The Dutch optician GrandVision introduces the new concept Pearle Studio and uses 100 former Eyewish shops. The company thus fulfills the conditions set by the European Commission for the acquisition of GrandVision by Essilor-Luxottica. FashionUnited spoke to Jan-Derek Groenendaal, Managing Director of GrandVision Benelux, about the plans.
The European Commission has asked GrandVision to 142 stores in the Netherlands and 35 stores in Belgium for sale. The Eyewish brand name was also sold. That left 100 Eyewish locations that had to be renamed.
“Our first focus was to fulfill the commitment to rebrand the stores first,” Groenendaal said during a video call. win back the lost market share. In the years to come we will see how quickly this happens”.
So renaming the stores from Eyewish to Pearle Studio is part of fulfilling the conditions. “We are strengthening and enriching the Pearle brand. Pearle is the market leader and has a brand awareness of 96 percent,” explains Groenendaal. “Pearle is what most consumers have in mind, Pearle Studio contributes to it.”
The ambition to expand further is definitely there. GrandVision wants to regain the market share it lost by selling the stores. This can be implemented through the opening of new stores as well as through a takeover. If there is an interesting company in an area in which GrandVision would like to be active, the possibility of acquiring this company will be explored. The most important thing is the quality of the eye measurement that a glasses retailer offers, explains Groenendaal. The brands offered by a retailer and the customers in the area are only examined further if this matches the quality of the optician group.
Groenendaal: You have to get to know each other first
When asked about other plans that are in the pipeline now that GrandVision is officially part of EssilorLuxottica, Groenendaal replies that the parties involved first need to get to know each other well. “You have a certain image of each other. ‘Okay, what’s the smartest way to trade in the short term? What should be priority number one? Where do we see the greatest opportunities?’ There are ideas for this and they are currently being worked out.”
Essilor-Luxottica’s acquisition of GrandVision became official last December. “This year we will see the first results of this elaborated strategy. I expect that we will see some of EssilorLuxottica’s brands appear more in our stores.”
Groenendaal explains that EssilorLuxoticca is a brand manufacturer that has brands like Ray-Ban and Persol in its portfolio. GrandVision, on the other hand, is a retailer. “The cross-fertilization that can take place between the two is an incredible strength.”
This translated and edited post previously appeared on FashionUnited.nl.