New Corporate Look Essilor has entered the year with a bang, with new branding and a number of notable acquisitions. The company has announced that in the next few months the local market will see a new visual identity for Essilor as it rolls-out new logos for its corporate brand and flagship products such as Varilux and Crizal.
“The Essilor group has visibly evolved since 1972 and so has the competitive environment,” said Pascal Toneatti, CEO of Essilor Australia and New Zealand.
“Mergers and acquisitions are setting the pace for the sector’s expansion, brands and communications are going global. Taking into account all of these changes, Essilor believes that its innovation research programs should be backed by strong brand identity which has enduring appeal for our clients,” he said.
Simon Lewis, Director of Sales and Marketing, says the new Essilor, Crizal and Varilux logos are a modern evolution of the previous logos, and have a clean look while retaining their well known character.
Sunix Acquisition
Most recently, Essilor Australia P/L, a subsidiary of Essilor International SA, has announced the signing of an agreement to acquire a non-majority share of the software company, Sunix Computer Consultants Pty Ltd (Sunix). Located in Sydney, Sunix is an established supplier of management systems for optometry practices, with customers throughout Australia and New Zealand. Sunix will continue to operate as usual under the current management team of Florence and Tony Sun. According to Tony Sun, the involvement of Essilor will assist Sunix expand its operations internationally.
Co-director, Florence Sun says: “Partnership with Essilor provides us opportunity for growth, stability in the current financial climate and assurance for the Sunix Vision system. This partnership will provide opportunity for Sunix to further improve the Sunix Vision system and provide better service to our clients.”
Signet Armorlite
Essilor International has also announced that its U.S. subsidiary, EOA Holding Co., has signed a share purchase agreement to acquire ophthalmic lens maker Signet Armorlite. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in Signet Armorlite’s main host countries and is expected to be completed in the first half of the year. Signet Armorlite is owned by a private investment group.
Headquartered in San Marcos, California, Signet Armorlite has revenues of more than U.S. $130 million, approximately 900 employees, one manufacturing plant in Mexico, four prescription laboratories in the U.S. and Europe, and three distribution centres in Canada, Portugal and the Netherlands.
Signet Armorlite specialises in entry-level and mid-range products for independent eye care professionals and integrated retailers. It manufactures lenses under the Kodak brand, for which it is the exclusive licensed manufacturer and distributor.
“The deal will strengthen our position in what we consider the medium range and value tier of the progressive lens marketplace,” John Carrier, President of Essilor in America, told optometry website VMail.
“The business will continue as it is today, an independent company with its current management continuing in their roles, including [president] Bruno Salvadori. Kodak is a very strong brand, it has been developed well by Signet in some countries internationally, but we feel that we can bring our significant R&D capabilities into the mix and Essilor’s global presence to enhance its position worldwide,” Carrier added.
Signet Armorlite was formed in 1983 through the merger of Armorlite, founded in 1947 in Burbank, California, and Signet Uptown, which began as a wholesale lab in San Diego, California in 1960. In addition to holding the exclusive license to distribute Kodak lenses worldwide, Signet Armorlite is an authorized distributor of 3M adhesive optical supply products in the U.S.
Prescription Safety Glasses
City Optical Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Essilor Australia, has announced that it has purchased a 51 per cent share in Prescription Safety Glasses Pty Ltd (PSG), a small but well established company operating out of Gosford, on the NSW central coast. PSG specialises in the supply of safety spectacles to the industrial and business markets through a network of optometrist agents in Australia and New Zealand. PSG will continue to be run by its current management team headed by Mr. John Moore.
Finally, Essilor has also announced that Anne Guethoff, formerly Product Manager for Varilux and Nikon, has accepted the appointment of Marketing Manager, Essilor Australia. Anne has replaced Aurelia Cohn who has left Essilor to undertake extended travel.
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