I wanted to start a thread that lists all the companies that Essilor has purchased over the years. Since they own so many, it may be a long thread. I am not doing this to bash Essilor (there is room in other threads for that) but to provide a reference and remember a few great optical names that otherwise would fall into oblivion.
Dates are all also helpful.
I wanted to start a thread that lists all the optical companies (labs, retailers, manufactures and others) that Essilor has purchased through the years. I am not doing this to bash the evil empire, but to create a reference of once great optical companies that will slowly sail into oblivion as the Borg absorbs them into the collective. This is a memorial of sorts.
May they rest in peace.
(Company name, Type of Business, City, and Year are all helpful)
Example:
Pech Optical Corp., Optical Lab, Sioux City Iowa, Purchased 2007 (new tag line: "Owned by Essilor... just like you")
It would be a shorter list if you named the companies they don't own.
Signet Armorlite, KBCo, Specialty Lens Corp, Gentex, Nassau Vision, Shore Lens, 49% of Transitions Optical, Frames Direct.
Here's the ELOA map of the labs that they have aquired: http://eloa.com/Network/
There are rules. Knowing those are easy. There are exceptions to the rules. Knowing those are easy. Knowing when to use them is slightly less easy. There are exceptions to the exceptions. Knowing those is a little more tricky, and know when to use those is even more so. Our industry is FULL of all of the above.
2010
Charenton-le-Pont, France (January 22, 2010 – 6:30 a.m.)– Essilor International has signed ten acquisition or partnership agreements in its five global operating regions since October 2009. These companies generate combined annual revenue of around €35 million.
Two transactions in Europe to strengthen the multi-network strategy
In France, Novisia, an Essilor subsidiary and the exclusive distributor of Nikon lenses in continental Europe, has acquired a majority stake inMont-Royal, a lens distributor with a prescription laboratory in Goeztenbruck, in the Lorraine region, and annual revenue of around €10 million. The acquisition will strengthen Mont-Royal’s market presence while helping to speed Novisia’s development in France.
In the UK, the Company has acquired a 95% equity interest in Horizon, a laboratory located in
Bedfordshire, north of London, with annual revenue of €3.4 million.
Three transactions in North America to broaden the geographical coverage of the prescription
laboratory network
In the United States, Essilor has increased its market share by acquiring a majority or all the interest in
three prescription laboratories:Ultimate Optical in Florida, with $6.3 million in annual revenue, Optical Dimensions in Michigan, with $3.7 million in annual revenue, and Truckee Meadows Optical in Nevada, with $3 million in annual revenue.
A third transaction in Latin America
Following its equity investments in the Unilab and Technopark prescription laboratories, the Company
has acquired a 51% stake inGBO, a major distributor of finished and semi-finished lenses in Sao Paolo with 2009 revenue of approximately €3 million.
2 / 2Two transactions in China and India to strengthen Essilor’s local market presence
Essilor is expanding its coverage of the Chinese market with the acquisition of an ophthalmic lens
manufacturer,Danyang ILT Optics Co. Ltd. The company generates revenue of nearly €7 million in the
domestic and export markets.
In India, Essilor has acquired Lens and Spects (€0.45 million in revenue), which comprises a distributor
and two prescription laboratories operating in four cities in western India.
Two transactions in the Middle East and Africa to drive growth in new regions
Following its acquisition of an equity interest in Dubai-based Amico, Essilor is pursuing its development in the Middle East. Essilor Amico Middle East FZCo has acquired a majority stake inGhanada Optical Co. LLC (€1.7 million in revenue), a prescription laboratory located in Abu Dhabi that serves the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Essilor is strengthening its positions in South Africa with the acquisition of Vision Optics (€0.7 million in revenue), a prescription laboratory based in Durban.
Wow. How is an independent going to compete with that. It cost big E about 1/8 what it cost an independent to produce similar products. On top of that, they own most decient equipment companies. Here is another link you may find helpful:Originally Posted by WFruit
http://www.essilorusa.com/EN/Pages/Employment.aspx
Deleted.
Last edited by Judy Canty; 10-01-2015 at 10:34 PM.
Can we get up a list of independent labs?
Despite Essilors size and breadth, many of the products are simply now mediocre:
The Crizal series was great 10 years ago, but it takes an enormous amount of time to get, processing is innefficient, its prone to crazing and much more durable AR's are now much less expensive. Even some of the "standard" AR's beat the Crizals in Colts testing.
the Comfort was great (in 1993) but it has not been top dog since about 1998. The Panamic was generally mediocre at best. The Physio is good but only came out when Free-form was taking off. Varilux has in general provided very inferior Free-form products and had to hire Seiko to redo the 360 series to reduce non-adapts. The DRx is their first decent lens in ages really, but its still beaten by cheaper rivals. They still don't offer a wide variety of materials, like other manufacturers.
Have any of their sales reps ever dispensed? Long gone are the Essilor reps that could actually help you solve problems or understand your patient needs. Do you really want someone who has never had to deal with a non-adapt giving you progressive advise? The new Essilor reps are mostly
cheerleaders (no offense to any of you few Essilor reps that actually have dispensing experience)
They bought Reflection Free to make Crizal. They bought Shamir to make decent free-form. They bought Transitions to make Photochromic. All in all none of even thier best products have really come from in-house except the Comfort and Physio. And the Comfort was 19 years ago!
They do not have a culture of innovation. Once they run out of companies to buy they will slowly suffocate in mediocrity because they have always depended on others to make good products. Its only a matter of time before it catches up with them.
