Hot List: May 2007

Retail:
1 Every day is Mother's Day
According to a recent article in USA Today, the newest generation of moms are powerful retail trendsetters. Called “Alpha Moms,” these women are educated, affluent, and not afraid to utilize the latest technology to help speed multi-tasking efforts. By embracing the latest products, they drive today’s trends. “She ignites markets,” says Michael Silverstein of Boston Consulting Group. “She’s a hyperactive purchasing agent.”

2 Spending for Mama
This Mother’s Day, consumers plan to spend $15.73 billion as they shower the women in their lives with jewelry, flowers, clothing, and even trips to the spa.
According to the National Retail Federation’s 2007 Mother’s Day Consumer Actions and Intentions survey, conducted by BIGresearch, consumers are expected to spend an average of $139.14 on the holiday compared to last year’s $122.16.
Here are a few figures covering the retail impact of Mother’s Day:
84.5%The percentage of U.S. consumers who plan to celebrate this year.
$1.6billion will be spent on clothes and accessories.
$2.1billion on jewelry.
$2.3billion on flowers.
$3.1billion on a special dinner or brunch at their mom’s favorite restaurant.

The large majority, 37.5 percent, of gifts will be purchased at a specialty store, such as a florist, jeweler, or electronics store. Almost onequarter, 24 percent, of consumers will shop at a discount store, 29 percent will head to a department store, 2.9 percent will buy from a catalog, and 20 percent of consumers will shop for mom online.

VEE: That’s a Wrap!
Held March 22 through 25, the 21st year of International Vision Expo East once again brought all facets of the optical community together.
The main show floor, Underground, and Galleria were kept busy with packed booths and a steady flow of traffic.
Attendees also reported success on the education side with popular sessions including the Frame Style Panel and Optical Boot Camp making a return. Celebs gracing the show floor this year included pop star Thalia, NFL star Michael Strahan, and rapper Ludacris, among other big names.
Next year’s show is scheduled to be held April 10 through 13, 2008 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York. For more information, visit www.visionexpoeast.com.
For a full rundown of VEE events, check out our photo album, running on pages 16 through 19.

 

LICENSE LINEUP

Signature Eyewear, Inc., and Carmen Marc Valvo, signed a four-year license agreement for Carmen Marc Valvo eyewear. Signature Eyewear has the exclusive right to design and distribute Carmen Marc Valvo optical and sun styles worldwide. The collection will debut at Vision Expo West in the fall of 2007. Signature Eyewear has also extended its license agreement with Laura Ashley Ltd. until 2010.
Mattel and REM Eyewear have extended their partnership to produce the Barbie eyewear collection. The line is designed for girls ages three to 10.
Theory LLC, has signed a worldwide license agreement with L’Amy America. L’Amy will be responsible for the creation, production and distribution of ophthalmic eyewear and sunwear under the Theory brand name. The design process will be a collaboration between the Theory design team and L’Amy.
The Theory sun and ophthalmic collections for women will be launched in January 2008, with the men’s sun and Rx collections to follow suit. Notes Stephen Rappoport of L’Amy America: “We will develop a Theory eyewear collection that will exhibit the same qualities inherent in Theory’s ready-to-wear fashions: modernity, quality, and cutting edge materials.”

 

Summer School Opens
The Chief Executive Optometrist program from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and The Vision Care Institute, LLC, will run June 21 through 24 at Wharton’s Philadelphia campus.
The course offers optometrists the business skills necessary to maximize the earning potential from their practices and take those practices to higher levels of success. Tuition for the program is $3,500 and includes lodging and meals. For information, call 800-255-3932 or visit http://executiveeducation.wharton.upenn.edu.

New Charmant Chief

Kaoru Horikawa, chairman of Japan-based Charmant Group, has appointed Junji Horikawa to succeed him as president and CEO of Charmant, Inc., the group’s global sales and marketing company.
Since the foundation of Charmant Inc. in 1975, Kaoru Horikawa served as president. Junji Horikawa most recently served as executive vice president. Kaoru Horikawa will remain the group’s chairman and a member of the board of directors.

