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Safilo Asserts Position of Leadership for Independents

Safilo will be present at Vision Expo East from March 31st to April 2nd at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City with its direction-setting booth, #2749, located on the main show floor.

Show attendees are encouraged to sign up for booth tours at the Safilo reception desk where they can learn about Safilo’s industry-leading capabilities in the areas of trendsetting design, superior craftsmanship and powerful brand building – illustrated by its own core brands highlighted by Polaroid, Carrera, Safilo, Elasta, Emozioni and Smith – in addition to new launch collections, manufactured under license, for Havaianas and Fendi Mens.

Safilo will also reaffirm its leadership in corporate responsibility which is focused on the development of future eyewear talent and female leadership development in the industry by hosting students from The New School’s Parsons School of Design in its booth as well as hosting some of the optical industry’s most influential female leaders in its Fifth Avenue showroom.

“This year’s Vision Expo East booth, in addition to our overall programming for VEE, positions Safilo as the favored independent player and preferred customer partner of the optical industry in North America. Our leading-edge capabilities in the areas of trendsetting design, superior craftsmanship, powerful brand building and technological innovation, coupled with our commitment to nurture and develop future eyewear talent, is just the tip of the iceberg for us and the world-class capabilities we offer our customers. We look forward to a very exciting Vision Expo weekend,” says Henri Blomqvist, CEO of Safilo North America.

To read full press release, click HERE.

Sun-Drenched Urban Look: Rebel Strato

Born in 1997, the Rebel brand has its roots in urban culture. The new collection reaffirms its “Urban streetwear” identity, and accentuates urban codes in a 2017 sun fashion range with excellent optical qualities.

Real urban glasses in metal and acetate, showing their simplicity and graphic lines:

The Strato model has the urban look par excellence, with a front and temples in hand made acetate with luxury finishes. The dual material temple is milled to let the colour show through and highlight the brushed aluminum logo.

www.rlanctot.com

 

Essilor Alive Summit Recap

Martin Lesperance, Director of Training at Essilor Canada, Alive Summit

On Friday, March 3, 2017, Varilux Xperience Partners gathered in Vancouver, British Columbia, for the Alive Summit. Vancouver was the last stop on the Canadian conference tour aimed at bringing industry education to Essilor’s top sellers.

New Essilor Sunstyle Lenses display

At the conference, Essilor announced a new partnership between Essilor Sun lenses and Puma sunglasses. Martin Lesperance, Director of Training at Essilor Canada, modeled a red velvet pair of Puma sneakers and Puma sunglass frames with Red Velvet Crizal Mirrors Sun UV lenses. A sleek new limited edition Essilor Sunstyle Lenses display was revealed to attendees – only 500 will be available starting this spring.

Martin Lesperance wearing Puma sneakers at the Essilo rAlive Summit

Over 170 eye care professionals attended a cocktail party and dinner reception on Friday night. Pierre Bertrand, President of Essilor Canada, expressed a desire to create an intimate learning environment so seminars on Saturday and Sunday were attended by a smaller group of 46 Varilux Xperience Partners. Bertrand reminisced that he always enjoyed his education more in a smaller classroom rather than in a huge lecture hall.

Essilor Alive Summit Vancouver

Pierre Bourré, the National Executive Sales Director of Essilor, echoed this statement. Bourré’s goal is to keep Alive Summit attendee numbers small to foster community. Bourré feels that attendees are more likely to reach out to their fellow peers for feedback and advice when the Summits are small.

Shoes donated to  WYCA Metro Vancouver at the Essilor Alive Summit in Vancouver

The community theme continued with educational seminars showcasing how it can be beneficial to create a local gathering spot in optical stores, which is a draw for Millennials. On Saturday evening, attendees were invited to give back to the community. Funds were collected and shoes were decorated, everything was then donated to the YMCA Metro Vancouver.

Frames distributor Kering was also present, exhibiting a dazzling display of crystal and fur accented frames. Essilor’s executives and speakers encouraged attendees to keep their businesses fresh by introducing new technology to their offices; such as new products and displays.

Kering at Essilor Alive Summit Vancouver

Missed this round of Summits? Bourré shared that Essilor plans to follow up these Alive Summits with another tour in the fall. Stay tuned for further info!

– Sarah Lett

(Photos courtesy of Andrew Lam)

Essilor and Luxottica Take Steps Toward Formal Merger

The March 22 Directors meeting of Essilor International have approved the transfer of its activities and shareholdings to Delamare Sovara, its fully-owned subsidiary.  Delamare Sovara will subsequently be renamed to Essilor International.  Also, the share exchange of Luxottica shares by Delfin, for new Essilor shares was also approved.

These steps were taken subsequent to having obtained favourable opinions of the merger from employee shareholder groups. Discussions concerning the notification process of the transaction to anti-trust authorities are progressing, according to the company release.

The New Board of Directors, subject to shareholder’s approval in May, the new board will consist of the following;

  • Hubert SAGNIÈRES, Chairman and CEO of Essilor International
  •  Philippe ALFROID, Non-independent Director
  • Antoine BERNARD DE SAINT-AFFRIQUE, Independent Director
  • Maureen CAVANAGH, Director representing employee shareholders
  • Juliette FAVRE, Director representing employee shareholders
  • Henrietta FORE, Independent Director
  • Louise FRÉCHETTE, Independent Director
  • Yi HE, Director representing employee shareholders
  • Frank HENRIONNET, Director representing employees
  • Bernard HOURS, Independent Director
  • Annette MESSEMER, Independent Director
  • Marc ONETTO, Independent Director
  • Olivier PECOUX, Non-independent Director
  • Laurent VACHEROT, President and Chief Operating Officer of Essilor International
  • Jeanette WONG, Independent Director

For the complete press release click here.

Dragon Eyewear for the Sporty Individual

Dragon Eyewear introduces the Detail Collection for the active adventurer in all of us. Dr. Reflector (photo), Dr. Method, and Dr. Channel are three modern sporty sunglasses designed for fun, sport and function. Dr Reflector is perfect for the boating enthusiast in all of us, designed to float should a mishap happen when netting your biggest catch of the day. All models are available in a variety of lens colours, double-tail rivets and their iconic dragon tail temple tips.

Dragon Eyewear is distributed by Marchon: www.marchon.com

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