Both the FTC as well as EU antitrust regulators have closed their respective investigations into a proposed $58.49 billion (€48 billion) merger between eyewear giants Essilor and Luxottica. The EU said that it “coordinated closely” with the FTC on the case, unconditionally approving the merger and stating that the deal would not harm competition.
French-based Essilor controls 45% of the global market share for lenses, as well as ecommerce sites Coastal.com, EyeBuyDirect, and FramesDirect. Italy’s Luxottica has a 14% market share on frames and owns specialty retailers Sunglass Hut, LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, and Sears Optical—as well as apparel brand Oakley. The frames side of the business counts roughly two dozen licenses including Chanel, DKNY, Giorgio Armani, and Versace.
Fragrance Never Smelled So Good
In 2016, retail sales of licensed fragrance products topped $3.94 billion—falling from $4 billion in 2015. Here are the latest deals set to boost the category for 2018.
Puig adds Christian Louboutin to its portfolio after inking a long-term licensing agreement for beauty products. The licensing deal is Louboutin’s first, but the company already has a range comprising products for nails, lips and eyes, in addition to perfumes. Puig’s current fragrances portfolio is a mix of owned and licensed brands, including Carolina Herrera, Nina Ricci, Paco Rabanne, Jean Paul Gaultier, Penhaligon’s, Prada, Valentino and Comme des Garçons.
Condé Nast partners with Comme des Garçons for a limited-edition fragrance in celebration of Vogue’s 125th anniversary—marking the magazine brand’s first foray into fragrance. The scent was inspired by the brand’s rich history and its notes include an accord of instant film (a mainstay in fashion shoots) and acetyl furan, a synthetic essence that mimics the smell of tobacco, an aroma that used to permeate the Vogue offices and the couture salons where editors reviewed collections. Other partners for Vogue 125 include Pressed Juicery, Karl Lagerfeld, Birchbox, Soludos, Marni, Hood by Air, Rodarte, Proenza Schouler, Splendid, Jackson & Perkins, Kith, and Del Toro.
Contemporary fashion brand AllSaints, known for its iconic biker jackets, secures an exclusive global license with Revlon to launch its first fragrance collection.