Bright Eyes Sunglasses

Bright Eyes Sunglasses was established in Cairns, Queensland, Australia, in 1985.

First started at the Rusty's Markets in Cairns with the first stand-alone sunglasses store in the Mellick Centre in Cairns, by Robbie and Ann Johnson, it slowly grew in Cairns and Townsville, before being franchised and exploding in popularity throughout Australia and New Zealand. In 1997 the franchise was sold to Ian Thomas, a Cairns property developer. Ian Thomas reduced the stores from 112 to 85 removing the unprofitable stores strenghening the Brand and growing the gross profit of the group by 50%. In 2001 due to ill health and following the collapse of Ian Thomas's property development empire Bright Eyes was sold to a consortium of three businessmen, Geoff Harbert, Graham Bradshaw and Ralph Edwards. Each bringing a different skill set to the business helped Bright Eyes on the path to expansion again, reaching 120 stores throughout Australia. In 2006 Sunglass Hut, a subsidiary of the Luxottica Group, attempted to purchase the Bright Eyes franchise but were blocked by the ACCC. Allowing Sunglass Hut to purchase Bright Eyes would have effectively given it a monopoly in Australia and was deemed anti-competitive by the ACCC. In 2007 Sunglass Icon, a retail subsidiary of Oakley, purchased Bright Eyes for a significant amount. Four months later the Luxottica Group acquired Oakley and the ruling of the ACCC was subsequently usurped via international laws.

External links

• http://www.brighteyes.com.au/