Lanctôt and
Mondottica International announce their official partnership by signing an
agreement for the exclusive distribution of the Sandro eyewear collections in
Canada.
Known for its
clean lines and sophisticated aesthetic whilst embodying the cool of truly
Parisian inspired style, Sandro is a leading accessible luxury brand featuring
refined and versatile men’s and women’s collections. Sandro is available in 37
Countries and has over 590 points of sale worldwide. The brand plans to expand
in the US and Canada in the next couple of years. There are already 5 free
standing stores in Canada, with 9 shop-in-shops just in Hudson’s Bay.
Built on a
classic yet bold colour palette of black, grey, tortoiseshell and crystal, the
Sandro eyewear
collections are reflective of the contemporary Sandro
man and woman. Discreet engraved branding is featured either on handmade
acetates or refined metals, while bespoke elements such as custom made
five-barrel hinges and distinctive real triple rivets add the finishing touch.
Stephane Leroy, Vice President at Lanctôt states: “We are
tremendously excited to introduce the Sandro Eyewear collection in Canada.
Lanctôt is very proud to offer Sandro, a great affordable luxury brand to the
best eyewear clinics from Halifax to Vancouver.”
Commenting on the agreement, Drew Oppermann, Mondottica Commercial
Director for Canada, says: “It is a
privilege to work with a company like Lanctôt which has an excellent reputation
for high quality products and outstanding customer service. There is great
synergy between a brand like Sandro eyewear and the values of Lanctôt and we
believe this is the beginning of a successful relationship”.
A leading data and analytics company,
GlobalData, reports that notwithstanding the withdrawal of promising ophthalmic
pharmaceuticals from the clinical pipeline, the June 2018 Novartis spin-off of
Alcon, and the rumours of Takeda selling Shire’s ophthalmic business, the
ophtha market will continue to attract extensive R&D investment.
Seven pipeline pharmaceuticals were
withdrawn from clinical trials in 2018, including lampalizumab, Roche’s widely
anticipated late stage dry AMD drug. Maura
Musciacco, Director of Neurology & Ophthalmology at GlobalData, states:
“The geographic [retinal] atrophy segment still lacks approved therapies and
arguably also represents the largest unmet need in the ophthalmology market.”
The report also characterizes the ALCON
spin-off as an expected event in view of the parent company’s (Novartis) recent
penchant for divesting businesses outside of its core Rx pharma business.
Earlier rumours that Takeda, Shire’s
Japanese parent company, would divest the ophthalmology business, which
consists of Xiidra for dry eye and several pipeline compounds for glaucoma and
infectious conjunctivitis, were also cited as downside factors.
Musciacco concludes, “…the anatomy of the
eye represents a challenge for R&D and ocular drug delivery. As such, the
ophthalmology market has typically been associated as a small specialist field.
Nevertheless, it is expected to see solid growth going forwards.”
Nearly 1000
professionals from North and South America gathered February 3- 6 in Orlando,
Florida for the 23rd annual Transitions Academy. During the two-day,
invitation-only event – themed “Light Years Ahead” – attendees took part in
professional development and product technology workshops; heard from experts
and educators on marketing and industry trends; and learned from their peers
and partners.
Attendees were welcomed with an exciting performance and opening remarks from Jose Alves, General Manager, Transitions Americas followed by Chrystel Barranger, president, Essilor Photochromics and Transitions Optical who presented how the brand is innovating to bring light management solutions to even more wearers in 2019.
Mark
Rea, Ph.D., professor of architecture and cognitive sciences at The Lighting
Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, made a presentation on the
science behind light emphasizing the complexity of the neural processing from
the retina to the brain.
New Technologies Announced
Catherine Rauscher, senior global director of business innovation,
Transitions Optical and Jacquie Henderson, vice president of marketing, Johnson
& Johnson, North America, then took the main stage to share the latest news
on ACUVUE® OASYS Contact
Lenses with Transitions™ Light Intelligent Technology™.
Luc Nouvelot,
director of global R&D, and Elise Bioche, vice president of global
marketing presented Transitions®
Signature® Gen 8™,
which
offers a new frontier of performance. The new Gen 8 technology promises improvement
in all photochromic features.
