, 2020July 30, 2020

Smith Announces New GM, Additional Hires and Promotions

Smith, one of Safilo Group’s own core brands, announces the appointment of Francesco Rinaldi Ceroni as General Manager. Francesco joins the company following more than 13 years in the eyewear industry across wholesale and retail, serving most recently as VP International Strategy & Business Development at Costa Del Mar. Under his new role at Smith, he will lead the global business across all commercial channels out of the Portland headquarters, reporting to Angelo Trocchia, CEO of Safilo Group.

“We welcome Francesco who is a highly experienced professional in the industry, with strong entrepreneurial skills and successful background,” commented Angelo Trocchia. “As we focus on executing our new business plan, we see tremendous opportunities to further develop our own core brands and I am confident that Smith will go from strength to strength under Francesco’s leadership.”

Following his successful tenure as Bike Category Manager for the last few years, Jon Raymer is promoted to the new position of Senior Marketing Manager at Smith. Under his new title, Jon oversees the entirety of the marketing team, social media, public relations and partnerships with contracted agencies, reporting to Francesco.

In addition, Allie Flake joins the Smith team as Eyewear Category Manager to support, strengthen and grow the sport eyewear and optical channels. Allie has over a decade of experience in the eyewear industry, supporting the product development at Oliver Peoples, Fox Head, ROKA Sports, and Costa Del Mar. She reports to Graham Sours, Category Director at Smith.

Tuomas Kronqvist is appointed Smith CFO and Ken Salvador is promoted to Senior Finance Manager at Smith.

Click HERE for the full press release.

July 27, 2020July 27, 2020

FYIdoctors Adds Sixth Clinic in Downtown Vancouver

FYidoctors, announced that downtown Vancouver based, Keefer Place Eye Care, is the latest clinic to operate under the FYidoctors banner.

Keefer Place Eye Care. led by Dr. Raymond S. Chow, has been in operation for over 15 years. They serve clients in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.

“We are always pleased to welcome new clinics to the FYidoctors family, furthering our reach across Canada and helping enhance lives,” said Dr. Alan Ulsifer, CEO and Chairman of FYidoctors. “We look forward to providing Dr. Chow and his team at Keefer Place Eye Care with added value and continuing to deliver exceptional eye care for their patients.”

Dr. Chow received his Doctor of Optometry from the University of Waterloo and brings to his practice over 30 years of experience. He is dedicated to providing his patients with the most up-to-date technologies and therapies, and holds a specialty in orthokeratology.

“At Keefer Place Eye Care, our goal has always been to provide a full range of optometry services alongside an exceptional experience,” said Dr. Chow. “In order to continue facilitating this, we look forward to our partnership with FYidoctors and the added benefits this will provide to both our patients and community.”

The addition of Keefer Place Eye Care marks FYidoctors’ sixth clinic in Downtown Vancouver.

Click Here to view the full press release from FYidoctors.

July 21, 2020July 21, 2020

EssilorLuxottica Launches Legal Action Against Acquisition Target.

The Franco-Italian giant, EssilorLuxottica alleges that GrandVision has not been forthcoming in providing operating results in view of the COVID pandemic., in a legal proceeding launched July 18th. At issue is the financial impact of the COVID pandemic on business operations, and the possibility of renegotiating a new valuation based on a decline in revenues and profit.

EssilorLuxottica had agreed to buy the rival optical chain nearly one ear ago by purchasing the 76.2 per cent stake from Hal Holding.

The Netherlands-based retail chain counters they are committed to finalizing the acquisition in the timetable specificed in the purchase agreement from one year ago.

A company statement responds, “GrandVision strongly disagrees with these claims and has responded accordingly. GrandVision continues to support EssilorLuxottica with the shared objective to obtain regulatory approval for the closure of the Transaction within 12 to 24 months from the announcement date of 31 July 2019”.

While the acquisition hopes to ad about 7,400 stores globally and more than 39,000 employees to the group. the agreement has been under evaluation by European competition authorities concerned it could lead to reduced competition and higher prices for consumers. European competition authorities are demanding that EssilorLuxottica sell retail stores in Italy and in either France or the Netherlands in order to finalize the sale.