Blog

July 30, 2018July 30, 2018

Celebrity and Urban Driven Destination, The BLOCK, to Launch at Vision Expo West

The BLOCK, an extension of the Galleria featuring celebrity-influenced and independently designed urban eyewear, will launch at Vision Expo West 2018 in Las Vegas, NV (Education: September 26 – 29; Exhibit Hall: September 27 – 29). In this new Exhibit Hall destination, fashion-forward retailers will find a customized environment that complements urban eyewear and elevates the presence of celebrity designers through fashion shows, meet-and-greets and panels focused on style and design.

The BLOCK will launch several new eyewear lines. Raquel Smith, long time personal stylist of Beyoncé, will unveil a new luxury children’s eyewear line based on Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy called KIDRAQ.

In addition, attendees will see the latest handmade and high fashion frames from Cynthia Bailey Eyewear, launched by the model and star of Real Housewives of Atlanta. Thierry Lasry, Selima Optique and Coco and Breezy have also signed on to exhibit in the BLOCK. Representatives from Vision Expo plan to announce more additions leading into the show.

The BLOCK will feature several activations including a daily BLOCK Party deejayed by Coco and Breezy, panel sessions and fashion shows emceed by each brand’s celebrity designer, and a personal styling session for attendees by Raquel Smith and Ty Hunter, both fashion designers and long-time personal stylists to Beyoncé.

The current activation schedule for the BLOCK is:

Thursday, September 27
- Cynthia Bailey Eyewear Fashion Show emceed by Cynthia Bailey at 2:30 PM
- Block Party deejayed by Coco and Breezy from 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Friday, September 28
- KIDRAQ Children’s Fashion Show emceed by Beyoncé’s stylist, Raquel Smith at 11:30 AM
- Block Party deejayed by Coco and Breezy from 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Dates and Times Pending:
- Fashion + Frames Panel featuring Cynthia Bailey, Raquel Smith and Tiffany Williams
- Frames to Complete Your Look Panel featuring Raquel Smith and Ty Hunter

To register, learn more and stay up-to-date on the BLOCK, visit VisionExpoLV.com and follow Vision Expo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

July 30, 2018July 30, 2018

Marchon and G-III Apparel Group Sign Exclusive Licensing Agreement

Image credit: DKNY Spring 2018 global ad campaign

Marchon Eyewear and G-III Apparel Group announced that they have entered into a long-term exclusive global licensing agreement for DKNY and Donna Karan New York eyewear.

Product introductions under the license agreement will begin with DKNY sun and optical eyewear and rollout globally beginning March 2019. Plans are to extend the offering to include Donna Karan New York sun and optical eyewear shortly thereafter.

Jeffrey Goldfarb, Executive Vice President of G-III Apparel Group, said, “Marchon Eyewear’s innovative designs, strong brand portfolio, and global distribution capabilities are a testament to their leadership in this market. Our partnership with Marchon Eyewear is a great example of our ongoing strategy to maximize the worldwide reach of our iconic lifestyle brands, DKNY and Donna Karan New York.”

“We are immensely proud to be collaborating with G-III and DKNY, one of the most admired American fashion brands in the world,” said Nicola Zotta, President and CEO of Marchon Eyewear. “We look forward to crafting unique eyewear collections which exemplify DKNY’s iconic style, as well as to be a part of the brand’s growth and continued legacy of success.”

The new line is planned to be sold globally in select department stores, specialty stores, and premium sun and optical retailers, as well as in DKNY retail locations and online at DKNY.com.

Marchon Eyewear previously held the eyewear licenses for DKNY and Donna Karan New York from 1999 through 2004.

Click HERE for the full press release.

July 25, 2018

EBlock Debuts New Service Kit

EBlock’s new service kit for is designed to support the technical assembly and after-sales for all their collections.

The new kit is designed to be easier and more intuitive for mounting lenses without using screws.

Contained within the kit is a card instruction system, an E-KEY for the introduction and the disengagement of the spaces and the new gold-coloured spacers for the sealing of the block system. The kit also comes with an E-TESTER to check for error as well as nylon rings, nose pads and temple tips. The service kit is free to opticians and accredited laboratories.

July 24, 2018

Novartis, Alcon Report Growth In Second Quarter of 2018

Both Novartis and Alcon reported that their net sales grew by 5%, while Alcon’s core operating income grew 14%.

