Essilor Agrees to Acquire Signet Armorlite

CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France, January 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Essilor
International announced today that its US subsidiary, EOA Holding Co. Inc.,
has signed a share purchase agreement whereby it has offered to acquire the
entire capital of Signet Armorlite, a manufacturer of ophthalmic lenses. The
agreement is subject to certain standard conditions precedent, including
approval by competition authorities in Signet Armorlite’s main host
countries. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the first half of
the year.

Headquartered in California in the United States, it has revenues of over
$130 million, approximately 900 employees, one manufacturing plant in Mexico,
four prescription laboratories in the United States and Europe, and three
distribution centers in Canada, Portugal and the Netherlands.

Signet Armorlite specializes in entry-level and mid-range products for
independent eyecare professionals and integrated retailers. It also
manufactures lenses under the Kodak brand, for which it is the exclusive
licensed manufacturer and distributor. Led by its current management team,
Signet Armorlite will continue to produce, market and distribute ophthalmic
lenses under the Kodak brand.

Essilor International is the world leader in ophthalmic optical products,
offering a wide range of lenses under the flagship Varilux(r), Crizal(r),
Essilor(r) and Definity(r) brands to correct myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia
and astigmatism. Essilor operates worldwide through 15 production sites, 270
lens finishing laboratories and local distribution networks. The Essilor
share trades on the Euronext Paris market and is included in the CAC 40
index. (ISIN: FR 0000121667; Reuters: ESSI.PA; Bloomberg: EI:FP).

    Investor Relations and Financial Communications
    Veronique Gillet - Sebastien Leroy
    Phone: +33(0)1-49-77-42-16

http://www.essilor.com

SOURCE Essilor