Berlin-based Mister Spex scores €65 million in funding; has eyes on new channels and markets

Mister Spex, Europe's online optician has closed a €65 million financing round led by The Büll Family Office with the participation of existing investors (including Grazia Equity, Stephan Schambach, and Ehssan Dariani). The company plans on using the fresh capital for further store expansion and internationalisation.

"With the current round of financing, we will continue to expand our growth,” said the founder and CEO of Mister Spex, Dirk Graber. “We have three clear investment priorities: store expansion, internationalisation and the further expansion of logistics.”

The company claims it is establishing a new way of buying glasses complete with prescription lenses that is in keeping with the times – one that combines the advantages of e-commerce with a range of services and advice from high street opticians. Customers are offered free eye tests and adjustments to glasses in addition to their purchase. Mister Spex already provides these services in partnership with over 500 local opticians in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, and aims at expanding that network.

Mister Spex has offered contact lenses and readily available brand-name glasses and sunglasses via its own online shops since its founding in 2007. Though in February 2016 the company opened its first store in Berlin, the main focus remains on the online operations. With the series of localised websites and local customer service via phone and e-mail, Mister Spex already operates in France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the UK. The company is also active in the Nordics due to acquisitions – of the Swedish online eyewear shops Lensstore and Loveyewear in 2013, and the Norwegian contact lens retailer Lensit in 2015.