In Focus: A bumpy year for eyewear heavyweights

Strong starts to 2020 at both Safilo Group and EssilorLuxottica were quickly negated by the coronavirus pandemic in March. Both companies subsequently reported bouncebacks in the period where lockdown restrictions lifted, but positive outlooks were cautious as infection rates rise globally.

Covid-19 meant Safilo Group experienced a sales decline in April and May of around 75%, the company reported in its half-year results in June. However, it also experienced a positive reaction in the third quarter of the year, with North America, China and some of the group’s core European countries all highlighted as positive markets for the company, as well as continued online sales growth.