Marchon
Eyewear and Lacoste, the French fashion sport brand,
announced the long-term, multi-year
renewal of their global eyewear licensing agreement.
This agreement is for the exclusive design, development, production, and distribution of ophthalmic and sunglass collections under the Lacoste brand. This renewal confirms the strong alliance between the two companies since Marchon and Lacoste first engaged as licensing partners in 2011. Over the years eyewear has not only grown alongside its parent brand’s successful trajectory, but also been increasingly involved in Lacoste’s partnerships and special projects, such as the launch of the Novak Djokovic and Roland Garros eyewear collections and the sponsoring of The Miami Open and Rolex Shanghai Masters tennis tournaments.
“We are incredibly proud to continue our longstanding and successful
partnership with Lacoste,” said Nicola Zotta, President & CEO of Marchon
Eyewear, Inc. “Lacoste represents a core pillar of our global Lifestyle
portfolio, and we are confident that our teams will continue to create eyewear
offerings that drives the Lacoste business forward.”
“We are pleased to continue our partnership with Marchon, with whom we
succeeded in developing strong collections in line with Lacoste’s DNA,” said Catherine
Spindler, Chief Brand Officer of Lacoste. “Eyewear is an important category for
our brand, which perfectly complements the Lacoste silhouette in terms of
style, innovation and creativity. We have great ambitions in this category,
where our fashion sport brand has a lot of potential.”
Today Specsavers announced its intention to become a Canadian market leader by opening more than 200 locally owned stores in the country by 2024.
The company will start by launching 16 stores in British Columbia over the next six months, including two in November 2021 (Woodgrove Centre, Nanaimo, BC and Coquitlam Centre , Coquitlam, BC). The fourteen additional openings across BC will be completed by March 2022.
Specsavers informed Optik that the 16 stores are a rebrand of the Image Optometry stores acquired earlier this year. These stores are all local owner-operated in a franchise partnership.
“We’re looking forward to showing Canadians the value of our tried-and-true business model that has allowed us to deliver on our promise of accessibility for customers for 37 years and counting,” said Bill Moir, General Manager, Specsavers Canada. “By creating business ownership opportunities for independent optometrists, Specsavers is able to build a network that is represented in rural and urban locations and can structure operations in a way that generates high value for both optometrists and customers. Together, we will transform eye health for Canadians.”
Specsavers is a UK-based organization and is known widely in in Europe, including UK, and in Australia and New Zealand for its affordable and high-quality products and clinical expertise, according to the company. “With the goal of redefining accessible eyecare for Canadians, Specsavers is focused on bringing value-driven prescription eyewear paired with inclusive clinical care, advanced equipment, and unrivaled network of professional expertise to deliver best-in class service every day. “
The company further announced that, “All Specsavers stores are owner-operated under a franchise partnership model that helps optometrists focus on delivering the best eyecare possible, while providing them with the benefits of a global, integrated supply chain with facilities across Asia, UK, Australia, Eastern Europe and North America.”
My Vision Show has announced the first My Vision Show Rewind, a three-day virtual event November 19 – 21, 2021.
“My Vision Show Rewind” will highlight the independent brands, and a select few content creators, who participated in the show throughout the year.
A new interactive optical and eye care trade show, “Global Vision Fair 3D”, the first 3D will also announce its dates during My Vision Show Rewind and will provide a sneak preview to all visitors.
November 19-21 inclusive.
My Vision Show has been gaining national attention from the eyewear community, optometric communities, and the trade show industry at large for hosting an unparalleled virtual, and hybrid, experience.
While, in the past, My Vision Show was only open to the independent segment of the industry, the show’s founder, Charlene Nichols, agreed that it is time to be more inclusive by inviting everyone to participate.
The decision comes after many requests from past attendees to include various beloved brands that do not fall into the independent category.
“Although our attendees are primarily from the independent segment, their voices have been clear that a diverse mix of brands is required to run a functional business and we recognize the need for all brands to be present so these business owners can make informed decisions based on their practice needs,” says Nichols. This will, for the first time, allow brands from all sectors of the industry to participate in the show starting 2022.
While the show is committed to being inclusive of all brands, My Vision Show will remain steadfast in its mission to focus on solutions geared towards independent eyecare businesses.
Independent brands who currently partner with My Vision Show have also voiced their support for the change citing a larger potential audience and the ability to showcase alongside larger brands as a bonus to their participation.
The Rewind will be free for attendees and will include raffles, scavenger hunts, and prizes to celebrate another year of My Vision Show.
Way back in 2019 we were feeling the
challenges of recruiting and the last two years have added a whole new wrinkle.
Since March of 2020, we have seen
significant workplace trends develop in the workplace from an acceptance of remote
working, online meetings, flexible work hours to support home schooling and,
overall, a new set of rules and worries – for both employers and employees.
