GrandVision History

The GrandVision history spans back all the way to 1891. Since then it has been a successful and strong development which was always and always will be centered about providing customers with eye care. As a result GrandVision has grown to a global leader in optical retailing.

Grand begingins
1891
Grand Beginnings

The roots of GrandVision lead back to 1891, when Christian Nissen opened his first optician's store in Helsinki, Finland. More than 120 years later, Nissen is still one of the GrandVision leading retail banners in Finland today.

GrandDevelopment
1996
Grand Development

The development that led to the GrandVision of today gained momentum when the international investment company HAL Holding entered the optical market in 1996 by first acquiring the Dutch and Belgian operations of Pearle Vision. The further growth was fueled by numerous further acquisitions including, eventually, the French based and also multinational optical retailer GrandVision SA in 2005. The stage was set for the creation of a global leader in optical retailing.

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2011
Grand Potential

Success in providing superior customer service and the consequent commitment to high-quality and affordable eye care led to more growth, more customers, more stores and more successful retail banners – always extending the availability of high–quality and affordable eye care around the world. 2011 saw the combination of the two multi-national groups Pearle Europe and GrandVision into a single entity, also named GrandVision. One company, one vision: to deliver superior eye care to more and more people around the world. GrandVision now operates in more than 40 countries, with over 7,000 stores. The success and growth story continues.

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2021
Grand Future

The growth of GrandVision throughout the years with its strong retail banner network caught the eye of EssilorLuxottica, which led on 1 July, 2021 to the purchase of HAL’s majority stake in the organization. This new combination will allow GrandVision to accelerate the execution of its strategy and will enhance the company’s long-term sustainable business success. Becoming part of the  EssilorLuxottica family will create a global eyewear and eyecare group that provides consumers around the world with high quality optical omnichannel customer experiences. 

GrandVision Retail Banners