By Staff
Wednesday, April 8, 2020 12:25 AM
DULUTH, Ga.—
National Vision Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: EYE) one of the nation’s largest optical retailers, announced additional COVID-19 related business measures on Tuesday. In addition to the previously noted organization-wide initiatives to reduce expenses and capital expenditures, as
VMAIL reported
here, National Vision on Tuesday said it has temporarily furloughed a significant portion of its associates.
By Staff
Tuesday, April 7, 2020 12:27 AM
ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Vision Expo today announced Gogosha Optique, located in Los Angeles, Calif., as the winner of the third OPTImum Retail Award, an annual award created in 2016 to celebrate independent retailers and showcase their products, stores, visions and stories. Past winners include Edward Beiner in South Miami, Fla. and Todd Rogers Eyewear in Andover, Mass. Gogosha Optique and the other 2020 finalists—Black Optical (Dallas, Tulsa, Oklahoma City); G is for Glasses (Winnipeg); Globe Specs (Kyoto); and The Eye Place (London)—received awards to recognize their accomplishments and will also be honored at a cocktail party during Vision Expo West in Las Vegas. Additionally, Gogosha Optique will be featured in
20/20 Magazine this Spring.
By Staff
Friday, April 3, 2020 12:27 AM
NEW YORK—Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic,
Luxottica Group has taken a number of steps, both in North America and Italy, to protect customers, employees, partners and medical workers. In the U.S., Luxottica is donating 8,000 pairs of protective eyewear and 100,000 medical masks to hospitals in New York, California, Atlanta and Cincinnati.
By Staff
Monday, March 30, 2020 12:24 AM
GREEN BAY, Wis.—
Shopko Optical has named Roberta Hengel to its management team as director of managed vision care. Hengel has worked in the managed care industry for more than 25 years and joins the team with proven experience in managed care network administration, contract negotiation, and developing growth strategies. Before accepting the position with Shopko Optical, Hengel served as director of managed care for UnitedHealth Group for more than 15 years. “I am pleased to welcome Roberta to the Shopko Optical team,” Kirk Lauterback, chief operating officer, said in a recent announcement. “Roberta’s unique experience will bring strong leadership and support with our insurance plan partners and enable us to provide additional benefits to our patients.”
By Staff
Wednesday, March 25, 2020 12:27 AM
SAN RAMON, Calif.—Amid significant change in the industry, eyecare practices of every size and geography have founds ways to forge pathways to success. Recognizing some of these innovative practices,
CooperVision on Tuesday unveiled its
2020 Best Practices honorees. These practices serve “as models for their peers in succeeding in fast-changing clinical and business environments,” CooperVision said in its announcement. The company is celebrating a milestone fifth year of the program, which highlights optometric practices that advance the profession through innovation, industry leadership and exceptional patient experience.
By Staff
Tuesday, March 24, 2020 12:27 AM
SCHIPHOL, The Netherlands—
GrandVision NV (EURONEXT: GVNV) has provided an update on the impact of COVID-19 on its business, and outlined some of the measures it is taking to “actively manage the risks to its customers, employees and operations.” In addition, GrandVision said it has decided to postpone its annual general meeting until June 30. The meeting had been scheduled for April 24. GrandVision is the parent company of
ForEyes in the U.S. market, and is in the midst of being acquired by
EssilorLuxottica, a transaction that the company said it still expects to complete in the planned time frame.
By Staff
Tuesday, March 24, 2020 12:21 AM
DALLAS—
AEG Vision (AEG), an owner and operator of leading North American optometry practices, announced that it has temporarily closed all locations for a period of two weeks as of 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 21. AEG has about 150 locations across the U.S., an executive told VMAIL, and is making the decision to temporarily close its offices in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. “We hold the health and safety of our patients, doctors and staff above all other considerations,” chief executive officer Eric Anderson said in the announcement.
By Staff
Friday, March 20, 2020 2:45 PM
NEW YORK—Several additional major national optical retailers and eyecare practices have made the decision to close temporarily or modify their operating hours and services as a result of the impact and spread of the coronavirus across the U.S. These retailers and practice groups include
EyeCare Partners (ECP) of St. Louis,
Eyemart Express and
Visionworks. Canada’s
New Look Vision also has made the decision to initiate partial or full-store closures across its network in response to COVID-19.
