CHARENTON-le-PONT, France— Essilor Group (ESSI.PA) has announced the acquisition of 68.3 percent of the capital of Interactif Visuel Systeme (IVS), a global leader in technological sales support solutions for opticians.

IVS designs, develops and sells a wide range of sales support and ophthalmic measurement solutions, under the Activisu brand. They include the Visioffice measuring column, designed jointly with Essilor, that allows eyecare professionals to dispense Varilux premium lenses, including the latest Varilux S 4D.

Created in Paris, France over 15 years ago, IVS has more than 80 employees and generates revenue of around €20 million, Essilor said.

IVS’s solutions are present across five continents and represent some 30,000 software licenses in over 17,000 points of sale. “At the forefront of technological innovation,” Essilor’s statement continued, “these solutions are protected by patents on ophthalmic measurement-taking, combining live measurement by video stream, three-dimensional modeling of the eye and simulation of visual behavior strategies.

IVS is also present in the digital media market, through its subsidiary Activ’screen. In addition to having a strong culture of innovation, fostered by the creative drive of its founders Benoist Monot and Pascal Thomet, IVS is a good strategic fit with Essilor. The partnership allows Essilor to respond to the growing demand for lens personalization, to forge closer ties with eyecare professionals and to enhance its range of services for them.”

The company also noted that IVS’s technologies will also enable Essilor to accelerate the deployment of its technological innovations and its next generation lenses. “In the future, the combined expertise of IVS and Essilor will create a richer and more competitive range of products and services for all eyecare professionals,” Essilor added.

Hubert Sagnieres, Essilor’s chairman and CEO, commented, “IVS technologies, combined with the strengths of our Instrument Division, will allow us to distribute high performance measurement tools more rapidly across all market segments throughout the world, in order to meet rising demand for personalized lenses. This partnership also illustrates Essilor’s ongoing commitment to meeting optician clients’ needs for differentiating high-end solutions, as well as to making innovations more widely accessible.”