Essilor Finally Controls Stylemark

The Essilor subsidiary, FGX International, recently acquired the outstanding shares in Stylemark.Based in Ormond Beach, Florida, $140-million Stylemark sells more than 30 million readers and sunglasses in nearly 30,000 retail outlets, mainly in the food, mass retail, drugstore and department store segments. It boasts a large portfolio of licensed brands, including Nine West, Dockers, Reebok, Hello Kitty and various Disney properties. The company asserts that the acquisition will enable FGXI to consolidate, to enter the fast-growing department store segment, and to improve the efficiency of its supply chain.

Safilo Agrees to Buy Polaroid

Safilo has agreed to acquire Polaroid Eyewear from StyleMark. Polaroid Eyewear, which invested the first man-made commercial polarizer in 1929 and the first Polaroid sunglasses in 1935, is part of the StyleMark. For the year 2011, the Polaroid Eyewear business is expected to record sales of approximately $63 million and generate an expected EBITDA of around $8.75 million. Read more.