Danish optical retail group CrossEyes Eyewear & Optometry has returned to make another appearance at Clerkenwell Design Week (May 24-26) – soon after securing new government funding.
In the past year, CrossEyes has doubled its UK locations to nine, including a new practice in Marylebone and the opening of CrossEyes Richmond last week.
The company has secured a £1m investment by a Danish Government investment fund to increase its number of stores in the UK and Denmark. It has targeted 40 practices globally within a year, growing to more than 150 in the longer term.
‘So far – the collections, prices and profits over the whole world have been controlled by one single large international manufacturer and supplier of glasses. However, CrossEyes are re-thinking the whole value chain. We do everything ourselves. From the design of the shops to the eye tests, even the glazing of the lenses. And everything is made in Denmark. Our model changes all the power relations in the eyewear market,’ said founder and CEO Søren Møller.
Under the CrossEyes model, franchisees are supplied with furniture, displays, IT systems and their initial frame collection for £29.