optics
Fielmann drives international expansion
The lettering of the optical company Fielmann can be seen above a branch on Eppendorfer Marktplatz in Hamburg. Photo: Markus Scholz / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Selling glasses from the measurement to the virtual fitting and the development of ever new foreign markets. For Fielmann, these are the most important driving forces behind strong growth.
The optician chain Fielmann wants to push ahead with its expansion abroad.
With the expansion of the international branch network “we will open up at least one more new market”, Fielmann AG announced on Thursday in Hamburg when presenting new business figures.
International business is already an important driving force behind the strong growth in sales – coupled with the accelerated expansion of our own online business.
“While customer frequency in many European cities and shopping centers has not yet returned to the pre-crisis level, the Fielmann Group was able to increase significantly thanks to the loyalty of its 27 million customers and strong growth in international markets,” says the interim report on the first nine Months 2021. With an increase in sales of 39 percent, foreign sales increased significantly more than total sales, which climbed by 21.2 percent to 1.25 billion euros. “The share of sales from our international markets rose from 21 percent in 2019 to 27 percent in 2021.”
Fielmann recently opened its first branches in the Czech Republic and in the two previous years took over the leading optician chain Optika Clarus in Slovenia and the third largest optician chain in Spain, Óptica & Audiología Universitaria.
Fielmann confirmed the forecasts for the full year 2021. Consolidated sales are expected to rise from 1.4 billion to around 1.7 billion euros and profit before taxes will amount to more than 200 million euros, after 175.5 million euros in the previous year. In the first nine months, 181.3 million euros were already achieved, an increase of almost 49 percent compared to the previous year.
In addition to traditional eyewear sales in its branches, Fielmann has been focusing more and more on online business for some years now, which has so far played almost no role in the industry, at least in the prescription glasses business. Thanks to artificial intelligence and new apps for smartphones, Fielmann also wants to make the sophisticated optical adjustment of visual aids possible online. “Extensive investments in our omnichannel strategy, our international expansion and growing product categories such as hearing aids will create a strong basis for organic growth for the next few years,” said CEO Marc Fielmann.