July 18, 2024 — EssilorLuxottica announced it will acquire an 80% stake in Heidelberg Engineering, a German company specializing in diagnostic solutions, digital surgical technologies, and health care IT for clinical ophthalmology.

Founded in 1990 by Dr. Gerhard Zinser and Christoph Schoess, Heidelberg Engineering is known for its work in optical coherence tomography, real-time image processing, data analysis, and digital surgical navigation. The company operates in more than 100 countries and is recognized for early detection of glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration.

Heidelberg Engineering will maintain its brand under EssilorLuxottica, and the transaction is expected to close by the end of 2024 pending regulatory approvals and other closing conditions.

Separately, EssilorLuxottica is set to acquire the Supreme brand from VF Corporation for $1.5 billion in cash. In addition, Meta Platforms is considering the acquisition of a 5% stake in EssilorLuxottica; the two companies are already in a partnership to produce the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.