Product development

OPAL |HISTORY
Founded in Lyon in 1995 by François Fort, the Opal company began its design and distribution business by focusing
on the children’s frames market.
In 1999, Ophtal joined the Opal group. Its director Alain Lepetit brought his expertise in the own-brand market, notably with the Owlet range. This has since become the number one range in the French second-pair market.

In 2002, the launch of new collections led to even more rapid growth for the company.
In 2007, Opal moved its head office to a new building of 1,500 m2 on 3 floors in the avenue Joannès Masset (in Lyon’s 9th
arrondissement).
In 2009, the company continued its development. External growth was made with the acquisition of SIMOP eyewear department.
This allowed Opal to become a leading European company in optical frames for children and teenagers. This acquisition marked a new stage in Opal’s commercial strategy. In 2010, Opal acquired rights to the Disney licenses, Cars, Disney Princess and Winnie the Pooh. This further reinforced its dominant position in the children’s segment.

In 2011, Opal launched a new range of polarized sunglasses: POLABYOPAL. This new brand is part of the OPAL DIRECT department’s
development strategy.

In 2014, the prestigious brands ELEVENPARIS and SPIDER-MAN are joining the OPAL licence portfolio ELEVENPARIS licence agreement
shows Opal enthusiastically moving into the young adult market with a dynamic and cool brand.

OPAL TODAY
In France Opal works with the whole of the opticians’ retail sector and has a market penetration of over 60%. Opal products are available through the majority of chains, whether independent, cooperative, franchises or branches, as well as through the Opticiens Mutualistes network. Opal has an international presence via its network of distributors in over 79 countries. This market grew strongly to over 20% in 2013.