MyOptique, the operator of Glasses Direct and the Sunglasses Shop has been acquired by optical specialist Essilor. Glasses Direct was founded in 2004 to disrupt the prescription glasses market by university student Jamie Murray Wells and now has annual sales of more than £57 million. With customers for its range of spectacles, contact lenses and sunglasses in 50 countries, Murray Wells sold his interest in the business via a number of funding rounds and left the business in 2013 to take a senior role at Google, leaving Kevin Cornils as its CEO.
Cornils had mooted a float a few years ago but decided instead to continue to make acquisitions, grow the business, and eventually seek a buyer. French company Essilor is a supplier to MyOptique, as well as to the wider opticians sector, and also operates its own online optical retail store.
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