Transitions told Optik that Gen 8 technology will be coming to Canada in
the summer of 2019.
“This year is an important
milestone for our company, and we are honored to have both long-standing and
new partners share in our celebration of innovation,” said Alves. “The theme
‘Light Years Ahead’ allowed attendees to see how Transitions Optical is leading
the photochromic category through technology and product advancements that will
extend light management to even more people—whether they are spectacle wearers,
contact wearers or motorcycle riders,” said Alves.
2019 Marketing Initiatives
The energy of Transitions
Academy continued to build as Tuesday commenced with an overview of Transitions
Optical’s
2019 marketing and consumer outreach
plans led by Patience Cook, director, North America marketing, Rose Harris,
senior associate director, channel marketing strategies and Vanessa Johns, director,
Latin America marketing.
Tuesday’s
curriculum focused on how eyecare professionals (ECPs) can keep themselves and
their businesses Light Years Ahead. Attendees learned how to set goals and map
out a plan to get there during Martin Lespérance’s presentation.
Then during See the Light: Creating the
Why and the How, doctors, opticians and lens sales reps, reviewed
the best practices on how to integrate Transitions
lenses into the patient journey, and how they can be prescribed to all patients.
Mel Robbins provided the Tuesday keynote presentation—Five Second Rule—all about how ECPs can increase productivity, collaboration and engagement.
Drew
Smith, director, North America channels, led the 2018
Transitions Innovation Awards program. The six category winners were
as follows: Professional Eyecare Associates of America (PECAA) was named Best
in Training; Sheena Taff was named Best in Marketing; Costco Optical was named
Canada Retailer of the Year; National Vision Holdings, Inc. was named U.S.
Retailer of the Year; Weaver Eye Associates was named Eyecare Practice of the
Year; and Amanda Rights, O.D. of Blue Ridge Vision, was named the 2018 Transitions
Brand Ambassador.
Essilor International, an EssilorLuxottica subsidiary,
is actively pursuing its acquisition and partnership strategy with the
completion of four transactions worldwide, representing combined full-year
revenue of around €48 million.
Essilor further strengthens its development strategy
in Germany, the fifth largest ophthalmic optics industry in the world. To speed
up the development of a drive-to-store model that gives consumers access to the
latest digital technologies combined with the expertise of independent
opticians, Essilor signed an agreement to acquire 100% of Brille24 GmbH. The
latter is one of the leading online retailers of optical products in Germany
with annual revenue of close to €25 million. The acquisition of Brille24 is
subject to approval of the German competition authority (Bundeskartellamt).
The Company reinforces its presence in Greece, where Essilor partner Shamir
acquired Union Optic, a prescription laboratory that also distributes optical
instruments. Union Optic generates annual sales of about €9 million and
operates four branches across Greece and Cyprus. Union Optics acquisition by
Shamir will strengthen the footprint of the Essilor Group in the territory,
where Bairamoglou and Unilens are long standing distributors of Essilor lens
and Nikon lens, respectively.
Essilor also expands its coverage of Latin America to
ensure broader access to its innovations in markets there.
Essilor acquired a majority stake in Indulentes, one of the leading
prescription laboratories in Ecuador with annual revenue of USD9 million.
Indulentes will leverage Essilor’s technological know-how to accelerate its
expansion in a local market that holds huge potential for progressive and
antireflective lenses. This acquisition represents Essilor’s first move into
Ecuador.
In Argentina, Essilor acquired a majority stake in Metalizado Optico Argentino
S.A. (MOA), one of the country’s leading prescription laboratories. Buenos
Aires-based MOA generates annual revenue of about USD7 million.
Founded in 1929, following the US stock market crash
that led to the Great Depression, two Italian brothers began crafting eyeglass
frames in their New Jersey basement that would become known as Liberty Optical.
In the 1950s, Liberty achieved mass market success
with ophthalmic frame styles such as the Broker, Par, and Libby. Business
boomed and operations expanded as Liberty became one of the largest optical manufacturers
in the USA by 1964.
During the 1980s, Liberty led the charge to develop
protective eyeglasses for athletes… Over the last four decades, 9 out of 10
sport protective eyeglasses sold in the USA have been Rec Specs.