UV PSA Runs
Supported by the Transitions Healthy Sight for Life Fund, Prevent Blindness America and Transitions Optical, Inc., have developed a UV public awareness campaign. This national effort will provide one-time funding and other support for ECPs, labs, local charity groups, or regional associations seeking to promote healthy sight in their communities, as well as media outreach. May is “Ultraviolet Awareness Month.”

Looking Back: Vision Expo East

1. The Magnify your Future event included intense breakout sessions.
2. Designer Jhane Barnes and president Don Howard cut the ribbon on Kenmark’s new booth.
3. Marguerite McDonald, MD, addresses contrast sensitivity during the Essilor-sponsored Power Lunch: Wavefront Technology Improves Spectacle Correction for Presbyopes.
4. Attendees accessorized with white scarves at Marcolin’s Kenneth Cole White party at the designer’s Fifth Avenue shop.
5. Chris Juergens, president of Silhouette Optical, LTD., of the U.S., greets guests at the company’s Alliance for Value & Excellence seminar, featuring Jim Ullery of the Center for Organizational Energy.
6. Luxottica Group celebrated the new Polo Ralph Lauren Eyewear collection during an evening of private shopping and cocktails. Twenty percent of the evening’s sales benefited Give the Gift of Sight, a Luxottica Group Foundation.
7. Vision Web’s president and CEO Jeffrey Saddington addresses the press.
8. Aoyama president David Chernoff (r) celebrates with guests at the launch of the Bedhead line at the Madison Avenue Bedhead salon.
9. Transitions Optical and the National Federation of Opticianry Schools announced the NFOSPartners in Education: Healthy Sight Counseling Program integration into opticianry school curricula. From the NFOS (l to r): Sam Henderson, Randall Smith, and Kristy Ostron.
10. Liz Halliday, LeMans Series driver and iZon lens wearer, “races” show attendees at the Ophthonix booth.
11. Alain Mikli talks about the future at a press conference, including a new hinge technology and global expansion plans for his lines.
12. A model from the Sàfilo fashion show strikes a pose.

13. Essilor Vendor of the Year, EyeQ, receives a plaque. Shown (l to r): Larry Bell of EyeQ, Roy Popilek of Essilor, Cheryl O’Hearn of Sidney Love, Audrey Reed of Essilor, and John Love from EyeQ. 14. The Wiley-X team shows off their new Street Series collection. 15. Framescape’s Chris Maling discusses the company’s product and marketing expansion plans. 16. VCA’s Ed Greene (pictured) accepts his award at Eyes on New York. Jobson’s Marc Ferrara was also recognized. 17. James Day, OD, and wife Rosemary enjoy the Marchon/ Essilor party at Bowlmor Lanes downtown. 18. Steve Seibert, Three Rivers Optical (r), congratulates Julia Emery from Distinctive Vision in Round Rock, Texas (l), on winning the drawing for $10,000 in Transitions products. 19. Barbara McReynolds and Gai Gherardi of l.a. Eyeworks discuss the latest trends and tactics for success in the frame market at a panel consisting of Robert Marc’s Robert Marc, McReynolds and Gherardi, Beausoleil’s Frederic Beausoleil, and Sheila Vance of Sama Eyewear. The session was moderated by the president of the Accessories Council, Karen Giberson. 20. (l to r): Moritz Krueger, Igor Sinder, Luda Sinder, and Cedric Moreau step outside for a photo during the MYKITA party at Selima Optique. 21. Celebrating optical knowledge at the Essilor College Bowl. 22. David Friedfeld starts the evening at the UJA-Federation of New York Optical Division’s party, where Nationwide Vision Laser & Eye Centers’ Al Bernstein and the Robinson Family of B. Robinson Optical were recognized.

