Dutch optical retailer Hans Anders acquires Germany's Eyes + More

By

Shomara Roosblad

Published
Dec 11, 2018

Dutch optical retailer Hans Anders announced on Tuesday 11 December that it had acquired the German optical retailer Eyes + More, currently owned by Vendis Capital, a group of managers and private investors.

Hans Anders, already the market leader in the Benelux and Sweden, said that the acquisition will expand its European footprint and will result in the retailer serving customers in five countries, creating a leading North-West European optical retail platform that is focused exclusively on the growing value-for-money segment. Additionally, Hans Anders plans to further expand the Eyes + More concept, which is currently available in Germany, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Boris Kawohl, partner at 3i Private Equity, owner of Hans Anders, said: “This is an important acquisition for Hans Anders and fits well with 3i’s investment strategy of driving international growth in the value-for-money space. Eyes + More is already a successful business and very closely aligned with Hans Anders in terms of its value-for-money positioning. It brings a strong geographical fit and an organic growth platform in the sizeable German optical retail market.”

Hans Anders was founded in 1982 and offers spectacles, hearing aids and contact lenses. The brand operates around 400 stores in the Netherlands and Belgium and employs more than 1,500 people. In Sweden the retailer operates under the Direkt Optik brand. Since May 2017, Hans Anders is owned by the London-based 3i Private Equity firm.

Founded in 2005 in the Netherlands, Eyes + More operates 170 stores, of which 119 in Germany, 33 in the Netherlands, 10 in Belgium and eight in Austria. It sells a range of circa 800 prescription glasses and private label sunglasses.