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A leading group

ALAIN AFFLELOU The founder

In 1971, Alain Afflelou left Paris, where he completed his studies. At 23, he obtained a double degree as an optician and hearing aid consultant. He enjoyed relationship for which he had a spontaneous talent. He was looking to set up his own business and opened his first optical store in 1972 in the Bordeaux area (Le Bouscat).

In 1978, Alain Afflelou launched his first revolutionary advertising campaign with half-price frames on all brands and personally involved in expanding the AFFLELOU optical store franchise.

A charismatic visionary, ongoing innovation is one of the key pillars of his success, a success that has seen him build a brand that throughout the years continues to stand out in a strong competitive environment. All these innovations are based on both strong worldwide communication and product innovation. In 1985, there were 100 Afflelou points of sales in France, 360 in 1999 and 1 449 stores in July 2021.

Alain Afflelou has always loved sports, especially football and rugby.

Competitiveness, team spirit, dynamism: ALAIN AFFLELOU shares his values with the world of high performance sports. Therefore it was no surprise when the brand became involved in sports sponsorship in the mid-80s.

Since 2019, he ranked among the top 5 most popular entrepreneurs in France*. Backed by 50 years of hands on experience, the AFFLELOU group keeps on opening new optical stores and hearing centers and exploring new opportunities to meet the expectations of an ever growing number of customers.

 

* source : Forbes magazine

ANTHONY AFFLELOU CEO

The optics and hearing aid markets are very competitive and fragmented. In order to make a difference with the competition, Afflelou group has always been focused on affordable prices, a broad range of products, and permanent innovation. After the revolution created by the invention of Tchin Tchin by AFFLELOU in 1999, we never stopped innovating. This claim is 100% confirmed by the incredible success of our latest creation, MAGIC. Our sales performance in the last few years also attests that we are on the right track. Our business model is so robust that we were able to deploy it in a number of sales territories ; With nearly 500 locations abroad, the footprint of our brand has reached a new magnitude.

Both opticians and audioprosthetists play a key role in improving the life of those who wear eyeglasses or hearing aids. We are proud of the quality of those who are our franchiseesas it is necessary to provide qualitative and innovative solutions for a price that remains affordable. This is the essence of the policy of the brands of the AFFLELOU Group for both eyewear and hearing aids.

Our franchising business model is based on a split of the business tasks between the franchisor and the franchisee. With that operating model, franchisees have access to resources that would be out of reach otherwise. The Brand contributes its know-how, trustworthy image, marketing skills, and powerful communication tools.

46 years of franchisee history

Read more Read less 1972

Opening of the first optical store in Bordeaux.

Read more Read less 1978

Launching of the ALAIN AFFLELOU franchise concept.

Read more Read less 1985

Opening of the 100th store in France.

Read more Read less 1995

Opening of the first store in Belgium.

Read more Read less 1999

Launching of the Tchin Tchin commercial offer (Buy 1 frame get another one for 1 french franc).

Read more Read less 2002

The network reaches its 500th point of sale. Opening of the 1st ALAIN AFFLELOU store in Morocco.

Read more Read less 2004

Launching of the franchise activity in Spain. Alain Afflelou optico banner.

Read more Read less 2005

Opening of the 100th ALAIN AFFLELOU store in Spain. Opening of the 1st store in Switzerland and in Portugal.

Read more Read less 2007

Opening of the 200th store abroad. Opening of the first store in Abidjan – Ivory Coast.

Read more Read less 2009

1000th store in the world. Launch of the NextYear offer.

Read more Read less 2011

Launching of the ALAIN AFFLELOU ACOUSTICIEN banner (Hearing aid).

Read more Read less 2013

Opening of the 1st ALAIN AFFLELOU store in Algeria.

Read more Read less 2014

Launching of the AFFLELOU Paris brand for eyewear collection. International collaboration with Sharon Stone for exclusive advertising campaigns.

Read more Read less 2015

ALAIN AFFLELOU OPTICO celebrates its 300th Spanish store.
Acquisition of Optical Discount group in France: 140 stores.

Read more Read less 2016

Opening of the 1st ALAIN AFFLELOU store in Chongqing - China and in Dakar-Senegal. Acquisition of a pure online optical player: www.malentilles.com.

Read more Read less 2017

Opening of the 1st ALAIN AFFLELOU store in Burkina Faso and in Mauritius Island.

Read more Read less 2018

Opening of the 1st ALAIN AFFLELOU store in Bogota – Colombia.

Read more Read less 2019

Launching of MAGIC a successful and innovative eyewear collection with magnetic clips supported by an 360° media campaign. ALAIN AFFLELOU Accousticien (Hearing Aid) celebrates its 300th POS. Opening of the 1st ALAIN AFFLELOU store in Kuwait and in Beirut – Lebanon.

Read more Read less 2021

Opening of the 1st AFFLELOU PARIS store in Tbilisi – Georgia.

Read more Read less 2022

Launching of full MAGIC Tchin Tchin collection with magnetic clips.

Read more Read less 2022

Publication of the 1st voluntary Group CSR report.

Read more Read less 2023

Opening of the 1st AFFLELOU PARIS store in Armenia.

Our values

  • Leadership
  • Commitment
  • Dynamism
  • Confidence
  • Innovation
Jacques-Denis Latournerie, HR & Internal Communication Director Group

Company key figures

total network sales incl vat

2023
Diagram turnover 1,023
MILLION €

GENERAL FIGURES

Permanent Headquarters Employees
300
D.O.S STAFF
1000
Franchise OWNER
800

Our shareholders

Lion capital Afflelou
(1) 2023/07/31 datas

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AFFLELOU GROUP
Tour Trinity – 1 bis Esplanade de la Défense
92400 Courbevoie
FRANCE