What were Swiss Eyewear Group’s immediate priorities to ensure continuity for optical retailers in Germany?
Swiss Eyewear Group has always operated with a strict customer-first mindset. Our priority was to guarantee continuity for the many long-standing Invu retailers in Germany and to ensure that the transition to direct service through Swiss Eyewear Group would be absolutely seamless. A second priority was to provide a solid new home for the Wagner & Ku?hner sales representatives who had been supporting the Invu brand for years. Then, we quickly finalized the logistics flow from our central warehouse and set up a dedicated german-market customer service unit at our Swiss headquarters. once these pillars were secured, we informed the optical trade, especially our current Invu customers, about the new structure and what they could expect going forward.

What concrete advantages will this significant shift bring to opticians?
German opticians now have immediate access to our entire product portfolio, even products that were previously not available in Germany. Another major advantage is full access to our customer-friendly B2B ordering platform, which enables simple, just-in-time replenishment. With our international distribution hub located in the Netherlands, we are also geographically close to Germany. As polarization specialists, we are introducing our latest generation of polarization testers to the German optical market, that helps the optician in attracting more customers.

Were events such as Opti Munich, Interlook and also Mido important opportunities to help opticians and the eyewear industry to better understand this strategic shift?
As a customer-focused company, we are convinced that the best way to serve our customers is through direct dialogue. At Opti Munich, our entire German sales team was on site, and our global CEO spent the full show meeting opticians and answering questions firsthand. 

Germany is a key strategic market for Swiss Eyewear Group: what are your main goals for the next 12–24 months?
We have one central goal: to earn the trust, respect, and long-term loyalty of German opticians – and to prove ourselves worthy of it every single day. As a mid-sized, employee- led company, we remain independent, grounded, and committed to continuous high standards and improvement. We look forward to working with our new customers in Germany and hope to welcome you soon with a warm grüezi.

Originally published in Eyebook 36