Blue Point Capital Partners announces the acquisition of eyebobs, a market leader in premium reading glasses. The investment is part of the firm’s broader plan to build a unique eyewear platform designed for B2B and B2C growth.

eyebobs joins Blue Point’s newly formed eyewear holding company following the firm’s March 2023 platform investment in Europa Eyewear.

Recognized for its distinctive style and art-worthy eyewear, eyebobs was founded in 2001 to address the gap between inexpensive readers sold in the mass market and designer frames sold by optical retailers. eyebobs began with a mission to “create original readers for original people” and has since transformed into a successful omnichannel brand with an exceptional product design aesthetic and a highly engaged customer base.

“We see tremendous opportunity for growth in the eyewear market and could not be more pleased to have Europa and eyebobs as part of our portfolio. The combined strength of these well-established companies will allow us to unlock growth for both organizations by leveraging their proprietary brands, leading design capabilities and differentiated B2B and B2C models,” said Blue Point Partner John LeMay.

“Europa and eyebobs have highly complementary capabilities, as well as like- minded cultures and values, making this investment a natural next step in the development of our eyewear platform,” said Blue Point Operating Executive Holly Rush. “eyebobs’ distinct brand and value-proposition truly resonate with consumers. With the capabilities and strengths of Europa, we believe this is a powerful combination poised to expand the brand’s reach and capture significant growth opportunities.”

Click HERE for the full press release.

Marchon Eyewear and Paul Smith, Britain’s leading independent design company, announced that they have entered into an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement.

Marchon was previously responsible for the distribution of Paul Smith eyewear in North America. Under this new partnership, Marchon now oversees the design, manufacturing, and global distribution of the brand’s eyewear collection since January 2023.

Paul Smith sun and optical styles are designed with a classic yet modern approach, with a focus on craft and attention to detail – featuring the distinct signature styling and the organic colour palette Paul Smith is known for.

“Marchon is very proud to partner with Paul Smith, an iconic brand with timeless styling,” said Thomas Burkhardt, President of Marchon Eyewear, Inc. “We look forward to contributing to the brand’s future growth around the world, while strengthening our offering within the luxury eyewear segment. The new collections will be offering new eyewear styles that will uniquely capture the essence and exceptional quality of the Paul Smith brand.”

“We are delighted to be embarking on a new global eyewear partnership with Marchon. Harnessing their expertise in manufacturing and distribution and bringing our own unique approach to design and creativity, we have every confidence it will be a prosperous collaboration.” Ashley Long, Managing Director, Paul Smith Ltd.

Click HERE for the full press release.

Looking for something special? VANNI has you covered! Their latest series is chemically etched and utilizes a manually intensive triple-colouring process so that no two frames are identical in pattern design and colour intensity. Handmade in Italy, for sure.

Featured model: 4422, col: 55.

View the full collection at www.georgesetphina.com.

Transitions Optical has announced the appointment of Rose Harris to senior director of marketing, North America. In her new role, Harris is responsible for strategic development, implementation, and integration of all Transitions marketing programs for the U.S. and Canada.

As senior director of marketing, North America, Harris will also represent the region to drive growth and to create cross-functional alignment for regional marketing strategies for Transitions^® lenses. She will oversee the management of key channels as well as the appropriate consumer and trade marketing functions.

Harris began her career at Transitions Optical in 1991 and has served in various sales and marketing roles. For the past 5 years, she has been both senior associate director and director of channel marketing for North America.

Click HERE for the full press release.

Europa Eyewear announces its partnership with Blue Point Capital Partners, a mid-west investment firm. Blue Point Capital has made a meaningful investment in Europa to fuel its growth and expansion.

Founded by Alan and Cynthia Shapiro in 1977 and led today by the founders’ son Scott Shapiro, Europa is one of the largest independent eyewear companies in the United States. Nearly all of the Company’s frame collections are proprietary trade and consumer brands supported by a fully employed salesforce.

“Blue Point’s industry-focused operating executives, optical experience and differentiated capabilities made partnering with them an easy choice,” said Europa CEO Scott Shapiro. “Blue Point shares our vision for the future, even more importantly, they share our values. This was imperative given Europa’s unique culture and the role this plays in shaping the next chapter of our family’s legacy.”

“Together, Europa and Blue Point are committed to strengthening the tremendous value and service we provide to our customers as well as expanding our product portfolio to address the needs of today’s consumers,” said Europa President Jerry Wolowicz.

This investment is supported by Blue Point’s decades of experience working with family-owned businesses and its deep knowledge of the optical space, underpinned by its transformative investment in Hilco Vision. In addition to Blue Point’s industry experience and value-added capabilities, Jeff Cole and Holly Rush, two highly accomplished industry leaders, will serve as advisors and board members to the Company, while providing guidance to the Europa Management team.

“Europa is an outstanding company — we are proud to support its leadership team, further strengthen its exceptional culture and provide a platform for growth by leveraging Blue Point’s value-added capabilities and future M&A,” said Blue Point Principal Evan Cottington.

Europa Eyewear Canada is a separate company and remains the exclusive Canadian distributor for Europa Eyewear brands including STATE Optical Co. and American Optical.

Click HERE for the full press release.