Fielmann
Encyclopedia
Fielmann is a German
optics company focussing on eyewear retail. With 655 subsidiaries in 2010, Fielmann gained a sales quantity share of 48% and a turnover market share of 22% in Germany. The company is seen as market leader in Germany and largest optical chain in Europe.
External sales in Europe with branches in Austria
, Switzerland
, Poland
, Luxembourg
and the Netherlands
(including franchise
s and industries) amounted to €
1,058 million and a sale of 6.1 million glasses
in 2008. The Fielmann stock is listed at the northern German regional HASPAX index.
Günther Fielmann
, a state approved master optometrist, is the founder, major shareholder and chief executive officer
of Fielmann AG.
shop in Cuxhaven. He recognised a market gap of glasses for mandatory health insurance customers, which were quite unpopular due to lack of choice. At the time there were only six plastic models of spectacle frames for adults and two for children.
In 1980 Fielmann signed a special contract with the AOK insurance at Esens
and designed 90 frame models of plastic and metal in 640 variants. This was the end of an era with unitary health insurance glasses in Germany. In 1984 Fielmann started an advertising campaign with the slogan "Mein Papi hat keinen Pfennig dazu bezahlt! (My daddy didn't have to pay a cent himself!)" From 1987 to 1990 Fielmann expanded his share in the quantity market from 11% to 16% and at the time held 3% of all eyewear stores in Germany.
Fielmann is listed at the stock index since 1994. In the same year the company with 294 subisidiaries and 4,986 employees made a turnover of DM 868 million and a pre-tax profit of DM 80.5 million. In 1995 Fielmann took over Pro-Optik AG of Basel
, Switzerland
, with its 27 Swiss branches. The Fielmann shop in Zurich
's Bahnhofstrasse gained an annual turnover of € 16 million. With 4% of all German eyewear stores, Fielmann increased its market share from 32% to 38% from 1995 to 1998. 1999 brought about the market entry to Austria and 24 branches were opened there until 2007.
In 2001 the non-profit Fielmann-Akademie was established, which bought Plön Castle
from the government of Schleswig-Holstein
in 2002 and opened a training centre for optometrists there. Since 2005/2006 Bachelor and Master degrees in optometry are being offered in cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences Lübeck. After several years of refurbishments the castle was re-opened for visitors in 2006.
In 2002 a large production and logistics centre was opened in Rathenow
, Brandenburg
, where 5 million spectacle frames are being shipped per year.
After the cancellation of eyewear products from the catalogue of Germany's mandatory health insurances, Fielmann together with HanseMerkur insurance created an initial tariff insurance.
In June 2007 Fielmann opened two subsidiaries in Luxembourg and is now present in six European countries.
On 6 January 2009 Fielmann's stock indexing advanced from SDAX
to MDAX
.
In 2010 the revenue increased at 4.6% to € 1,158.9 million. Pre-tax profit increased at 3.9% to € 170.3 million, income increased at 4.8% to € 120.8 million.
As of 31 December 2010 Fielmann operated 655 subsidiaries, employed 13,733 people, 2,674 of whom were in training. With a share of 5% of all German optometric stores, Fielmann provides 31% of all optometrist apprentices in Germany.
and contact lens
es but also hearing aid
s are offered.
, minister-president Peter Harry Carstensen
and Günther Fielmann
planted the one-millionth tree in Büdelsdorf
. Fielmann is also engaged in environmental protection
, historic preservation
and organic farming
. Günther Fielmann does this as an organic farmer on his farm in Luetjensee farm as well as on the Schierensee
and Ritzau
estates. Fielmann supports schools, municipalities, old people's homes and promotes youth sport
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
optics company focussing on eyewear retail. With 655 subsidiaries in 2010, Fielmann gained a sales quantity share of 48% and a turnover market share of 22% in Germany. The company is seen as market leader in Germany and largest optical chain in Europe.
External sales in Europe with branches in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
(including franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
s and industries) amounted to €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
1,058 million and a sale of 6.1 million glasses
Glasses
Glasses, also known as eyeglasses , spectacles or simply specs , are frames bearing lenses worn in front of the eyes. They are normally used for vision correction or eye protection. Safety glasses are a kind of eye protection against flying debris or against visible and near visible light or...
in 2008. The Fielmann stock is listed at the northern German regional HASPAX index.
Günther Fielmann
Günther Fielmann
Günther Fielmann is the founder, major shareholder and chief executive officer of Fielmann AG.-Life:1972 the state-approved optometrist opened his first shop in Cuxhaven. In 1981 he revolutionised the German spectacle market by offering 90 fashionable frames for the allowance of the statutory...
, a state approved master optometrist, is the founder, major shareholder and chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Fielmann AG.
History
In 1972 Günther Fielmann established an optometryOptometry
Optometry is a health care profession concerned with eyes and related structures, as well as vision, visual systems, and vision information processing in humans. Optometrists, or Doctors of Optometry, are state licensed medical professionals trained to prescribe and fit lenses to improve vision,...
shop in Cuxhaven. He recognised a market gap of glasses for mandatory health insurance customers, which were quite unpopular due to lack of choice. At the time there were only six plastic models of spectacle frames for adults and two for children.
