De Rigo invests after strong year

The De Rigo group has posted a 103 per cent rise in net profit for 2006 at €24.4m, compared to €12m in 2005, with net sales rising 10.4 per cent to €558.4m.

Manufacturing and wholesale sales rose 20.2 per cent to €164.7m, through contribution of all brands and the launch of new licences with Ermenegildo Zegna and Jean Paul Gaultier.

The retail division of Dollond & Aitchison and General Optica saw a 6.7 per cent rise in turnover of €406.8m, with a strong increase in sales on a comparable base of the combined 590 stores. Operating profit rose 54.2 per cent to €36.4m, with a net debt of €46.3m versus €58.8m in 2005, in spite of higher investment in its stores in the UK and Spain.