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Apax Funds to Acquire Rodenstock

Funds advised by Apax today announced an agreement to acquire Rodenstock Group from Compass Partners.

The Apax Funds will support the Rodenstock management team’s vision of accelerating the company’s growth through innovation, commercial execution and digitisation, whilst continuing to deliver the highest level of service to clients and partners.

Anders Hedegaard, CEO of Rodenstock, said: “We are excited to partner with the Apax Funds, who have a proven culture of investing for growth, and who will be able to support Rodenstock’s continued quest to develop and produce the highest quality lenses for our customers. During 2020 we saw tremendous growth driven by our B.I.G. VISION™ technology, which helped us emerge from the Covid-19 crisis stronger than most of our competitors. Our innovative technology enhances the value proposition that can be delivered by our opticians, who in turn are delivering optimal vision to consumers. With the support of Apax we are looking to expand our presence even further by offering our customers more excellent and innovative products.”

Steven Dyson, Partner at Apax and Co-Head of Healthcare, commented: “Rodenstock fits perfectly with the Apax Funds’ healthcare strategy of investing in innovative companies with a differentiated customer proposition and the potential to achieve stand-out growth. Under Anders’ management, Rodenstock’s strategic refocus has already translated into strong performance in 2019 and 2020, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, creating a robust foundation for future success.”

Tim Wright, Partner at Compass Partners, commented: “In the last 5 years Rodenstock has been transformed into a global leader in ophthalmic lenses. We are delighted that the Apax Funds have agreed to acquire the business. We believe their partnership with Anders Hedegaard and his team will provide a strong platform for future growth which will allow Rodenstock to maximise its full potential.”

The transaction is subject to applicable regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the middle of 2021. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Click HERE for the full press release.

Update on Proposed Acquisition of GrandVision

EssilorLuxottica confirms that the European Commission has cleared the acquisition of GrandVision after a long in-depth review largely impacted by consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The clearance is conditioned to the divestment of some optical retail businesses in Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy for an overall number of approximately 350 stores.

In particular:

  • In Belgium, the GrandOptical chain and its 35 stores will be sold but without the brand name. The purchaser will have a license while rebranding these stores to its own choice of name.
  • In Italy, the merged entity will divest a total of 174 stores, which includes the whole of EssilorLuxottica’s VistaSì chain together with 72 stores from the “GrandVision by” chain. The VistaSì brand will be transferred and the “GrandVision by” stores will either be rebranded to VistaSì or to the purchaser’s own brand.
  • In the Netherlands, 142 stores from the EyeWish chain will be sold, together with the brand name. The merged entity will keep some stores from this chain and will have to rebrand them under a new name.

 The outcome of the proposed transaction is still depending on the sign off from the competition authorities in Chile and Turkey, as well as the decisions regarding on-going litigations.

Click HERE for the full press release.

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Georgian Helps Fill Urgent Need for Guide Dogs

The CNIB Foundation announces that Georgian has responded to the urgent need for guide dogs in Canada caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by sponsoring a dog for its entire working life. 

With a strong sense of social responsibility to the community, Georgian and its employees nominate and vote on charitable organizations they’d like to support each year. CNIB Guide Dogs was chosen as a recipient in 2021.
 
Since COVID-19 restrictions were put in place last year, CNIB Guide Dogs has seen a 375% increase in interest and application for dogs. Travel restrictions have halted access to guide dogs from the United States, so Canadians who would normally travel to an American guide dog facility are no longer able to do so. 

People with sight loss who have received guide dogs say the experience is nothing short of life changing. With a guide dog by their side, a Canadian who is blind or partially sighted can safely and confidently navigate the world – whether that means going to the grocery store to get essentials, travelling to and from work, or visiting family and friends when it’s safe to do so. 

Click HERE for the full press release.

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The New Blend Collection from Silhouette

Features smooth, minimalistic designs and a striking combination of high-end titanium and SPX®+. The two high-tech materials blend effortlessly to create a look that is as exciting as it is charming. The frames come in a range of designs, combining expressive, classic style and casual flair.

Featured model: Blend 5555

Distributed by COS: canadianoptical.com

Safilo North America Announces SAFILO LIVE Spring Expo

Safilo North America announces its next SAFILO LIVE virtual event entitled SAFILO LIVE Spring Expo. The new 30-minute virtual product showcase and selling event, focuses on some of Safilo’s most coveted Spring 2021 collections.  It will premiere on Tuesday, March 30th at 2pm EDT, with 24/7 “on demand” viewing access for days through April 9th

This is the company’s fourth installment of SAFILO LIVE, Safilo’s new online channel offering innovative virtual programming to its customers across the U.S., and now also Canada.  Filmed in Safilo North America’s Secaucus, NJ headquarters using all Covid-19 proper safety protocols, these SAFILO LIVE “broadcasts” are produced with the aim of providing eye care professionals with unique content while providing a safe virtual shopping environment.

Formatted like a home shopping program, the episode will feature several Safilo hosts who will provide informative brand and product content, live models to showcase the eyewear, as well as a Q&A session to answer viewer questions. Once viewers sign up to watch the episode, the registration link can be used to watch the program live or at their viewing convenience through April 9th. 

Safilo North America customers can register to watch this episode via www.mysafilocanada.com

Click HERE for the full press release.

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