Regulatory News:

Essilor (Paris:EI) has announced the acquisition of 68.3% of the capital of Interactif Visuel Système (IVS), a global leader in technological sales support solutions for opticians. IVS designs, develops and sells a wide range of sales support and ophthalmic measurement solutions, under the Activisu® brand. They include the Visioffice® measuring column, designed jointly with Essilor, that allows eyecare professionals to dispense Varilux® premium lenses, including the latest Varilux® S 4D. Created in Paris, France over 15 years ago, IVS has more than 80 employees and generates revenue of around ?20 million.

IVS's solutions are present across five continents and represent some 30,000 software licenses in over 17,000 points of sale. At the forefront of technological innovation, these solutions are protected by patents on ophthalmic measurement-taking, combining live measurement by video stream, three-dimensional modeling of the eye and simulation of visual behavior strategies. IVS is also present in the digital media market, through its subsidiary Activ'screen.

In addition to having a strong culture of innovation, fostered by the creative drive of its founders Benoist Monot and Pascal Thomet, IVS is a good strategic fit with Essilor. The partnership allows Essilor to respond to the growing demand for lens personalization, to forge closer ties with eyecare professionals and to enhance its range of services for them. IVS's technologies will also enable Essilor to accelerate the deployment of its technological innovations and its next generation lenses. In the future, the combined expertise of IVS and Essilor will create a richer and more competitive range of products and services for all eyecare professionals.

Speaking about this partnership, Hubert Sagnières, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "IVS technologies, combined with the strengths of our Instrument Division, will allow us to distribute high performance measurement tools more rapidly across all market segments throughout the world, in order to meet rising demand for personalized lenses. This partnership also illustrates Essilor's ongoing commitment to meeting optician clients' needs for differentiating high-end solutions, as well as to making innovations more widely accessible."

With this transaction, Essilor is continuing to expand in its domestic market, while maintaining its commitment to partnering the global deployment of innovative small and medium-sized companies in its sector.

About Essilor

The world's leading ophthalmic optics company, Essilor designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of lenses to improve and protect eyesight. Its corporate mission is to enable everyone around the world to access lenses that meet his or her unique vision requirements. To support this mission, the Company allocates around ?150 million to research and development every year, in a commitment to continuously bring new, more effective products to market. Essilor's flagship brands are Varilux®, Crizal®, Definity®, Xperio®, OptifogTM and Foster Grant®. It also develops and markets equipment, instruments and services for eyecare professionals.

Essilor reported consolidated revenue of ?4.2 billion in 2011 and employs around 48,700 people in some 100 countries. It operates 19 plants, a total of 390 prescription laboratories and edging facilities, as well as several research and development centers around the world.

For more information, please visit www.essilor.com.

The Essilor share trades on the NYSE Euronext Paris market and is included in the EuroStoxx 50 and CAC 40 indices.

Codes and symbols: ISIN: FR0000121667; Reuters: ESSI.PA; Bloomberg: EI:FP.

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