Iacon Announces the Acquisition of Celebrity Eyeworks Studio Inc.Business Editors SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 2003 Iacon Inc. today announced the acquisition of sunglass sun·glass n. 1. A convex lens used to focus the sun's rays and produce heat, especially for ignition. 2. sunglasses Eyeglasses with tinted or polarizing lenses to protect the eyes from the sun's glare. specialty retailer Celebrity Eyeworks Studio Inc. The company was founded in 1997 at Downtown Disney Downtown Disney is the name of two outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complexes located at two Disney resorts:
Orlando - a city in central Florida; site of Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. Celebrity Eyeworks Studio offers the general public a wide range of top-name sunglass brands in a movie studio atmosphere at one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. "We are excited to establish a new relationship with the Walt Disney Noun 1. Walt Disney - United States film maker who pioneered animated cartoons and created such characters as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck; founded Disneyland (1901-1966) Disney, Walter Elias Disney Company and Disney World. This acquisition further strengthens our philosophy of obtaining the best real estate as we roll out our new Iacon concepts. This store will be one of our highest profile and highest volume locations to date," said Iacon President Jeff Obstfeld. "Our intention is to remodel re·mod·el tr.v. re·mod·eled also re·mod·elled, re·mod·el·ing also re·mod·el·ling, re·mod·els also re·mod·els To make over in structure or style; reconstruct. the store within the next 12 months and re-brand it under the name Sunglass Icon -- our new concept showcasing the eyewear worn by celebrities and athletes," Obstfeld concluded. Barry Franzblau, founder of Celebrity Eyeworks Studios commented, "The past six years have been very exciting. I am confident that Iacon will benefit from this high-traffic location and through the utilization of their considerable resources will further develop on this pioneering idea as they transition this store into their new Sunglass Icon concept." Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. About Iacon Inc. Iacon's growing chain of mall-based sunglass specialty stores currently operate under four separate retail concepts known as Sunglass Designs, Sporting Eyes, Occhiali da Sole and Oakley Icon. As of Dec. 31, 2002, the company had 64 stores, located throughout the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , primarily in the sunbelt regions. In addition to its mall-based retail locations, Iacon has entered into a master licensing agreement with HMSHost, the world's leading concessions operator, with headquarters in Bethesda, Md., under which HMSHost has licensed Iacon's sunglass retailing branded concepts in four airport locations operated by HMSHost. About Celebrity Eyeworks Studio Celebrity Eyeworks Studio, located at the Walt Disney World Resort, was founded by Franzblau, a Florida-based Optician optician, filler of prescriptions for and dispenser of corrective lenses. An optician may grind lenses as instructed by the prescription of an optometrist (see optometry) or ophthalmologist (see ophthalmology) or transcribe the instructions for laboratory mechanics. who has been the recipient of numerous awards including Optical Retailer of the year by Eyecare Business magazine. Celebrity Eyeworks Studio was developed from an offshoot of Franzblau's company of the same name that has been providing eyewear to the stars of Hollywood for their roles in feature films and TV shows for the past 10 years. The concept of this store was to make available to the consumer the same sunglasses sunglasses A tinted pair of glasses used to ↓ light arriving at the eye, which are labeled according to the amount of UV light blocked; nonprescription glasses are classified according to use and amount of UV radiation blocked Sunglasses they see their favorite stars wearing while shopping through a vast selection of designer brands. |
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