Leading ophthalmic optics company Essilor is mounting a major travel retail push behind its flagship Bolon sunglass brand, which will be showcased for the first time at the TFWA Asia Pacific exhibition next month (stand number: S8).
According to Essilor, Bolon is a leading sunglass brand in China, with 4.5 million frames sold last year. Positioned in the affordable luxury, mid-range segment (with a retail price of about US$120), it is designed and manufactured by China’s Xiamen Yarui Optical, which was acquired by Essilor in November 2013. At the time of acquisition, Bolon had an awareness rate of nearly 85% in China, and in 2014 it was ranked ninth in Forbes China’s Top 100 Unlisted Potential Enterprises in China.
Bolon’s distribution network covers more than 35,000 points of sale across China, including department stores, shopping malls and optical stores. Bolon also has an online presence with major Chinese e-commerce retailers such as Jumei and Tmall.
The brand’s success in China was a key factor in Bolon’s foray into travel retail, where it made its debut with DFS Group at the start of 2015. As reported, Bolon’s 2015 sunwear collection was launched over the Chinese New Year at select DFS airport stores and downtown Gallerias in Singapore, Bali, Hong Kong and two locations in China.
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Bolon made its travel retail debut in early 2015 with DFS Group | |
“Bolon is a superior brand with unique features and a strong image among our Chinese customers – it is the number one fashion brand in China and its brand awareness is just second to a major fashion global giant,” Essilor International Vice President Duty Free & Special Distribution Francesco Leccisi said.
“Our vision is to capitalise on these strengths and offer consumers a fantastic shopping experience, not just when traveling in the region but also when they travel overseas to their favourite fashion and romantic cities such as London, Paris and Milan, Dubai,” he added.
Defining its brand essence as a blend of elegance, romance and art, Bolon is targeting fashion-oriented consumers aged 25-40 with its French-inspired classic designs.
Noting the popularity of France as an outbound destination for Chinese travellers, Bolon appointed French actress Sophie Marceau as its brand ambassador in February 2015.
Marceau, according to Essilor, epitomises Parisian elegance and “symbolises perfectly what Bolon stands for, both in China and in the rest of Asia: a sophisticated, romantic and artistic image”.
She stars in a Bolon campaign which began on 5 March covering TV advertising, Internet, print and in-store. The campaign video and pictures, shot in Paris and featuring the brand tagline “˜My Paris, My Bolon’, will be prominently displayed on the Essilor stand at the TFWA Asia Pacific show, alongside Bolon’s Classic and Boutique eyewear collections.
“Our objective for the TFWA show is to extend rapidly our distribution in the region, and reinforcing our message to our consumer of being a superior Chinese brand with a superior vision technology powered by Essilor,” Leccisi concluded.
For more information, contact Francesco Leccisi, Vice President Duty Free & Special Distribution, Essilor International – Singapore; tel: +65 6589 9224; mobile: +65 9172 8640; e-mail: francesco.leccisi@essilor.com.
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Bolon’s ad campaign featuring brand ambassador Sophie Marceau will be prominently displayed on the Essilor stand (pictured) during the TFWA Asia Pacific exhibition |