In the last two decades, Liberty expanded its product
development mission with the engineering expertise developed from Rec Specs to
introduce Performance Sunglasses Collections and the Switch Magnetic
Interchange Technology line. Most recently, Liberty released the “Virtually Indestructible”
Active Everyday Eyeglasses line, bringing the company back to its optical frame
roots.
The Rec Specs Lab was established in 2015 to produce
“Virtually Indestructible” complete frame and lens solutions for both youth and
adults.
Today, Liberty remains committed to being at the
forefront of Virtually Indestructible, Purpose-Built eyewear solutions that
defend vision from injury and enhance vision performance. Liberty proudly embraces
its “Heritage of Excellence” as a family owned and operated American company.
Vision Expo 2026 will debut a redesigned education experience in Orlando, offering more than 220 hours of accredited continuing education across optometry, opticianry, and eye care business topics.
CooperVision Canada has announced a new partnership with elite sprint canoe athlete Nikita Ciudin, supporting his journey toward representing Team Canada on the world stage while raising awareness about myopia management and youth eye health.
EssilorLuxottica and Burberry have announced the renewal of their global eyewear licensing agreement through 2035, extending a long-standing partnership defined by creativity, craftsmanship, and innovation.
Safilo Group and Pierre Cardin have renewed their global eyewear licensing agreement through 2031, continuing a partnership that spans more than three decades in the eyewear industry.
LensCrafters is continuing its Dedicated to Everyday Excellence campaign into 2026, featuring independent optometrist Dr. Anisha Haji and highlighting leadership, patient care, and innovation in optometry.
Vision Expo 2026 will debut a redesigned education experience in Orlando, offering more than 220 hours of accredited continuing education across optometry, opticianry, and eye care business topics.
CooperVision Canada has announced a new partnership with elite sprint canoe athlete Nikita Ciudin, supporting his journey toward representing Team Canada on the world stage while raising awareness about myopia management and youth eye health.
EssilorLuxottica and Burberry have announced the renewal of their global eyewear licensing agreement through 2035, extending a long-standing partnership defined by creativity, craftsmanship, and innovation.
Safilo Group and Pierre Cardin have renewed their global eyewear licensing agreement through 2031, continuing a partnership that spans more than three decades in the eyewear industry.
LensCrafters is continuing its Dedicated to Everyday Excellence campaign into 2026, featuring independent optometrist Dr. Anisha Haji and highlighting leadership, patient care, and innovation in optometry.
Vision Expo 2026 will debut a redesigned education experience in Orlando, offering more than 220 hours of accredited continuing education across optometry, opticianry, and eye care business topics.
CooperVision Canada has announced a new partnership with elite sprint canoe athlete Nikita Ciudin, supporting his journey toward representing Team Canada on the world stage while raising awareness about myopia management and youth eye health.
EssilorLuxottica and Burberry have announced the renewal of their global eyewear licensing agreement through 2035, extending a long-standing partnership defined by creativity, craftsmanship, and innovation.
Safilo Group and Pierre Cardin have renewed their global eyewear licensing agreement through 2031, continuing a partnership that spans more than three decades in the eyewear industry.
LensCrafters is continuing its Dedicated to Everyday Excellence campaign into 2026, featuring independent optometrist Dr. Anisha Haji and highlighting leadership, patient care, and innovation in optometry.
Vision Expo 2026 will debut a redesigned education experience in Orlando, offering more than 220 hours of accredited continuing education across optometry, opticianry, and eye care business topics.
CooperVision Canada has announced a new partnership with elite sprint canoe athlete Nikita Ciudin, supporting his journey toward representing Team Canada on the world stage while raising awareness about myopia management and youth eye health.
EssilorLuxottica and Burberry have announced the renewal of their global eyewear licensing agreement through 2035, extending a long-standing partnership defined by creativity, craftsmanship, and innovation.
Safilo Group and Pierre Cardin have renewed their global eyewear licensing agreement through 2031, continuing a partnership that spans more than three decades in the eyewear industry.
LensCrafters is continuing its Dedicated to Everyday Excellence campaign into 2026, featuring independent optometrist Dr. Anisha Haji and highlighting leadership, patient care, and innovation in optometry.
