General News
EssilorLuxottica invites 400+ for lens Launch
Opchat’s report on the launch of the latest Varilux XR lens
We joined over 400 invited ECPs yesterday, (May 25th) at the Hilton Wembley for a day full of immersive experiences, avatars on what seemed to be wall to wall on the entire 4th floor.
From the very start there was an air of anticipation and expectation that something ground-breaking and important was going to be announced.
But before we gathered together in the theatre, we had ample time to sample the products that confirm the relevance of Essilor and Luxottica coming together creating the Essilor/Luxottica experience.
The full display of the exciting brands were on display among them Persol, Armani, Rayban, Tiffany, Versace, Oakley Prada, Polo Ralph Lauren and Miu Miu. The strength and saleability of these brands is of course a tribute to Luxottica’s early pioneer, Leonardo Del Vecchio (1935-2022) who was an Italian billionaire businessman, and the founder and chairman of Luxottica. It was his dream to create true fashion in eyewear Armani being the first.
The Essilor/Luxottica team were all present to assist and guide 400+ ECPs through the many products that have been designed to assist UK opticians to provide a full all-round service to their patients. On show and being demonstrated were the products that are key sector areas that Opticians must provide services to their patients that will address Myopia Progression, Dry Eye and of course lenses and moreover lens design in which the AVA precision lens system is just one of the many products and equipment where Essillor have gone that one mile further to give eye care practitioners an advantage over others that is welcomed by today’s demanding customers.
Moreover, we were gathered at Wembley to welcome the first new product to be launched since the collaboration of EssilorLuxottica, namely the Varilux XR. The XR is the 9th generation of Varilux first launched in 1959 and the brainchild of famous lens designer Bernard Maitenaz the “pioneering” inventor of the Varilux progressive lens, and one of the founders of Essilor Group
Those two far sighted entrepreneurs (Vecchio and Maitenaz ) would have been proud of the position that their original separate companies have combined to form the largest eyecare company in the world. Whether an EssilorLuxotticaphile or not you just have to appreciate the sheer force of this company and its products in the International optical world. The quality and market targeting of needed sector products is very difficult to ignore.
They employ 180000 people in 150 countries worldwide. Market 150 brands, own 18,000 stores
In future articles it is hoped to expand on the treatments and diagnostic instruments that EssilorLuxottica are offering to provide a full dry eye clinic within a practice, but today we will focus on the Varilux XR and some new product news on Rayban plano sunglasses.
We have dedicated a separate news piece to discuss the launch of the Varilux XR but to set the scene yesterday we all took our seats in the theatre to be treated to a very slick presentation introduced throughout the 2 hour extravaganza by the one and only Paul Sinha better known to many as the Sinnerman on ITV;s the Chase.
Click here to find out about the Varilux XR and the new launch of Rayban Reverse (spoiler!)
Read about the “Timeline of Varilux” permanently available in our Dispensing Briefing here written by Andy Hepworth
