Mister Spex raises EUR 65 million to accelerate international growth and retail network expansion
- 28. Aug. 2019
Mister Spex, Europe’s leading online optician, has raised over EUR 65 million to drive further business expansion. The Büll Family Office led the equity round with participation from existing investors (Grazia Equity, Stephan Schambach and Ehssan Dariani among others) while Global Growth Capital has provided a senior debt facility. 2018 as a financial year marked a further milestone for the business, with Mister Spex maintaining strong top-line growth while also achieving profitability. This investment will enable the company to accelerate this strong momentum via further development of its retail store portfolio and acceleration of its international expansion plans.
“The continued success achieved over the past year yet again underlines how our business model has changed the whole eyewear sector,” said Dirk Graber, founder and co-CEO of Mister Spex. “The current financing round will enable us to invest in further growth, and we have established three clear strategic priorities: further expansion of our retail store network, internationalisation and additional investment into logistics. Through the Büll Family Office, we are delighted to have gained a very experienced partner in the retail sector, which will allow us to gain further momentum. Global Growth Capital has provided a complimentary debt structure to support our store expansion strategy.“
“We strongly believe in Mister Spex as a brand and business model and are looking forward to becoming a part of their success story. Given our long-standing experience in commercial real estate, we will actively support the management team with the expansion of their own store network”, says Albert Büll, founder of the Büll Family Office.
“We believe that Mister Spex has developed a unique business model that not only harnesses changes in consumer behaviour but also leverages multiple online and offline distribution channels to drive profitable growth. We are very exited to partner with their talented team,” says Olya Klüppel, Partner at Global Growth Capital.
Incorporated in 2007, Mister Spex has since become a leading online optician offering an extensive product portfolio of over 10,000 prescription glasses, sunglasses and contact lenses to its three million customers. The company’s online shops serve consumers in ten countries. In line with its omnichannel strategy, the company operates eleven of its own retail stores in Germany and has developed a wide network of partner opticians in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Sweden.
“Our continued success underlines our belief in combining the best of both worlds: online and offline,” added Dr. Mirko Caspar, co-CEO of Mister Spex. “Sales in our online shops continue to grow strongly. However, our experience shows that through the unique combination of online shops, our own retail locations and over 500 partner opticians, we are able to add an additional layer to the consumer experience and fully address the market potential. We remain committed to our omnichannel strategy.“
Contact details for journalists:
Mister Spex Corporate Communication
press@misterspex.de
About Mister Spex:
Founded in 2007, Mister Spex SE (together with its subsidiaries, “Mister Spex”) is a multi-award-winning company that has become the leading digitally native omnichannel optician in Europe. Mister Spex has been at the forefront of the industry’s transformational shift, growing from a pure online player into a successful omnichannel optician with more than 5 million customers, 10 online shops across Europe and physical retail stores. A digital native, technology and innovation have always been an integral part of the company’s evolution, from 2D to 3D digital frame fitting tools to intelligent browsing functionalities. The focus of Mister Spex is to make eyewear purchase for customers an easy, transparent and fun shopping experience by combining a comprehensive and varied range of high-quality products with optician expertise and services through its customer service, own stores and an extensive network of partner opticians.
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