Kering Eyewear, part of the French luxury conglomerate Kering Group, announced on March 13 it has acquired a 100-percent stake in French company UNT (Usinage and Nouvelles Technologies), as it looks to strengthen its position in the luxury eyewear market and bring key suppliers in-house.
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Founded in 1989 in Morbier, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in Eastern France, UNT is a key player in the manufacturing of high-precision metal and mechanical components for luxury eyewear. The company is located in the Upper-Jura — made up of an engineering department and a state-of-the-art 3,000-square-metre facility — and is currently a key supplier to Kering Eyewear and its brands.
“We are pleased to welcome UNT into the Kering Eyewear family,” said Roberto Vedovotto, president and CEO of Kering Eyewear.
“I truly admire the outstanding job that UNT has carried out so far and we are excited to embark on this new journey with a trusted and deeply valued partner. Being a long-term, high-quality supplier of Manufacture Kering Eyewear, this new acquisition represents the opportunity to create an integrated luxury eyewear platform with best-in-class manufacturing capabilities, facilities and talents, in addition to supporting and further elevating the Jura district.”
The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of this year.
The acquisition comes on the back of Kering’s takeover of Manufacture Kering Eyewear in 2017 – previously Manufacture Cartier Lunettes. Most recently, it took a stake in Trenti Industria Occhiali in 2019.