For the past 10 years or longer we have
been told to prepare for the great resignation/retirement wave that was going
to hit the workforce with the baby boomers coming up to 60+ years.
The Pandemic Has Empowered Employees
We were starting to feel this back in 2019 but now the pandemic dynamic has
been added to what was already happening – people removing themselves from the
workplace
Yes, workers are quitting
their jobs at unprecedented rates. But here’s the thing; what we’re seeing
right now isn’t a generation of workers stepping into retirement. It’s bigger.
People who are leaving
their jobs aren’t passively surrendering or checking out. People are actively
shifting the narrative about what is acceptable (and not acceptable) in jobs
and workplaces.
If your star employees
have not left yet, they might be “hunkering down” – biding their time, ready to pounce on new
opportunities.
People are owning their
power and helping to reframe mindsets about how work can and should look and
feel.
Time. Space. Growth.
Autonomy. Leadership. Wellness.
Work-life integration. Money. Safety. Engagement. Equity.
All of these things are essential to our mutual success. The problem is that
employers and employees are not always on the same page about what these things
are or ought to be, in policy or practice.
So, what does that mean for the Optometry
Clinic and Optical? Here is a quick
checklist of things you can do to make everything work better.
Programmable Recruiting. Consider who you want to attract and then target them. Social
media tools allow you to set the demographics you want to reach and target your
spend on the best potential candidates not volume of candidates. Seek Quality – Not Quantity
It’s Not About You. Shift the narrative in your communications with candidates and your
team about what it is they can expect to get from you not what you are wanting
to get from them.
Know Your People. Understand what your current people want from work. Are you
over-extending them with more hours than they want but they are not speaking
up? Do you have the opportunity to support up skilling or professional development?
Measure What Matters. Are the roles in your practice where you can provide training and
upskilling? If so, put the focus on who they are, then look at what they know
and what they have done.
Always be looking. Be an organization that is always on the look-out for great talent
to bring to the team. Don’t wait until you need to fill a position. If someone
great comes along see how you can make room for them. If not immediately, keep
the contact warm.
Build Your Community. We all have a community around us. The people we work with, the
people we serve, the suppliers, friends, family and professional contacts. Keep
connected. Share what you know and be a valued member of your community. Give
first is always the best approach to building relationships.
Tim will be sharing his perspective at the upcoming “Changing Landscapes: Career Pathfinders – Making Informed Decisions” webinar on November 8th. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER for this event.
Tim Brennan is Chief Visionary Officer with
Fit First Technologies Inc, the creators of Eyeployment, TalentSorter and
Jobtimize.
The Tournament revives a heritage AO design. First introduced in the 1950s, this sun style manages to feel completely modern despite its vintage inspiration. It was originally described as “a bold, masculine frame for those who enjoy the challenge of competition,” and we couldn’t phrase it any better.
Featured model: Tournament col. 1 – Grey Demi Fade
MIDO has released the exhibitor list for its 2026 edition, returning to Milan with around 1,200 exhibitors, new exhibition areas, and expanded industry programming.
Centennial Optical has partnered with Ió:ken Designs to develop and distribute a new Indigenous culturally inspired eyewear collection created in collaboration with Mohawk artist Bruce Boots.
Menicon has announced a change to the distribution of ROSE K lenses in Canada, concluding its licensing agreement with Blanchard Contact Lenses and continuing availability through Art Optical.
MIDO has released the exhibitor list for its 2026 edition, returning to Milan with around 1,200 exhibitors, new exhibition areas, and expanded industry programming.
Centennial Optical has partnered with Ió:ken Designs to develop and distribute a new Indigenous culturally inspired eyewear collection created in collaboration with Mohawk artist Bruce Boots.
Menicon has announced a change to the distribution of ROSE K lenses in Canada, concluding its licensing agreement with Blanchard Contact Lenses and continuing availability through Art Optical.
MIDO has released the exhibitor list for its 2026 edition, returning to Milan with around 1,200 exhibitors, new exhibition areas, and expanded industry programming.
Centennial Optical has partnered with Ió:ken Designs to develop and distribute a new Indigenous culturally inspired eyewear collection created in collaboration with Mohawk artist Bruce Boots.
Menicon has announced a change to the distribution of ROSE K lenses in Canada, concluding its licensing agreement with Blanchard Contact Lenses and continuing availability through Art Optical.
MIDO has released the exhibitor list for its 2026 edition, returning to Milan with around 1,200 exhibitors, new exhibition areas, and expanded industry programming.
Centennial Optical has partnered with Ió:ken Designs to develop and distribute a new Indigenous culturally inspired eyewear collection created in collaboration with Mohawk artist Bruce Boots.
Menicon has announced a change to the distribution of ROSE K lenses in Canada, concluding its licensing agreement with Blanchard Contact Lenses and continuing availability through Art Optical.
