EssilorLuxottica is the world’s leading eyewear company, established in 2018 with the merger of Essilor and Luxottica, respectively the leading global suppliers of lenses and frames. Other leading global manufacturers are Hoya, Carl Zeiss and Safilo.
Companies such as EssilorLuxottica and Safilo have their own factories in Europe but also source products from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), including those from China. OEMs manufacture products for other businesses. Carl Zeiss and
53Hoya manufacture their high-end products in-house in their respective headquarters countries, Germany and Japan. They have also established their own plants in LMICs; Carl Zeiss owns a factory in China for optical lenses and has recently invested in a new factory in India. Hoya has opened factories in Thailand and Viet Nam.
By region:
By segment:
Leading global suppliers have begun to establish inclusive business segments specifically targeting LMIC markets to address issues of product accessibility. Two notable examples are EssilorLuxottica’s inclusive business division, 2.5 New Vision Generation (2.5 NVG) and Warby Parker’s donation programme titled ‘Buy a Pair, Give a Pair’.
EssilorLuxottica established 2.5 NVG to provide affordable, high-quality vision products to underserved populations in LMICs who lack access to traditional distribution channels. Business solutions include a network of small vision entrepreneurs, and product innovations to make provision simpler in low-resource settings. A notable innovation is Ready2Clip™, a system combining frames with ready-to-mount lenses, allowing for the quick preparation directly on-site of customized glasses according to an individual’s prescription. The 2.5 NVG line is purchased by governments, NGOs, and
54private sector providers, such as pharmacies and Essilor’s own Eye Mitra and Eye Rafiki which are small retail entrepreneurs. 2.5 NVG currently distributes products across 50 countries in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
Warby Parker is an American retailer of prescription glasses, contact lenses, and sunglasses. It has developed a donation programme titled ‘Buy a Pair, Give a Pair,’ through which over 15 million pairs of glasses have been distributed in more than 75 countries. The programme works with a handful of partners worldwide to ensure that for every pair of Warby Parker glasses purchased, a pair is distributed to someone in need. Key partners include VisionSpring, RestoringVision, and the LV Prasad Eye Institute in India.
Table 21: Global leading suppliers with multiple products (lenses, frames, reading glasses)
Name (Headquarters location) | Revenue (in United States dollars) | Product (s) | Manufacturing sites | LMIC Markets served |
---|---|---|---|---|
EssilorLuxottica (France) | 26.9 billion |
|
Mostly in China, but 50 manufacturing plants in over 10 countries including Brazil, India, Laos, Thailand, and Viet Nami | More than 50 countries in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. ii |
Nikon Lenses (Japan) | Information not available |
|
Japan | Asia and Africaiii |
iOur Global Footprint, EssilorLuxottica. See Change official website, https://www.essilorseechange.com/ what-we-do/2-5-new-vision-generation/. ↩︎
iiEssilor See Change official website, https://www.essilorseechange.com/what-we-do/2-5-new-vision- generation/. ↩︎
iiiGlobal Network, Nikon, https://www.nikonlenswear.cn/about_us/global_network. ↩︎
Table 22: Global leading suppliers with single product focus (lenses or frames)
Company (Headquarters location) | Revenue | Main Product | Manufacturing Sites | Markets Served |
---|---|---|---|---|
Carl Zeiss (Germany) | 1.6 billion euros (approximately 1.7 billion dollars) in 2022-2023 from its Consumer Market business unit | Lenses | Germany, China, and USi | 50 countriesii |
ChemiLens iii (Korea) | Information not available | Lenses | Korea | Mainly China followed by Viet Nam |
De Rigo (Italy) | 452.7 million euros in 2022 (approximately 500 million dollars) iv | Frames | Information not available | 80 countriesv including Middle East, Asia |
Hoya (Japan) | 407,549 million yen (2.8 billion dollars) revenue in 2022 life care unit, eyeglasses lenses account for around 50 per centvi | Lenses | Thailand, Viet Nam | Africa, Middle East, Asiavii |
Kering Eyewear (Italy) | 1.1 billion euros in 2022 (approximately 1.2 billion dollars) viii | Frames | Information not available | Information not available |
Marcolin (Italy) | 547.4 million euros (approximately 600 million dollars) ix | Frames | Italy | 125 countriesx, such as Brazil, China, Mexico and Russia as well as the Middle East |
Company (Headquarters location) | Revenue | Main Product | Manufacturing Sites | Markets Served |
---|---|---|---|---|
Safilo (Italy) | 1.1 billion euros in 2022 (approximately 1.2 billion dollars) xi | Frames | Italy, US, China, and Sloveniaxii | 40 countries directly servedxiii in regions including Latin America, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific |
Thelios (France) | Information not available | Frames | Italyxiv | Information not available |
iCarl Zeiss to create 600 jobs with $270m lens factory in India, 2023, Investment Monitor, https://www. investmentmonitor.ai/news/carl-zeiss-to-create-600-jobs-with-270m-lens-factory-in-bangalore-india/. ↩︎
iiAnnual Report 2022/23, Zeiss Group, https://mamcache.zeiss.com/616_1702972605705.original.html. ↩︎
iii Chemilens, About us, http://www.chemilens.co.kr/eng/html/chemilens/about.php. ↩︎
ivDirectors’ Report, De Rigo, https://www.derigo.com/en/media/2023/09/management_report_2022_1208.pdf. ↩︎
v2022 Full-Year Results, Kering, https://www.kering.com/api/download-file/?path=Presentation_FY_22_VDEF_d9d384ac97.pdf. ↩︎
viLife Care Business, Hoya, https://www.hoya.com/ir/2023/en/review/lifecare.html. ↩︎
vii Hoya company official website, https://hoyafilter.com/support/distributors/. ↩︎
viiiKering 2022 Full-Year Results, https://www.kering.com/api/download-file/?path=Presentation_FY_22_VDEF_ d9d384ac97.pdf. ↩︎
ixMarcolin 2022 Report, https://www.marcolin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Press-release_Marcolin_ FY22-Results_final_EN.pdf. ↩︎
xMarcolin company official website, https://www.marcolin.com/en/group/about-us/. ↩︎
xiNet sales of Safilo Group from 2010 to 2022, 2023, Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/617602/net- sales-of-safilo-group-in-italy-timeline/. ↩︎
xiiSafilo Group SpA – Company Profile, Global Data, https://www.globaldata.com/company-profile/safilo- group-spa/. ↩︎
xiiiSafilo company official website, https://www.safilogroup.com/en/investors/glance. ↩︎
xivLVMH 2018 Annual Report, https://www.lvmh.com/2018interactiveannualreport/en/104-Thelios.html#/ page/104. ↩︎
Note: List categorized by product type and listed alphabetically by producers.