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Essilor Announces a Licensing Agreement with Safilo for Polaroid Branded Polarized Ophthalmic Lenses


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Charenton Le Pont, France, - – Essilor, the world’s leading ophthalmic optics company, and Safilo, worldwide leader in the premium eyewear sector, announce a ten-year licensing agreement for the design, manufacture and worldwide distribution by Essilor of polarized ophthalmic lenses under the Polaroid brand for use with eyewear products in general.

Polarized sunwear is recognized for bringing superior vision comfort, reducing glare and increasing contrast while maintaining true color perception and clarity. Although consumer satisfaction on polarized lenses is very high, this market only represents 20% of the total sun market in the world today. Essilor is convinced that there is an important need to raise awareness of Eye Care Professionals and consumers on the need to protect their eyes from the sun and UV hazards and promote all solutions available, amongst which sun prescription and polarized lenses.

Hubert Sagnières, Chairman and CEO of Essilor, commented: “We are delighted to team up with Safilo for the worldwide development and promotion of Polaroid’s lenses. The strength of the Polaroid brand is a key lever in drawing people’s attention on the importance of protecting their eyes from the sun and in growing the polarized category within the mainstream consumer segment. This new collaboration will allow us to bring together Essilor’s strong know-how and leadership in ophthalmic lenses with Polaroid’s strong recognition on polarization.”

About Essilor
The world’s leading ophthalmic optics company, Essilor designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of lenses to improve and protect eyesight. Its corporate mission is to enable everyone around the world to access lenses that meet his or her unique vision requirements. To support this mission, the Company allocates around €150 million to research and development every year, in a commitment to continuously bring new, more effective products to market. Essilor’s flagship brands are Varilux®, Crizal®, Definity®, Xperio®, OptifogTM and Foster Grant®. It also develops and markets equipment, instruments and services for eyecare professionals. Essilor reported consolidated revenue of approximately €5 billion in 2012 and employs around 50,700 people. It operates in some 100 countries with 22 plants, more than 400 prescription laboratories and edging facilities, as well as several research and development centers around the world. For more information, please visit www.essilor.com. The Essilor share trades on the NYSE Euronext Paris market and is included in the EuroStoxx 50 and CAC 40 indices. Codes and symbols: ISIN: FR FR0000121667; Reuters: ESSI.PA; Bloomberg: EI:FP.




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