"Selling your business is our business"
"Selling your business is our business"
Fully describe the business's activities?
This South African eyewear company designs, sources, imports and exports eyewear across a portfolio of owned and agency brands. It designs and develops its own eyewear ranges â spanning luxury and designer optical frames, affordable optometric readers, value-focused eyewear and children's eyewear â using sustainable materials and distinctive natural inclusions as a core part of its product development. Alongside its own brands, it holds import/distribution agency rights for a small number of complementary international eyewear brands. The business manages the full chain from product design and sourcing through to import, export and distribution, selling internationally into 40+ countries through appointed agencies as well as directly to independent optometrist channels in South Africa. Trademarks for its owned brands are registered across 7 jurisdictions, and the company has traded for 20 years
How long has the business been established?
Established in 2005 with more than 20 years of trading and operational experience.
How long has the owner had the business?
Since Inception
How does the business operate on a daily basis?
The owner has built the manufacturing relationships, and the model combines eyewear design and product development, sourcing/importing, export sales to different countries, B2B supply to independent optometrists, distributor and sales-team relationships, trade-show marketing, and an online B2B ordering platform.
Current priorities include a South African focus and reduced overheads.
For a new, younger owner, export growth can easily double or triple turnover.
Future scope: digital adoption and expansion of owned premium brands.
How are the clients attracted to the business?
Clients are reached through face-to-face trade shows, optometrist and retail-group relationships, sales teams and distributors, business-to-business digital ordering, and brand-led product differentiation based on sustainability and individuality. An ongoing active social media programme for both B2B (over 5000 worldwide subscribed customer data base) and also B2C communication, including Instagram (over 2000 followers), Facebook, and LinkedIn (over 30 000 followers).
What Advertising/Marketing is carried out?
Marketing includes international trade show participation, face-to-face customer engagement, B2B digital activity, an online platform, and a planned media shift from business-to-business toward business-to-consumer for the reader brands. Dynamic social media digital marketing campaigns.
This brand has high-volume potential if positioned in the right retail channels.
Does the business have any contract work?
The business has designated supplier and preferred supplier relationships with certain South African optical groups.
Contractual terms and duration will be provided to serious buyers.
What competition exists?
Competitors are mostly agent based not with unique product offerings
Larger chain stores compete on price with independent optometrists.
However, this business has completed the cycle and is poised for a young entrepreneur to take over.
Chain stores use horizontal integration, and manufacturers use vertical integration, which could create competitive pressures.
What are the seasonal trends?
Seasonality can be driven by medical aid funding: January to March are peak seasons driven by medical aid scheme contribution. Winter months and December are quiet seasons.
Is the business VAT Registered?
Yes - all documentation to be provided during a DD
What VAT documentation is on file?
Full SARS e-filing is available.
Are there up-to-date Management Accounts available?
Yes, including history going back 20 years.
Details available during DD
Note that the Aldes Marketing Report shows the average monthly expenses.
What Balance Sheet and Income Statements are available?
AFS 2026 as well as YTD Profit and Loss and Balance Sheets can be drawn as at dates.
What percentage of the business is cash/credit?
The majority is customer account.
What is the age analysis of the debtors book?
Majority is thirty days.
How could the profitability of the business be improved?
Digitizing B2B ordering, globalizing through distributors and trade shows again, growing exports, recruiting sales teams, shifting reader-brand media toward B2C.
Keep a Rand cost base while earning hard-currency revenue.
Is Seller finance available and for what amount?
The seller is willing to discuss structured options.
What is the total staff complement?
Five staff members with a network of independent contractors
Give a breakdown of staff/ functions/ length of service?
Basic administrators, staff, bookkeeping, stock keeping, sales team with varying lengths of service
Do any receive special perks or incentives?
Sales team have performance-linked incentives, monthly and annual.
Are they on contract?
We have formal employment contracts and independent agency contracts where applicable.
Do any have management potential?
Yes highly motivated and ambitious team.
How involved is the Owner in running the business?
The owner is involved at a strategic level rather than running day-to-day operations â the team handles daily operations, order processing, logistics and customer service independently. His role centers on senior key account relationships, supplier and agency negotiations, and overall growth strategy. Because the business already runs on established staff and processes rather than depending on him for daily execution, the transition risk is manageable. That said, it is recognized that relationships built over 20 years carry real value, so the owner is committed to a negotiated transition period post-sale â typically 3 to 12 months â to introduce the new owner to key accounts and suppliers and make sure nothing is lost in the handover
When does the current lease end?
3 month notice
Is there an option of renewal & what period?
Yes - 12 month secured rental agreement
What is the annual escalation %?
Inflation
What are the trading hours?
08h00 to 16h45
What is the square meters of the business?
Approx 130m2
Is a copy of the lease available?
Yes
What lease deposit and/or other surety is required?
3 months
What are the main assets of the business?
All six owned brands
Registered intellectual property in seven jurisdictions
Stock and the B2B platform.
Brand portfolio, designs, customer relationships and operating systems
Office equipment
What is their overall condition?
Good
Are they presently insured?
Yes
Strengths?
Twenty years of trading
Six owned brands
Sustainable and differentiated product design
International reach across more than 40 countries
Substantial South African optometrist network
Registered IP across seven jurisdictions
A live B2B platform
Healthy 70.0% gross margin
Hard-currency export revenue with a Rand cost-base objective
Founder transition support.
Weaknesses?
Turnover is shrinking, as per design, in refocusing on the SA Market
The owner is not traveling as much and wants to hand over the reins to a younger, more energetic owner
Opportunities?
Scaling the brands.
Expanding export distribution
Increasing trade-show presence
B2B digitisation
B2C media for reader brands
Premiumising the product mix
Additional geographic representation
Threats?
Chain-store horizontal integration and manufacturer vertical integration
What is the reason for the sale?
The owner has built the brand and ranges over the last 20 years.
He wants to retire and hand the business over to a younger generation.
Why is this a good business?
This business offers an established, differentiated eyewear platform with over 20 years of trading history
They have six owned brands, international distribution experience, registered IP, and a broad South African optometrist network
The turnover over the last 10 years, pre-COVID, whilst focusing on the international market, has shown the demand for the product
Annual Turnover Amount between R 500 thousand and R 6 million
