William Morris sees growth in Franois Pinton brand

William Morris Eyewear is reporting strong growth in the Fran?ois Pinton brand it has distributed in the UK for over six years.The company states that sales grew in 2001 by 35 per cent and to date for 2002 are up 40 per cent against the same period last year.Robert W Morris, owner and founder of William Morris Eyewear, put the success down to hard work, constantly introducing new designs/ colours and excellent customer services and relations. ÔWe are one of few companies who stock frames in the UK, which helps us with control and allows us to give an excellent level of service to our customers,Õ he said.Mr Morris added that Pinton was a fashion leader, with launches twice yearly. The next is autumn/winter in September.The French company was established in 1947 by optician Robert Pinton, who had a practice in the fashionable 16th arrondisement of Paris. He catered for the Ôbusiness eliteÕ and his clients were to include Jackie Onassis, Grace Kelly and Jacques Chirac.He expanded his business in 1956 and started to distribute frames to other opticians. Then in the early 1970s his son Dominique and wife Armelle took over the distribution and carried on the family tradition, designing the hand-made frames to suit the present generation.