Blog

November 3, 2014April 24, 2018

FLEYE wins Good Design Award 2014

The Danish company FLEYE wins the Good Design Award 2014, the most prestigious award for design in Japan.

It is the design details of the handmade model 4513 Luan that caught the attention of Japanese jury. The design of the patterns, the colour of the titanium, the shape of the nose pads, all elements of the glasses were designed to accommodate their functional role.

Carbon fiber is used in motorcycles, aircraft, yachts, and glasses. It is a light and strong material but cannot easily be adjusted. To overcome this weakness and to ensure a perfect fit, FLEYE designed a thin wire of flexible Japanese beta- titanium that loops across the nose bridge. The wire keeps the pads in place and can be adjusted.

More information: www.g-mark.org and www.fleye.dk

November 3, 2014April 24, 2018

A strong quarter for Essilor

Essilor’s revenue rose to CA$1.59 million in the third quarter of 2014, a 14.5% increase over the same period last year.

In North America, sales increased by 7.1%, as the result of a communication strategy in the United States to promote its brands Varilux, Crizal, Transitions, and Xperio among independent optometrists.

The company reported an 11.2% increase in emerging markets, which counted for 22% of consolidated sales. Recent acquisitions, such as Xiamen Yarui Optical, Costa Inc., coastal.com and Transitions Optical, also contributed to increased growth.

For further information: http://www.essilor.com/fr/Press/News/Pages/Informationfinancieredu3emetrimestre2014.aspx

November 3, 2014April 24, 2018

Valeant increases offer for Allergan

Quebec-based Valeant Pharmaceuticals has increased its takeover bid for Allergan from US$50 to nearly US$60 billion.

In a letter to Allergan, Valeant said that its offer could now be “at least US$200 a share.” However, the Quebec company has provided no further details, opening the door to speculation.

Valeant’s previous offer was US$82 plus a 0.83 of a Valeant share for each Allergan share. Many analysts think that the new offer is simply the projected higher valuation of Valeant’s own shares, rather than a true increase. Allergan executives were quick to emphasize this in its stinging reply.

For further information (in French only): http://affaires.lapresse.ca/resultats-financiers/201410/20/01-4810785-valeant-disposee-a-modifier-son-offre-sur-allergan.php

November 3, 2014April 24, 2018

Tough quarter for Johnson & Johnson in the eye care market

Despite a good quarter for the company in general (sales of US$18.5 billion, up by 5.1% over last year), Johnson & Johnson reported a drop in eye care product sales in the third quarter of 2014.

Johnson & Johnson gave competitive pricing as a reason for the drop in eye care product sales of 5.9%, compared with 2013. These sales were CA$786 million in the third quarter of 2014. The drop was dramatic in the United States (-12.5%) and less harsh in other markets (-2.3%).

For further information: http://www.jnj.com/news/all/Johnson-and-Johnson-Reports-2014-Third-Quarter-Results

November 3, 2014April 24, 2018

Allergan CEO honoured

Allergan CEO David Pyott was ranked the fourth best-performing CEO in the world by Harvard Business Review.

He was one of 832 CEOs from 30 countries who qualified.

Harvard Business Review’s list was based on the track records of the CEOs of the S&P Global 1200 who assumed their role between 1995 and April 30, 2012. The criteria included industry-adjusted shareholder returns, country-adjusted shareholder returns, and increase in market capitalization.

Since David Pyott became Allergan’s CEO in 1998, the company’s increase in market capitalization has exceeded US$50 billion.

For further information: http://agn.client.shareholder.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=876268