GrandVision acquires Dutch optical e-tailer Charlie Temple

By

Shomara Roosblad

Published
Jan 29, 2019

The Netherlands’ GrandVision announced today that it has acquired Dutch optical e-tailer Charlie Temple, the leading online optical e-tailer in the Benelux, for an undisclosed amount.

GrandVision, which also owns optical retailers EyeWish and Pearle, said in a press release that Charlie Temple will continue to operate as an independent brand, but will benefit from local and global synergies that GrandVision will contribute. Furthermore, the position of founder and CEO Leon Planken and the Charlie Temple management team will remain unchanged, the company said.

Stephan Borchert, CEO at GrandVision, said: “This acquisition is an important step in our digital roadmap and will enable us to build a stronger presence in this segment of the online market at a much faster pace. Charlie Temple is a logical and highly compatible addition to our existing business in the Benelux and will serve as a platform for international expansion in the pure play online spectacles segment.”

Leon Planken, CEO at Charlie Temple, added: “The support of an international organization will allow Charlie Temple to accelerate its growth. At the same time, Charlie Temple will continue its business as an independent brand, executing its existing strategy and preserving its own identity.”

Charlie Temple was founded in 2016 and has quickly grown into a leading online spectacles retailer in the Netherlands and Belgium. The company’s business model focuses on offering quality spectacles with single vision and multifocal lenses at competitive prices and next-day delivery. The  e-tailer is known for its affordable prices, which start at €25.

GrandVision has more than 800 Pearle, Eye Wish and GrandOptical stores in the Netherlands and Belgium. The retailer operates in more than 40 countries across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia in over 6,700 stores and employing more than 31,000 people. In November 2017, the company acquired another Dutch online optical retailer, Zonnebrillen.com, which also focused on strengthening GrandVision’s online position in the Netherlands and Belgium.