By Staff
Thursday, March 19, 2020 12:33 AM
DULUTH, Ga.—
National Vision Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: EYE), one of the nation’s largest optical retailers, announced late Wednesday afternoon that it will temporarily close all retail locations through Sunday, March 28, in response to national efforts to help stem the COVID-19 pandemic. The company said it will continue to closely monitor this global health crisis with a view of reopening its retail stores as quickly as possible and will provide impacted associates full base pay through March 28.
By Staff
Wednesday, March 18, 2020 12:18 AM
NEW YORK—
Zyloware has announced a voluntary and temporary closure of its corporate facilities due to COVID-19. The closure will begin at the end of business on Thursday, March 19 and have a projected reopen date of Monday, April 6. Zyloware said this decision will give its employees the ability to stay home and self-quarantine, as Zyloware’s corporate offices and distribution center are both located in the New York tri-state area, where the virus continues to unfold. In a press release, the company said, "As a 97-year old family legacy business, one of our main core beliefs is 'family first.'...We are increasingly concerned about the health, safety and well-being of our employees."
By Staff
Tuesday, March 17, 2020 12:27 AM
NEW YORK and ANNAPOLIS, Md.—Two vision care businesses are among the first groups in the U.S. to announce that they will be instituting closures of their offices and store networks to prevent the spread of the oronavirus (COVID-19). In an announcement late yesterday,
Vision Innovation Partners, a leading provider of ophthalmology services in the Mid-Atlantic region, said they are suspending all non-emergent appointments and surgeries for at least two weeks throughout its entire network.
By Staff
Friday, March 13, 2020 12:15 AM
GREEN BAY, Wis.—
Shopko Optical, in a move that reflects its ongoing effort to build out its leadership team, has named Susan Buckna as general counsel. Buckna joins the Shopko Optical team with almost 30 years of legal expertise in corporate legal and regulatory matters, including health care operations, employment, information technology, intellectual property and corporate governance, according to the company’s announcement. “I am thrilled Susan has chosen to join the Shopko Optical team,” chief executive officer Russ Steinhorst said. “With experience in both the retail and health care sectors, she is a steadfast business and legal partner who will be instrumental in supporting and advocating for the company’s growth.”
By Staff
Wednesday, March 11, 2020 12:24 AM
PADUA, Italy and PARIS—
Safilo and
Isabel Marant have announced a 10-year global agreement for the design, manufacture and distribution of Isabel Marant sunglasses and optical frames. This marks Isabel Marant’s entrance into eyewear licensing, and the company’s first collection with Safilo will be launched with the Spring/Summer 2021 lines. Angelo Trocchia, CEO of Safilo Group, said, “We are pleased to welcome to our portfolio one of the coolest French designer brands whose unique expression and iconic style ensure it stands out within the advanced luxury design segment.
By Staff
Friday, March 6, 2020 12:18 AM
BLOOMINGTON, Ill.—
Keplr Vision, an operating group formed in mid-2019 to support eyecare practices, announced that it has partnered with Dr. David Heitmeier. Dr. Heitmeier has been recognized with numerous awards for his service to optometry, including the University of Houston College of Optometry’s (UHCO) Distinguished Alumnus Award, the Southern Council of Optometrists’ OD of the South Award, and the 2015 AOA National Optometrist of the Year, according to the announcement this week. The partnership was effective as of February.
By Staff
Thursday, March 5, 2020 12:18 AM
NEW YORK—
Pair Eyewear, a customizable children’s eyewear brand that offers affordable, interchangeable frames through a direct-to-consumer model, has announced an appearance on an all-new episode of Shark Tank, which will air on ABC this Friday, March 6 at 8:00 p.m. EST. The episode (ep. #1106) will also be available next day on demand and on Hulu. Founders Nathan Kondamuri and Sophia Edelstein will face Sharks Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec and guest Shark, founder and CEO of Stitch Fix, Katrina Lake, who will be making her debut on the show on Friday.