US online spectacle retailer Warby Parker has raised new capital after a fresh round of funding that values the five year old company at $1.2bn.
A report the Wall Street Journal claimed that the capital would be used to expand the company’s network of stores, taking the total to 20 by the end of 2015. Warby Parker co-founder and co-chief executive Dave Gilboa also said the company was investing in technology to let customers conduct eye exams using their mobile phones. ‘We think that would increase access to eye exams. It’s early in the process but we are excited about the potential,’ he said.
The funding was led by T Rowe Price, alongside Wellington Management and General Catalyst. T Rowe Price fund manager Henry Ellenbogen said: ‘We think about Warby as a blend of offline and online. The more successful Warby is offline in a market, the more successful they are online.'