In 1980 Fielmann signed a special contract with the AOK insurance at Esens
Esens
Esens is a municipality in the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the North Sea coast, approx. 14 km northwest of Wittmund, and 20 km northeast of Aurich....
and designed 90 frame models of plastic and metal in 640 variants. This was the end of an era with unitary health insurance glasses in Germany. In 1984 Fielmann started an advertising campaign with the slogan "Mein Papi hat keinen Pfennig dazu bezahlt! (My daddy didn't have to pay a cent himself!)" From 1987 to 1990 Fielmann expanded his share in the quantity market from 11% to 16% and at the time held 3% of all eyewear stores in Germany.
Fielmann is listed at the stock index since 1994. In the same year the company with 294 subisidiaries and 4,986 employees made a turnover of DM 868 million and a pre-tax profit of DM 80.5 million. In 1995 Fielmann took over Pro-Optik AG of Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, with its 27 Swiss branches. The Fielmann shop in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
's Bahnhofstrasse gained an annual turnover of € 16 million. With 4% of all German eyewear stores, Fielmann increased its market share from 32% to 38% from 1995 to 1998. 1999 brought about the market entry to Austria and 24 branches were opened there until 2007.
In 2001 the non-profit Fielmann-Akademie was established, which bought Plön Castle
Plön Castle
Plön Castle in Plön is one of the largest castles in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein and the only one located on a hill. The former Residenz of the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön was built in the 17th century during the Thirty Years War and has had a colourful history in which it...
from the government of Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
in 2002 and opened a training centre for optometrists there. Since 2005/2006 Bachelor and Master degrees in optometry are being offered in cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences Lübeck. After several years of refurbishments the castle was re-opened for visitors in 2006.
In 2002 a large production and logistics centre was opened in Rathenow
Rathenow
Rathenow is a town in the district of Havelland in Brandenburg, Germany, with a population of 26,433 .-Overview:The Protestant church of St. Marien Andreas, originally a basilica, and transformed to the Gothic style in 1517-1589, and the Roman Catholic Church of St...
, Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, where 5 million spectacle frames are being shipped per year.
After the cancellation of eyewear products from the catalogue of Germany's mandatory health insurances, Fielmann together with HanseMerkur insurance created an initial tariff insurance.
In June 2007 Fielmann opened two subsidiaries in Luxembourg and is now present in six European countries.
On 6 January 2009 Fielmann's stock indexing advanced from SDAX
SDAX
The SDAX is a stock market index composed of 50 small and medium-sized companies in Germany. These so-called small caps rank directly below the MDAX shares in terms of order book volume and market capitalization...
to MDAX
MDAX
The MDAX is a stock index which lists German companies. The index is calculated by Deutsche Börse.It includes the 50 Prime Standard shares from sectors excluding technology that rank immediately below the companies included in the DAX index...
.
In 2010 the revenue increased at 4.6% to € 1,158.9 million. Pre-tax profit increased at 3.9% to € 170.3 million, income increased at 4.8% to € 120.8 million.
As of 31 December 2010 Fielmann operated 655 subsidiaries, employed 13,733 people, 2,674 of whom were in training. With a share of 5% of all German optometric stores, Fielmann provides 31% of all optometrist apprentices in Germany.
Products
As a producer, broker and service provider, Fielmann covers the entire supply chain of the optometry branch. Not only glasses, sunglassesSunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
and contact lens
Contact lens
A contact lens, or simply contact, is a lens placed on the eye. They are considered medical devices and can be worn to correct vision, for cosmetic or therapeutic reasons. In 2004, it was estimated that 125 million people use contact lenses worldwide, including 28 to 38 million in the United...
es but also hearing aid
Hearing aid
A hearing aid is an electroacoustic device which typically fits in or behind the wearer's ear, and is designed to amplify and modulate sound for the wearer. Earlier devices, known as "ear trumpets" or "ear horns", were passive funnel-like amplification cones designed to gather sound energy and...
s are offered.
Other activities
Every year, Fielmann plants one tree per employee. In 2009, chancellor Angela MerkelAngela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
, minister-president Peter Harry Carstensen
Peter Harry Carstensen
Peter Harry Carstensen is a German politician, in the Christian Democratic Union party.Since 2005 he has been Minister President of the state of Schleswig-Holstein, serving as President of the Bundesrat in 2005/06....
and Günther Fielmann
Günther Fielmann
Günther Fielmann is the founder, major shareholder and chief executive officer of Fielmann AG.-Life:1972 the state-approved optometrist opened his first shop in Cuxhaven. In 1981 he revolutionised the German spectacle market by offering 90 fashionable frames for the allowance of the statutory...
planted the one-millionth tree in Büdelsdorf
Büdelsdorf
Büdelsdorf is a town in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the river Eider and the Kiel Canal, approx. 2 km north of Rendsburg, and 30 km west of Kiel, just 5 miles off the motorway....
. Fielmann is also engaged in environmental protection
Environmental protection
Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the environment, on individual, organizational or governmental level, for the benefit of the natural environment and humans. Due to the pressures of population and our technology the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently...
, historic preservation
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
and organic farming
Organic farming
Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...
. Günther Fielmann does this as an organic farmer on his farm in Luetjensee farm as well as on the Schierensee
Schierensee
Schierensee is a municipality in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
and Ritzau
Ritzau
Ritzaus Bureau I/S, or Ritzau for short, is a Danish news agency founded in 1866 by Erik Nicolai Ritzau. It is the largest independent Danish news agency, and also collaborates with three other Scandinavian news agencies to provide Nordic News, an English-language Scandinavian news service...
estates. Fielmann supports schools, municipalities, old people's homes and promotes youth sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
.