Case Study

Grand Vision & Vision Express (C)

31 pages
December 2005
Reference: IMD-3-0869

Vision Express (VE) was an one-hour optical retailer in the UK, established in 1989. In 1997 VE was acquired by Grand Vision (GV), a leading French retailer in the one-hour optical business. VE’s deal-driven, rapid expansion and promotional marketing culture clashed head-on with the quality, service and people culture of GPS. Four CEOs had come and gone since the acquisition. The strategy to steer VE away from promotion-based marketing to focus on quality and service were unsuccessful as VE slipped back into its promotional culture over the years. VE was loosing money in 2003 when the new CEO Bernhard Nuesser took over. Bernhard, a GV insider, was able to revitalize the strategy on quality and service. Through his various efforts, VE had reported a healthy ₤10.5 million in profits in 2004 and was on its way to increasing profit by ₤2 million every year.

Keywords
Optical Retail, Retail, Acquisition
Settings
United Kingdom
Consumer Goods, Optical Products
1998-2005
Type
Field Research
Copyright
© 2005
Available Languages
English
Related material
Video
Case clearing houses
IMD case studies are distributed through case clearing houses. In order to browse the collection and purchase copies please visit the links below.

The Case Centre

Cranfield University

Wharley End Beds MK43 0JR, UK
Tel +44 (0)1234 750903
Email [email protected]

Harvard Business School Publishing

60 Harvard Way, Boston MA 02163, USA
Tel (800) 545-7685 Tel (617)-783-7600
Fax (617) 783-7666
Email [email protected]

Asia Pacific Case Center

NUCB Business School

1-3-1 Nishiki Naka
Nagoya Aichi, Japan 460-0003
Tel +81 52 20 38 111
Email [email protected]

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

This case study is part of a series
  • GPS & Vision Express (A)
  • GPS & Vision Express (B)
  • Grand Vision & Vision Express (C)
This case study is part of a series
  • GPS & Vision Express (A)
  • GPS & Vision Express (B)
  • Grand Vision & Vision Express (C)
Discover our latest research
IMD's faculty and research teams publish articles, case studies, books and reports on a wide range of topics
Grand Vision & Vision Express (C)
By Jacques Horovitz and Jennie Chen
Case reference: IMD-3-0869 ©2005
Summary
Vision Express (VE) was an one-hour optical retailer in the UK, established in 1989. In 1997 VE was acquired by Grand Vision (GV), a leading French...
Reference IMD-3-0869
Copyright ©2005
Copyright owner IMD Copyright
Industry Consumer Goods, Optical Products
Available Languages English
Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications