2 minute read
LET’S START RUNNING AGAIN
We regretted these rhythms when we were stuck at home with the pandemic, now we are happily rushing from one side of the globe to the other for the autumn resumption of our industry’s trade fairs. The journey started at the beginning of September in Florence with DaTE (we talk about it in the following pages), but almost at the same time there was BOLD XXL in Holland. Soon we will be in Paris for Silmo, in Las Vegas for Vision Expo West or in San Francisco for LOFT. In October and November, IOFT and the Hong Kong Optical Fair await us. Let’s not complain then!
With the arrival of autumn, the waltz of new acquisitions, new or renewed licences, and new partnership formulas also started again. All situations that are perhaps changing the equilibriums of the sector. Consider, for example, the news that Kering will take over 30% of Valentino for €1.7 billion, the agreement also includes an option in favour of Kering to acquire 100% of Valentino’s share capital no later than 2028. Or the news regarding EssilorLuxottica which signed a global and perpetual licensing agreement with Eastman Kodak Company for the Kodak brand. Let us not forget the precedent in 2022 of the Tom Ford perpetual licence to Marcolin.
Fresh news of the return of the Italia Independent brand to the market at the hands of MODO Group. We will see how much Lapo Elkann’s presence influenced the brand’s notoriety.
Apart from the news strictly concerning the optics and eyewear sector, we cannot overlook the fact that the business revolution thanks to artificial intelligence is in full swing. According to data collected by the Polytechnic of Milan, more than 60 per cent of large companies have now launched projects and use AI tools, while, unfortunately, only 15 per cent of SMEs have so far embraced artificial intelligence. This factor increasingly compromises the possibility of growth for companies that give up a key element: speed. The use of AI is taking the whole world of data processing and analysis applied to business to a new level, becoming more and more an integral part of companies’ strategic thinking and operational practice, with significant impacts on performance and costs.