23. Ivanka Trump joins Revolution Eyewear’s Gary Martin at the company’s booth. 24. Eric Lindquist, Specialty Lens Corporation, at a pod cast addressing polarized lens topics during Vision Expo East; he was joined for the chat by Jennifer Jenson, Silhouette Optical. 25. Essilor’s Bob Colucci and wife Pam enjoy the Bowlmor Lanes party. 26. Revolution’s Gary Martin with football legend Michael Strahan. 27. Rapper Ludacris also stopped by the Revolution booth. 28. Oakley’s rolling lab rolled inside the convention center to demonstrate eyewear safety and protection to attendees. 29. Latin pop star Thalia makes an appearance at the Kenmark Group booth. 30. Partygoers enjoy the Serengeti booth fete. 31. Corinne and Tobi McCormack celebrate the launch of the Tobi Pac, an eyeglass case/carryall/backpack for dogs. A portion of canine case sales goes to Guiding Eyes for the Blind. 32. Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Lafont in the U.S. are: Laurence Lafont (l) and Ray Khalil. 33. Optical Women’s Association members Carmen Renschler and Christie Walker announce their plans to participate in the 2007 Breast Cancer 3-Day Event. Shown: sponsor Transitions’ Susan Cashion with Walker. 34. (l to r): Steve Neussberger, John Carrier, and Carl Bracy from Essilor of America and Essilor Laboratories of America during a press breakfast. 35. (l to r): Charmant’s Dennis Davis, Harry Aida, Bill Ferraro, Jean Simone, Taketoshi Mizukami, Dee Berghuys, Satoshi Masutani, and Masakiyo Honjo gather together to celebrate the company’s new booth.

On the Town
Silhouette has announced the Grand Prize winners of its Titan Minimal Art SPACE RACE Sweepstakes. The four winners were randomly selected from a pool of over 170 finalists. Each will be given an allexpense paid trip for two to the Kennedy Space Station during a live NASA space shuttle mission. The winners are: Eye Physicians Inc., of Kokomo, Ind., Family Eyecare of Glendale, Ariz., Focal Point Optical of Arlington, Texas and the Southern College of Optometry of Memphis, Tenn. (Photos shown clockwise from top left). Pictured: Family Eyecare Associates’ (l to r): Jimmy Udave, Michael Coca, Roseann Johnson, Tina Lopez, and Matt Hegarty, Silhouette sales representative.
Optical Shop of Aspen, has entered the Malibu retail market with an Optical Shop of Aspen store in the prestigious Malibu Country Mart. The grand opening party was hosted by Larry Sands and was packed with guests including Larry’s wife Christina Sands and Vivica Fox (shown r). The Malibu store has been remodeled with the Optical Shop of Aspen brand image.
MYKITA has opened its first store. Located in the heart of Berlin, the outlet will carry the complete range of MYKITA collections, plus selected lines from connected brands. For most of these products, the new MYKITA store will be the exclusive Berlin retailer.
Gisele Bundchen, the face of the 2007 Vogue Eyewear campaign for Luxottica Group, hosted a fashion show of the new S/S 2007 Vogue Eyewear collection. The evening included performances by the girl band Cherish and the New York DJ Beverly Bond, at Tottem Gardens in Miami. For more information on the collection, visit the website www.vogue-eyewear.com. Pictured: Luxottica’s Vittorio Verdun and Pierre Fay (r); actress Michelle Rodriguez, and Bundchen’s new campaign image.

BCBG Max Azria and ClearVision Optical have created a “Breast Cancer Pink” limited edition version of the Ceres sunglass to raise $35,000 for the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund. For purchase information, call 800-645-3733.

STAR Gazers

1. Beautiful Jessica Biel looks classy in Izod style 357 from ClearVision. Traditionally a men’s collection, Biel demonstrates the versatility of the Izod frames.

2. Ultra-versatile actor Samuel L. Jackson can transform his persona to almost any character— from comedy to drama. The actor was recently spotted wearing Jhane Barnes style Tangent from Couteur Designs, a division of the Kenmark Group.

3. Leslie Bibb got her start in the spotlight when, in 1990, she won a modeling search contest held by the “Oprah Winfrey Show” and Elite Modeling Agency. Seventeen years later, she’s now a star of the long-running crime drama “Crossing Jordan.” Bibb looks glam in Miu Miu style MU 08FS from Luxottica.

4. Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC talk show “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” is known for interviewing politicians and elected officials and purposely picking a fight. He gets ready to play some hardball wearing Nautica style N3001 from Marchon.

5. Many people don’t realize that Giuliana DePandi, host of “E! News Live,” was formerly engaged to actor Jerry O’Connell. The celebrity news journalist, sporting Alexander McQueen style 4025S from Sàfilo, is now engaged to “The Apprentice” Bill Rancic.