+1
Are you referring to the Definity?
lol
Rumour mill around St. Cloud MN is that Eyekraft is selling out to the Big E.
Sounds right :( I thought E owned all of st. Cloud, that's why I didn't locate there.
Almost, but not all LOL.
They don't own whatever 'Midwest Vision' is calling themselves these days, EPIC is still independent (I think), and of course moi. I think EPIC and Aura are too small to be of any interest to the big E.
Epic was recently sold to E. I watch them closely as they are my main competition.
I had forgotten about Midwest, haven't heard about them in years.
Wow, that *does* narrow the field quite a bit, doesn't it?
It troubles me somewhat to see almost every lab facility in this comparably small town (albeit pop around 80k) owned by one company. I wonder at what point it becomes an issue for the FTC to look into?
On the plus side, when they come into a facility, every machine that does not meet their specification is scrapped out (not sold for parts or elsewhere, but scrapped). I've made a deal with the local scrap yard that everytime one of their local labs gets rid of equipment, I get first shot at it before it goes into the shredder or compactor.
I got an almost-new Coburn 302 lap cutter for $125 (cast iron scrap weight). Cost another $125 for the local machinery movers to bring it over to my lab. So, I've got a $3k plus machine on the books for $250.
As far as I know Myrel Newman still owns Midwest (he bought it back a few years back) Vision. I started my optical career with that company. To add to the Essilor owns list, here in AZ they own Meridian Labs, Aspen Optical, Bristow Optical all in Phoenix with one small Tucson outlet for Bristow.
I came, I saw, I left
Yes he does. I'm surprised that Aspen sold out though.
Pech Optical Inc., Optical Lab, Souix City Iowa, 2007 (new Tagline: "Owned by Essilor... just like you")
I was an Essilor employee for some years, then I went back to private practice. The Dr. used the same Essilor Lab I worked at. As the Dispensing Optician there I decided to switch to Hoya Labs and what a great experience our patients and our practice is having. We've been contacted by essilors brand rep, account rep, lab reps you name it. I have helped Hoya rep land a few choice accounts and they are happy with the change. We can turn things around if we support others labs. Many years ago I grew up in a small lab atmosphere and we did very well until insurance came to be. Now it seems Essilor is buying or making big deals with them too, but there are ways around that too.
I think this is a great place to put "your mamma" in that sentence!
Aspen sold as a "partner" lab a few years back, 5-6 I believe.
I came, I saw, I left
From the latest on line edition of Vision Monday:
Essilor Reports More North America Acquisitions in First-Half Financial Report
August 27, 2010 8:30 AM
CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France—Essilor International [ISIN: FR0000121667] continued its acquisition pace in all international regions this year and announced several more in North America during the release of the company's first half financial results earlier today.
In the U.S., the company reported that Essilor of America (EOA) acquired a stake in Epic Labs in Minnesota ($3 million in revenue) and also acquired the assets of Custom Optical in Georgia ($2.5 million in revenue). Since July 1, the company noted, Nikon Optical U.S., a Nikon-Essilor subsidiary, acquired a majority interest in Colorado-based Pasch, which generates $3.9 million in revenue. And EOA acquired a majority stake in Gulf States, a prescription laboratory based in Louisiana that generates $3 million in revenue.
In Canada, Essilor acquired a majority stake in Cascade, a prescription laboratory in the province of British Columbia (C$6 million), and in Econo-Optic, a laboratory based in New Brunswick (C$0.7 million).
Essilor reiterated, as previously reported by VMail, that during the first half of 2010, the company acquired or increased its holding in 13 companies, representing additional revenue of around €80 million. Transactions were carried out in all regions including the acquisition by EOA of a stake in Hawkins Lab in Kansas and Nikon-Essilor's stake in Encore Rx Lab in Connecticut as well as acquisitions or majority stakes of laboratories in Brazil, China, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and Australia.
Also, as previously reported, in its equipment division, Essilor acquired a 60 percent interest in DAC Vision, a leading manufacturer of consumable supplies. And since the start of the year, Essilor acquired FGX International and Signet Armorlite.
On Aug. 9, as reported, Essilor sold its long-standing 15 percent stake in Sperian Protection to Honeywell. The asset’s net realizable value is estimated at nearly €132 million. The consolidated capital gain from the sale (estimated at approximately €27 million) will be recognized in the company’s second-half 2010 accounts, Essilor said.
For the first half, Essilor reported that its total revenues rose 15.8 percent to €1,926.8 million in first-half 2010. Excluding FGXI and Signet, revenue growth stood at 10 percent for the period.
The company cited increased sales volumes in all regions. In Europe, sales progressed by 1.4 percent like-for-like, in Asia like-for-like growth of 8 percent was led by emerging markets, and sales in South America rose 16.6 percent.
The company noted that "growth leveled off in North America, up 1.0 percent in comparable or like-for-like sales. The company cited increased sales of Xperio polarized lenses but noted "operating problems affected performance in Canada."
Essilor's profit attributable to equity holders of Essilor International was down 1.3 percent to €197.5 million. Excluding the BKA provision, attributable profit rose 19.3 percent to €238.8 million. The BKA provision is a €41.5 million provision set aside for the fine imposed by Germany's competition authorities, the Bundeskartellamt (BKA). Essilor has lodged two appeals against the BKA’s decision
I'm regretting taking German in high school and college, should have taken French.:hammer:
criminey
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