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Kenmark Eyewear has announced the renewal of its exclusive license agreement for the development, production, and worldwide distribution of eyewear for the Vera Wang brand. The renewed agreement will extend to 2020.
L’Amy America, part of International Luxury Group, has entered into a multi-year license agreement with Condé Nast to market and distribute sunglasses and ophthalmic frames for the Glamour brand, under the name Glamour Editor’s Pick.
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Eschenbach Optik has appointed Taron Sutcliffe as chief financial officer. The company also announced the retirement of Craig Keith, former vice president of operations and treasurer.
Professional Eyecare Resource Co-operative (PERC) and IVA have announced the appointment of Mike Evans as vice president of sales. Evans was awarded Regional Business Director of the Year three out of the last five years at Johnson & Johnson Vision Care.
Transitions Optical has named Darragh O’Connor vice president, global marketing. O’Connor joins Transitions Optical from Google’s European headquarters, where he served as a senior digital sales manager.
The Vision Council has appointed Mitch Barkley to vice president of trade shows and meetings. Barkley’s previous roles include CEO of Mondottica USA and Viva International. Barkley joined The Vision Council in January 2016 as the liaison to the Eyewear and Accessories division.
Kristan Gross has taken the lead role of the Vision Impact Institute (VII) as global executive director, succeeding president Maureen Cavanagh. Gross previously held the role of VII’s director of global content and communications.
WileyX has hired Frank Resigna as the company’s new senior vice president of sales. Resigna was previously president of worldwide licensing for the Guess? brand, president of Viva International Eyewear, co-owner of R Family Eyecare, and president of Marcolin Eyewear.
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BluTech LLC will relocate its worldwide distribution and manufacturing operations from Phoenix to Atlanta this month, as a response to sales growth and an expanding product line.
Haag-Streit USA and Reliance Medical Products announce a new national authorized distributor partnership with Walman Instruments. The expansion grants customers additional access to Haag-Streit and Reliance’s equipment in the U.S.
Safilo Group has announced an exclusive distribution partnership with SEEONE for the South Korean independent optical market.
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The Eye Designs Group has opened its new West Coast Showroom and Design Center in Chino, CA. The 4,000-square-foot facility houses multiple showrooms of optical displays and ophthalmic furniture, a full-service design center, and corporate offices.
Paragon Vision Sciences has announced China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) approval and commercial availability of its corneal reshaping/orthokeratology brand, Paragon CRT Contact Lenses, in China. The contact lenses are a nonsurgical treatment option to manage myopia and are available in 50 countries worldwide, including the U.S.
Pearle Vision has been ranked No. 24 in Entrepreneur magazine’s annual Franchise 500. The ranking evaluates costs/fees, size/growth, support, brand strength, and financial strength/stability. In 2016, Pearle Vision was ranked No. 115.
Prevent Blindness has partnered with the See Now campaign to raise awareness on the importance of healthy eyesight and to advocate for government funding for vision and eye health programs for millions of Americans. Learn more about the initiative at preventblindness.org/see-now.
Think About Your Eyes has launched its 2017 consumer advertising campaign. The ads, which will run through September, include 15 million spots on podcasts and online audio (Pandora and Spotify), 14 million online video spots, 6 million digital banner ads across 2,000 websites, and primetime broadcast ads across 27 cable networks. Media spending has increased 60% in 2017.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…
Marcolin has announced a proposed joint venture with luxury goods group LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (better known at LVMH) that gives LVMH a stake in the eyewear company with a goal of eventually making Marcolin its preferred eyewear partner.
Mike Hundert, CEO and chief creative officer of De Rigo REM, has been elected as the new chairman of the board of The Vision Council. Other board announcements include Ken Bradley of Eschenbach Optik as vice chairman and Robert Liener of A&A Optical as secretary/treasurer. For the full slate of directors, see eyecarebusiness.com/eb-news .
Hilco Vision has announced its acquisition of Croakies, Inc., the Wyoming-based maker of eyewear retainers and other outdoor lifestyle accessories. Croakies’ former president and owner, John Krisik, has retired.
Read more about these and other news stories at EB News: eyecarebusiness.com/eb-news .