NEW YORK—CECOP, the global independent optical association, announced today that it has acquired Combine Buying Group , marking its entry into the North American market and increasing its global membership of opticians and optometrists by more than 10 percent. The acquisition, executives told VMAIL, is the first step in the firm’s aggressive strategy to acquire significant market share in North America and demonstrate its commitment to the U.S. market. CECOP plans to leverage proven strategies for success gleaned from nearly 25 years of growth in the independent optical market internationally along with market insights locally, to deliver unmatched value to members and partner suppliers across the U.S., they said.

Founded in 1996 as an alliance to help independent opticians compete with larger, corporate providers and retailers, CECOP has evolved into a global association delivering collective buying power, operational best practices, strategic solutions and other services to 4,500 independent opticians and optometrists and more than 120 brand partners across Europe and Latin America. CECOP helps members effectively manage their businesses and grow customer loyalty; it also helps partner manufacturers in the optical space reach, build brand awareness and grow business with an active group of buyers, the announcement said.

“CECOP will work hard to earn the trust and loyalty of CBG members in the U.S.,” said CECOP founder and CEO Jorge Rubio. “We are excited to bring the advancements we’ve developed in European and Latin American markets to our new North American customers and know that they’ll benefit significantly from the solutions we have planned. Our goal is to be a true partner to optometrist entrepreneurs, to be by their side, helping them achieve their dreams.”

“I’m happy that our members will have the opportunity to benefit from the experience CECOP brings to the table and its focus on the optical buying group space,” said Glenn Spina, CEO of Combine Buying Group’s parent company, Emerging Vision Inc. “Independent optical retailers can be assured of a seamless transition to new ownership and continuity of operations. CECOP will be introducing a lot of innovative programs in this U.S. market, which will be extremely beneficial to every member of Combine Buying Group.”

Driving CECOP’s international success has been its ability to collaborate with local partners who can add value to independent optometrists—particularly in these challenging conditions. This strategy will continue to drive CECOP’s success in the North American market. “We look forward to growing the network of U.S. manufacturers and brands that are eager to share unique offerings with our members,” said Ignacio Macias, CEO, CECOP North America. “And we are convinced that independent optometrists across North America will find in our community a fundamental place of collaboration to successfully overcome market challenges and provide great value to patients.”

CECOP, founded in 1996 by Rubio, has operations in Spain, Portugal, Italy, England, Ireland, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and the U.S.

Source : https://www.visionmonday.com

Raleigh, NC – 24 January 2020 – Juniper, an Aquila Software company, announced today that they have closed the acquisition of all entities / assets of TPF Software Inc (TSI), including USA, India, New Zealand, and Ireland. TSI was created in 1986 and provides products and services related to TPF/ALCS and Digital Enterprise technologies.

“Juniper has the great pleasure to welcome TSI’s customers to our family. We are excited about the inclusion of this great team and management group within the Juniper and Aquila family, and we plan to continue building upon the basis of the great success that both Juniper and TSI have already achieved within the Travel and Tourism Industry”, said Jaime Sastre, Juniper’s CEO.

Thiru Thirupuvanam, co-founder of TSI, stated: “I am proud of the achievements of TSI during our more than 33 years and I am very excited to be part of the Juniper group, as this will allow further expansion, as well as a remarkable increase in our investment in research, development and innovation. The fact that not only do we keep our management team intact, but also that we will now have the opportunity to take advantage of Juniper’s knowledge and work side by side with their managers, is very encouraging to us. Our team is very excited about the efforts we will make to continue offering a high level of service to our customers and to provide them with greater opportunities for growth.”

About Juniper:

Juniper is a leader in providing Travel Distribution Software for Tour Operators, OTAs (Online Travel Agencies), Bed Banks and Incoming Agencies. Juniper has cutting-edge technology and a highly committed team and has had a huge growth in the market in recent years. With more than 300 employees, Juniper has more than 360 customers in 50 countries. For more information about Juniper, visit https://www.ejuniper.com

About TSI:

TSI provides products and services related to TPF/ALCS and Digital Enterprise technologies to some of the Fortune 500 companies. For more information about TSI, visit https://tpfsoftware.com

About Aquila Software:

Aquila is focused on providing great solutions to Housing, Finance, Banking, Insurance, Higher Education, Travel & Public Sectors throughout North America and Europe. Aquila’s businesses focus on long-term relationships where our mission critical solutions evolve with our client’s business needs. Further information concerning Aquila Software may be obtained through their website at www.aquilasw.com

Source: https://aquilasw.com