Mr. Puckett said private equity is already involved in the optical industry consolidation game, especially on the retail side of the business.
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. in February last year
bought discount eyewear retailer National Vision Inc. for more than $1 billion from Berkshire Partners, the Wall Street Journal reported then, citing people familiar with the situation.
Boston’s
Monitor Clipper Partners has been a backer of MyEyeDr., a vision care provider in the Washington, D.C. area since 2012. Cleveland-based
Riverside Co. in August 2012 invested in IDOC LCC, an alliance of over 1,700 independent optometrists nationwide, while
Varsity Healthcare Partners, of Los Angeles, acquired ophthalmologic and optometric services provider Katzen Eye Group to form EyeCare Services Partners Holdings LLC.
