Spy Optics turns the page and looks ahead
“The return of the optics sector’s interest in independent companies and brands as anti-crisis strategy and demonstration of the will to turn the page and look ahead”. This is what Sky Optic sales manager Massimo Bonfanti expects from this edition of Mido. In this interview, he draws a picture of the past, present and future of the sector in which his company operates.
“2009 was a difficult year for the eyewear sector but the signs of recovery and new optimism are visible on both the Italian and international markets”.
- Can you give me some idea about last year’s trend? “Fortunately, sales were stable in the optics sector as well as in the sports sector, our company’s primary target”.
- What strategies did your company adopt for coping with this moment?“Despite this difficult moment, we believed that investing in new projects was the best solution for creating value for the company and for our consumers, especially in the light of a slow, but gradual (and more stable) recovery of the positions that were lost in 2008/2009. Specifically, our company was known as Spy Optic but we recently changed the name to Orange 21 Europe. The decision was due to the 2 new projects our company recently concluded and will launch at Mido 2010. They are the global license for the O'Neill brand and the very recent license agreement with a musical icon in the USA, Jimmy Buffett, for the Margaritaville label. The strategy is simple: Orange 21 has authenticity, design and production capabilities and brand image that we now want to share with brands able to guarantee our expansion in new markets and distribution channels. It will be possible to share strategies with them without cannibalization of any kind. The brands are now seeking the "right" way to grow in different world markets and different distribution channels. We strongly believe that Orange 21 will be a fresh new addition to this panorama”.
- What do you forecast for this year? Are there any signs of a recovery? “The objective this year is stabilization and growth in the reference markets and distribution channels”.
- What are the most important new ideas you will be presenting at this 40th edition of Mido? “This year there are many projects for all the brands exhibited. I want to place particular emphasis on the sunglasses and snow goggles collection by O'Neill, which will be launched officially at Mido 2010 for the optics sector”.
- A year has passed since the exhibition moved from May to March, what are your impressions? “It was the right decision, but until this critical stage of the market is over in a few years’ time we won’t know if it has really paid off”.
