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BOSTON, Mass.—Bolle Brands is expanding its footprint in the premium performance sports and sports lifestyle eyewear category with the acquisition of the Spy Optic brand from Spy Optic, a privately held company. The terms of the deal were not announced. Spy Optic president Stephen Roseman and his team will remain in place, a Bolle spokesperson told VMail. Bolle Brands is a portfolio investment of A&M Capital Europe, the private equity fund that acquired it in August 2018. With this new acquisition, Spy Optic joins existing brand portfolio of Bolle, Bolle Safety, Serengeti, Cebe and H2Optix.

“We are excited to have acquired such an amazing brand. Spy Optic has its own unique and irreverent identity with huge growth potential in North America, its home market, and internationally where Spy Optic will leverage our Bolle Brands international distribution network,” said Peter Smith, CEO of Bolle Brands. “Our dedicated approach, support, and investment will drive exciting new developments in product innovation and design which will form the basis of considerable global growth. This new acquisition establishes Bolle Brands as one of the key players in the premium performance sport and lifestyle eyewear and helmets markets.”

Founded in 1994 and based in Southern California, Spy Optic designs, markets and distributes premium sunglasses, goggles, helmets and prescription eyewear. The Spy Optic brand, symbolized by the distinct “cross” logo has a strong brand awareness in its action sports segment, with a reputation for high-quality products, style, and innovation, most notably showcased in its Happy Lens technology.

Spy Optic is highly complementary to Bolle Brands in terms of brand proposition, channel mix, and geographic presence, Bolle Brands said yesterday when announcing the acquisition. The company noted, “The combination will significantly bolster Bolle Brands’ scale in North America, will allow Spy Optic to benefit from increased investment in product development and distribution, and will facilitate an international expansion of the Spy Optic brand beyond its current footprint.”

In parallel with the Spy acquisition, Bolle Brands said it has invested significantly in new systems, including new ERP, new BtoB and BtoC platforms.