Blog - Page 565 of 874

February 8, 2019February 8, 2019

Liberty Celebrates 90th Anniversary: 1929-2019

Founded in 1929, following the US stock market crash that led to the Great Depression, two Italian brothers began crafting eyeglass frames in their New Jersey basement that would become known as Liberty Optical.

In the 1950s, Liberty achieved mass market success with ophthalmic frame styles such as the Broker, Par, and Libby. Business boomed and operations expanded as Liberty became one of the largest optical manufacturers in the USA by 1964.

During the 1980s, Liberty led the charge to develop protective eyeglasses for athletes… Over the last four decades, 9 out of 10 sport protective eyeglasses sold in the USA have been Rec Specs.

In the last two decades, Liberty expanded its product development mission with the engineering expertise developed from Rec Specs to introduce Performance Sunglasses Collections and the Switch Magnetic Interchange Technology line. Most recently, Liberty released the “Virtually Indestructible” Active Everyday Eyeglasses line, bringing the company back to its optical frame roots.

The Rec Specs Lab was established in 2015 to produce “Virtually Indestructible” complete frame and lens solutions for both youth and adults.

Today, Liberty remains committed to being at the forefront of Virtually Indestructible, Purpose-Built eyewear solutions that defend vision from injury and enhance vision performance. Liberty proudly embraces its “Heritage of Excellence” as a family owned and operated American company.

Click HERE for the full press release.

As part of Liberty’s commitment to professional Continuing Education, a 3 hours CE Credit course is available from OptikConEd.

Click here to preview the course.

Liberty Sport was featured as part of Optik’s World of Eye Care USA. Click here to view the full article.

February 8, 2019February 8, 2019

Morel and Lanctôt Partner Up to Create Morel Canada

Morel and Canadian distributor, Lanctôt, who specializes in optical and sports gear, recently became partners to form a new subsidiary: Morel Canada. This choice was obvious for both parties, who have been working together for 20 years now.

Just like Morel, Lanctôt is a family owned business. Started in 1953, the company first specialized in distributing sports gear. Ambitious and conscientious, Lanctôt quickly became the leader in its field, before expanding to optical wear. It’s at this very moment that Lanctôt met Morel: it was the start of their partnership.

Being established on the international stage has been deeply rooted in Morel’s DNA since 1880. Throughout the years, Morel has been making strong connections with distributors who share the same values: attentive listening, impeccable service and a strong taste for beautifully designed products. Today, the brand is sold in more than 90 countries and owns a dozen of subsidiaries throughout the world.

With the creation of Morel Canada, Morel is planning on turning the brand into a staple for this new territory, using not only their expertise in eyewear but also Lanctôt’s knowledge in the Canadian market.

Morel Canada’s sales team will be the preferred and direct contacts of Canadian opticians, in order to best represent Morel, their philosophy and what they’re offering:

A new branding
Complementary collections
Their values, such as independence, creativity and drive
Proximity with opticians

Click HERE for the full press release.

February 6, 2019

Hoya Reports Third Quarter Financial Results

HOYA Corporation announced its financial results for the third quarter ended December 31, 2018. During the quarter, revenue increased 4.9% year on year, reaching 143,425 million yen. Profit before tax amounted to 39,676 million yen with 33,143 million yen in net profit, representing year-on-year increases of 14.4% and 19.5%, respectively. Profit before tax ratio was 27.7%, representing a year-on-year increase of 2.3 points.

In the Life Care segment, Eyeglass lens sales were strong in Japan. At the same time, steady sales growth in the Americas and other factors drove overseas sales increases on a local currency basis. However, the overall impact of currency exchange rates resulted in sales level with the same period in the prior fiscal year. New store openings of our Eyecity contact lens specialty stores, as well as new customer expansion efforts at existing stores, resulted in higher year-on-year sales for contact lenses.

Although performance was strong overseas as well, our capture of a major project in the prior year led to results that underperformed year on year. As a result, sales for the Life Care segment grew 4.2% year on year, reaching 93,902 million yen. Segment profit rose 12.9% year on year to 19,144 million yen.

“We are less impacted by the cyclicality of the semiconductor and datacenter market, enabling us secure growth on relevant products. Also, our Life Care Business is showing great stability,” said Hiroshi Suzuki, chief executive officer of HOYA. “This quarter is again a good example of our business portfolio system which allows us stable growth.”

Click HERE for the full press release.

February 5, 2019May 20, 2026

Mexx Eyes: Light and Feminine

Two super-delicate metal frames for women. Style 2722 (photo above) is a casual panto with top bar, style 2723 with a soft, slightly square shaped lens and a high-set bridge.

The design on these frames focuses on the purist front and delicate metal temples. Four trendy colour schemes in silver, gold or rosé tones emphasize the lightweight look to perfection.

Distributed by Lanctôt: www.rlanctot.com

February 4, 2019May 19, 2026

Safilo Expects 2018 Sales Declines in North America Wholesale Business

Safilo Group released their preliminary full year annual sales results, indicating performance is “substantially in line with expectations”. Global new sales were down 7.0% to EURO 963 Million. The North American wholesale business, which accounts for one-third of total group net sales, will report a sales decline of 6.6%.

On a positive note, the 4^th quarter net sales showed a modest gain of 1.3%.

The prior year 2017 was labelled a “complex year” as the company faced the challenge of loosing the GUCCI license at the end of 2016.

Safilo Shows Modest Growth Without Gucci

Safilo Rebounds in First Quarter 2018

Click HERE for the full press release.