Safilo expands Blenders Eyewear to UK and Ireland

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jul 28, 2021

Eyewear giant Safilo is investing heavily in the US-based Blenders business that it acquired a year ago and has launched in the UK and Ireland via e-commerce.

After its e-commerce platform went live in Canada and Australia during Q1, the company now wants to reach Millennials and Gen Z in more English language markets.

Nine-year-old Blenders makes sunglasses and snow goggles inspired by the California lifestyle and is one of the fastest-growing sunglasses brands in the US. Safilo announced it would acquire a 70% stake in the firm in late 2019 and the deal completed last June.

“Blenders Eyewear represents a big part of our commitment to a 360° digital transformation, which consists of three fundamental components: the launch of the latest technologies in B2B and CRM fields, the strengthening of our digital and social marketing capabilities and the D2C channel,” said Safilo CEO Angelo Trocchia. 

“Since its acquisition, Blenders has been a key pillar accelerating the growth of the D2C channel. The expansion into new markets is in line with our initial strategy and the speed at which we are doing it is exceeding our initial expectations. We are confident it will allow us to see the brand’s strong business development at a global level.”

Chase Fisher, the Blenders founder and CEO who retained a stake when Safilo took control, added that “it’s time for us to formally introduce our brand to the European market. The consumer is fashion-forward, which is an ideal match for our bold, high quality looks which guarantee an instant cool factor. Our digitally native business model allows us to introduce our brand fast to new markets and we are on a mission to build a thriving global community that inspires people to live life in forward motion.”