Schiphol, the Netherlands - 28 January 2019. Today GrandVision N.V. announced that it acquired 100% of Charlie Temple, the leading online optical retailer in the Benelux. Charlie Temple, which started operating in 2016, has grown to become the leading online spectacles retailer in the Netherlands and Belgium. Its business model focuses on offering quality spectacles with single vision and multifocal lenses at competitive prices and next-day delivery.
Charlie Temple will continue to operate as an independent brand while benefiting from the local and global synergies GrandVision can contribute to its business. Charlie Temple's management team will remain unchanged, headed by founder and CEO Leon Planken. The financial terms of this transaction have not been disclosed.
"We are very pleased to team up with Charlie Temple, an exciting and innovative player in the online spectacles segment" said Stephan Borchert, GrandVision's CEO. "This acquisition is an important step in our digital roadmap and will enable us to build a stronger presence in this segment of the online market at a much faster pace. Charlie Temple is a logical and highly compatible addition to our existing business in the Benelux and will serve as a platform for international expansion in the pureplay online spectacles segment. Charlie Temple fits perfectly in our commercial strategy of providing high quality eyewear at affordable prices."
"We are excited to have found a great partner for Charlie Temple in GrandVision, the leading global optical retailer," added Leon Planken, Charlie Temple's CEO. "The support of an international organization will allow Charlie Temple to accelerate its growth. At the same time, Charlie Temple will continue its business as an independent brand, executing on its existing strategy and preserving its own identity."
GrandVision Press Release