Summary

This unique business has positioned itself well. Pre-COVID, playing in an international market. Now SA-focused- in need of a new entrepreneur who wants to enter the Global Playing field again - more than 50 countries historically dealt with

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Fully describe the business's activities?

This South African eyewear company designs, sources, imports and exports eyewear across a portfolio of owned and agency brands. It designs and develops its own eyewear ranges — spanning luxury and designer optical frames, affordable optometric readers, value-focused eyewear and children's eyewear — using sustainable materials and distinctive natural inclusions as a core part of its product development. Alongside its own brands, it holds import/distribution agency rights for a small number of complementary international eyewear brands. The business manages the full chain from product design and sourcing through to import, export and distribution, selling internationally into 40+ countries through appointed agencies as well as directly to independent optometrist channels in South Africa. Trademarks for its owned brands are registered across 7 jurisdictions, and the company has traded for 20 years

How does the business operate on a daily basis?

The owner has built the manufacturing relationships, and the model combines eyewear design and product development, sourcing/importing, export sales to different countries, B2B supply to independent optometrists, distributor and sales-team relationships, trade-show marketing, and an online B2B ordering platform.
Current priorities include a South African focus and reduced overheads.
For a new, younger owner, export growth can easily double or triple turnover.
Future scope: digital adoption and expansion of owned premium brands.

What Advertising/Marketing is carried out?

Marketing includes international trade show participation, face-to-face customer engagement, B2B digital activity, an online platform, and a planned media shift from business-to-business toward business-to-consumer for the reader brands. Dynamic social media digital marketing campaigns.
This brand has high-volume potential if positioned in the right retail channels.

What competition exists?

Competitors are mostly agent based not with unique product offerings
Larger chain stores compete on price with independent optometrists.
However, this business has completed the cycle and is poised for a young entrepreneur to take over.
Chain stores use horizontal integration, and manufacturers use vertical integration, which could create competitive pressures.

How could the profitability of the business be improved?

Digitizing B2B ordering, globalizing through distributors and trade shows again, growing exports, recruiting sales teams, shifting reader-brand media toward B2C.
Keep a Rand cost base while earning hard-currency revenue.

Give a breakdown of staff/ functions/ length of service?

Basic administrators, staff, bookkeeping, stock keeping, sales team with varying lengths of service

Do any have management potential?

Yes highly motivated and ambitious team.

How involved is the Owner in running the business?

The owner is involved at a strategic level rather than running day-to-day operations — the team handles daily operations, order processing, logistics and customer service independently. His role centers on senior key account relationships, supplier and agency negotiations, and overall growth strategy. Because the business already runs on established staff and processes rather than depending on him for daily execution, the transition risk is manageable. That said, it is recognized that relationships built over 20 years carry real value, so the owner is committed to a negotiated transition period post-sale — typically 3 to 12 months — to introduce the new owner to key accounts and suppliers and make sure nothing is lost in the handover

When does the current lease end?

3 month notice

What are the trading hours?

08h00 to 16h45

What are the main assets of the business?

All six owned brands
Registered intellectual property in seven jurisdictions
Stock and the B2B platform.
Brand portfolio, designs, customer relationships and operating systems
Office equipment

Strengths?

Twenty years of trading
Six owned brands
Sustainable and differentiated product design
International reach across more than 40 countries
Substantial South African optometrist network
Registered IP across seven jurisdictions
A live B2B platform

Healthy 70.0% gross margin
Hard-currency export revenue with a Rand cost-base objective
Founder transition support.

Weaknesses?

Turnover is shrinking, as per design, in refocusing on the SA Market
The owner is not traveling as much and wants to hand over the reins to a younger, more energetic owner

Opportunities?

Scaling the brands.
Expanding export distribution
Increasing trade-show presence
B2B digitisation
B2C media for reader brands
Premiumising the product mix

Additional geographic representation