Alcon’s net sales were USD 1.8 billion, mainly driven by double digit growth in sales of IOLs and micro stents. Vision Care sales grew 1% overall, with double digit growth in Dailies Total and a decline in weekly/monthly lenses. Alcon’s results reflect the sixth consecutive quarter of net sales growth as a result of improved operations, innovation, and customer relationships.

Commenting on the results, Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis, said: “We made significant progress this quarter to transform Novartis into a focused medicines company. We completed the Alcon strategic review, exited the OTC joint venture, and strengthened our innovation engine with the acquisition of AveXis. Operationally we delivered solid growth, with margins expanding and key growth drivers including Cosentyx delivering strong performance.”

Novartis recently announced it would be spinning off Alcon into an independent eye care device company.

Click here to read more

July 20, 2018July 26, 2018

Both USA and Canadian Retail Markets Consolidate

The Top 7 retailers with the largest US footprint, defied by the number of
store locations, grew nearly 5% in revenue in 2017, while the number of
store locations remained flt (down 0.1%).

Optik compared each country’s largest retailers and found that the level of store concentration in Canada has drawn closer to that of the USA due to the aggressive acquisitions by New Look Vision Group and FYidoctors in particular.

While Private Equity investment has been a significant driver in US market consolidation, the same phenomenon has not impacted the Canadian market so far. In Canada, direct foreign investment from France, UK and Hong Kong, has spawned new foreign entrants including Optical Center, Ollie Quinn and Mujosh, while new entrants from the USA, including Oliver Peoples (Luxottica),
Warby Parker and Illesteva are pursuing the upscale fashion-forward opportunity in major Canadian urban markets.

Mass Merchants
Walmart and Costco alone account for 25% of the Top 7 sales and 32% of the dispensing doors. In Canada they collectively account for less than 25% of dispensing doors. While no grocery retailers made the USA Top 50 list, Canadian grocery giant Loblaw ranks fourth in national footprint.

The Top Canadian Retailer Report is coming soon! Optik plans a comprehensive Top Canadian Retailer Report later in 2018, including dispensing doors and revenue. Retailers are invited to download the survey and self-report sales in order to contribute to the Optik Top Canadian Retailer Report.

References/Références :
1 Vision Monday Top 50 Report May 2018
2 US doors are based upon Vision Monday Top 50 report. Total USA dispensing door estimates Jobson Medical Information LLC
3 Canadian estimates by VuePoint IDS Inc based upon publicly available data as of March 2018
4 New Look Vision Group Annual Report 2017
5 May not include all listed retail brands
6 Self-reported by group

Celebrity and Urban Driven Destination, The BLOCK, to Launch at Vision Expo West

Marchon and G-III Apparel Group Sign Exclusive Licensing Agreement

EBlock Debuts New Service Kit

Novartis, Alcon Report Growth In Second Quarter of 2018

Both USA and Canadian Retail Markets Consolidate

Featured Posts

Colour for Little Originals

Myopia Care and the Optician as a Key Provider

OptikConEd Summer Special Offers CE Credits Starting at $7.99

Ontario Opticians Association Issues Important Notice to Members and Industry Partners

opti 2027 Unveils “See. Hear. Next.” — A Campaign Shaping What’s Ahead for the Industry

Colour for Little Originals

Myopia Care and the Optician as a Key Provider

OptikConEd Summer Special Offers CE Credits Starting at $7.99

Ontario Opticians Association Issues Important Notice to Members and Industry Partners

opti 2027 Unveils “See. Hear. Next.” — A Campaign Shaping What’s Ahead for the Industry

Colour for Little Originals

Myopia Care and the Optician as a Key Provider

OptikConEd Summer Special Offers CE Credits Starting at $7.99

Ontario Opticians Association Issues Important Notice to Members and Industry Partners

opti 2027 Unveils “See. Hear. Next.” — A Campaign Shaping What’s Ahead for the Industry

Colour for Little Originals

Myopia Care and the Optician as a Key Provider

OptikConEd Summer Special Offers CE Credits Starting at $7.99

Ontario Opticians Association Issues Important Notice to Members and Industry Partners

opti 2027 Unveils “See. Hear. Next.” — A Campaign Shaping What’s Ahead for the Industry