Hans Anders Retail Group obtains full ownership of ‘eyes + more’ in Belgium

Gorinchem, Brussels, 7 December 2021 - The twenty Belgian stores of the optical retail chain eyes + more will be owned by the Dutch E & M Holding, part of the Hans Anders Retail Group which also includes Hans Anders (Netherlands and Belgium) and Direkt Optik (Sweden). The acquisition offers plenty of opportunities for the eyes + more formula to develop further in Belgium.

Eyes + more, which is also active in the Netherlands, Germany and Austria, was acquired by the Hans Anders Retail Group in 2018. The Belgian branches thereby remained in the hands of Eyes!, an independently operating franchise organisation owned by five private shareholders. Through the acquisition, the eyes + more holding now fully owns the entire eyes + more organisation in Belgium and the Netherlands.

store eyes + more Kortrijk, december 2021

As a result of the takeover, little will change for the shops, employees and customers in Belgium. The more than 50 Belgian eyes + more employees will keep their jobs. However, following the acquisition, considerable synergy advantages can be achieved in the field of innovations in marketing, digitalization, IT infrastructure, buying and expertise in optics. Within eyes + more itself, but also in relation to the other optical chains of the Hans Anders Retail Group.

Ulli Eickman, CEO of eyes + more is excited about the acquisition: "Eyes + more is a healthy and successful chain in Belgium. Now that we have obtained ownership, a full integration with the rest of the organisation can take place. As a result, the Belgian business will be able to benefit more from all the advantages our group offers. This will allow us to manage the commercial and financial results even better and to grow our market share even faster in Belgium".

Bart van den Nieuwenhof, CEO of the Hans Anders Retail Group: "The acquisition of eyes + more Belgium is an important next step in the group’s European growth strategy, as it will further increase the quality of the optical retail chains gathered under the roof of the Hans Anders Retail Group.

Bart van den Nieuwenhof, CEO Hans Anders Retail Group