As part of its efforts to expand in its domestic market, French eyecare products maker Essilor International (ESLOY.PK,ESLOF.PK) Friday announced the acquisition of 68.3 percent of the capital of Interactif Visuel Système, or IVS, a provider of technological sales support solutions for opticians.
IVS designs, develops and sells sales support and ophthalmic measurement solutions under the Activisu brand. They include the Visioffice measuring column, designed jointly with Essilor, which allows eyecare professionals to dispense Varilux premium lenses.
Paris, France-based IVS, which was founded over 15 years ago by Benoist Monot and Pascal Thomet, has more than 80 employees and generates revenue of around 20 million euros. Its solutions are present across five continents and represent about 30,000 software licenses in over 17,000 points of sale.
Essilor said these solutions are protected by patents on ophthalmic measurement-taking. IVS is also present in the digital media market, through its subsidiary Activ’screen.
The partnership will allow Essilor to respond to the growing demand for lens personalization, to forge closer ties with eyecare professionals and to enhance its services for them. IVS’s technologies will also enable Essilor to accelerate the deployment of its technological innovations and its next generation lenses. With this deal, Essilor continues to expand in its domestic market.
Hubert Sagnières, CEO of Essilor, said, “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.”
The stock closed in Paris on Thursday lower by 0.9 percent at 75.50 euros.
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by RTT Staff Writer
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