From Essilor Press Release..............

[Chris Ryser]

Laboratory equipment sales continued to suffer as prescription laboratories pushed back purchases of antireflective coating units and surfacing machines. Nevertheless, Satisloh’s ability to align its product offering with current conditions enabled it to gain new market share over the period.

Highlights of the quarter – Acquisitions
During the second quarter, Essilor acquired three new prescription laboratories in the United States, ABBA Optical, Barnett & Ramel Optical and McLeod Optical, which have aggregate revenue of $22 million. In Canada, Nikon-Essilor subsidiary Nikon Optical Canada raised its stake in prescription laboratory TechCite from 50% to 100%.
In June, Essilor also completed the acquisition, subject to certain conditions precedent, of WLC, a UK-based wholesaler-distributor with nearly €12 million in revenue.
The Company announced five other acquisitions (De Ceunynck in Belgium, Amico in the Middle East and Apex Optical, Vision Pointe Optical and OptiSource International in the United States), which will be consolidated in the second-half.
Since the beginning of the year, Essilor has completed 14 acquisitions, which will bring in around €64 million in full-year revenue.

http://www.essilor.com/IMG/pdf/CA_H1_2009_A.pdf

[hipoptical]

They just keep growing, and growing, and growing.... but they are not a monoploy. Just because they own lenses, labs, equipment, coating, consumables, supplies, photochromics, and are trying to expand all those areas, and get into the retail sector, we shouldn't think they are too big nor too powerful.

[Uilleann]

Good show Essilor.