The Fielmann Group
The Fielmann Group is a German, family-controlled omnichannel eyewear and hearing aid retailer operating approximately 1,300 stores across Europe and the United States, serving 30 million customers with prescription glasses, contact lenses, hearing aids, and primary eyecare services.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1972
- HeadquartersHamburg, Germany
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Fielmann Group does
The Fielmann Group is a publicly listed, family-controlled German eyewear and hearing aid retailer headquartered in Hamburg. Founded in 1972 by Günther Fielmann and listed on the stock exchange since 1994, the company operates approximately 1,300 retail stores and optometry practices across Europe and North America and serves roughly 30 million active customers with prescription eyewear, contact lenses, hearing aids, and primary eyecare services through an omnichannel model that integrates physical retail with e-commerce platforms.
The product portfolio centers on prescription glasses (over 200 million pairs dispensed cumulatively), contact lenses (representing 20-25% of optics revenue with daily disposables priced from €0.50 and a 30%+ share of the German market), hearing aids, and an emerging eye-health services stream that grew approximately 50% year-over-year to €60m in 2025. Fielmann runs vertically integrated manufacturing in Rathenow (Germany) and Chomutov (Czech Republic), with €100m committed to production automation. Technology infrastructure includes the Ocumeda tele-ophthalmology platform (deployed across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland with ZEISS Vision Care as a 10% shareholder at a €100m valuation), AI-powered refraction technology being rolled out to 300 European locations, and AR-based virtual try-on via a minority stake in FittingBox.
Revenue is generated primarily through direct retail sales of prescription eyewear and contact lenses, hearing aid dispensing, and a fast-growing medical eyecare services stream. Pricing is anchored on a price-leadership model combined with the zero-cost insurance product (Nulltarif-Versicherung, launched 2004), which allows insured customers to obtain frames at no out-of-pocket cost. US operations, assembled through the acquisitions of SVS Vision (2023), Befitting (2023), and Shopko Optical (2024), generated $312m in FY2025 revenue with a 16.2% adjusted EBITDA margin, up from 9.9% the prior year. The Vision 2025 strategy concluded in 2025 having added nearly €1bn in sales since 2018; the company has now launched Vision 2035 targeting €4bn in revenue by 2030, with planned expansion across the United States, Spain, and Poland.
The Fielmann Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Fielmann Group
- Legal name
- Fielmann Group AG
- Website
- https://fielmann-group.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1972
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- The Fielmann Group is a German, family-controlled omnichannel eyewear and hearing aid retailer operating approximately 1,300 stores across Europe and the United States, serving 30 million customers with prescription glasses, contact lenses, hearing aids, and primary eyecare services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Fielmann Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Optical Retail
- NAICS
- Optical Goods Retailers (45613), Offices of Optometrists (62132), Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing (339115)
- SIC
- Ophthalmic Goods (3851), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Retail (Glasses/Frames/Lenses) (HLAKAKAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Ophthalmology & Vision Telemedicine Platforms (HLALAGAL), Optometry Clinics (Primary Eye Care) (HLAKAKAB), Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Devices (Frames, Lenses, Lens Edging/Finishing Equipment) (HLAHAJAD)
Keywords
Where The Fielmann Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hamburg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices9 records
Markets served
The Fielmann Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Eyewear and Spectacles: Sale of prescription glasses, frames, and lenses. Core business with 57% market share in Germany. Vertical integration through own manufacturing in Rathenow, Germany and Chomutov, Czech Republic.
- Contact Lenses: Contact lens sales including daily disposables priced from €0.50. Growing e-commerce platform with 25% YoY online sales growth. 20-25% of optics revenue. 30%+ market share in Germany.
- Primary Eyecare Services: Eye care medical services growing approximately 50% YoY, reaching €60m total in 2025. Driven by tele-ophthalmology expansion and US business consolidation.
- Hearing Aids (Hörakustik): Audiology business expected to more than double sales in next five years as part of Vision 2035 growth targets.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Daily disposable contact lenses starting at €0.50 |
| Subscription | Annual | Zero-cost insurance glasses model |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard prescription eyewear with comprehensive guarantees |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Fielmann Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Fielmann Group designs, manufactures, and retails prescription eyewear, contact lenses, hearing aids, and primary eye care services. It operates an omnichannel platform combining approximately 1,300 retail stores and optometry practices with digital sales channels across Europe and North America, serving 30 million active customers through both in-store dispensing and its e-commerce platform.
Product overview
Fielmann Group operates a unified omnichannel platform combining physical retail stores (~1,300 locations) with digital sales channels. The core product portfolio centers on four main offerings: prescription eyewear (Brillen) as the primary revenue driver with over 200 million pairs dispensed, contact lenses (Kontaktlinsen) representing 20-25% of optics revenue with daily disposables from €0.50, hearing aids (Hörsysteme) for audiology services, and eye health services (Augenvorsorge) including tele-ophthalmology. In the US market, Fielmann operates through acquired brands SVS Vision, Shopko Optical, and Befitting under the Fielmann USA platform. The company has expanded into tele-ophthalmology via its Ocumeda platform partnership with ZEISS Vision Care, enabling remote eye examinations. All products and services are delivered through the omnichannel model integrating ~1,300 retail stores with e-commerce capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Blinkis: Free reflective accessories for children's road safety, distributed to school classes and kindergarten groups
- Eye Health Checkup
Quantifiable outcome
- 57% unit sales market share in Germany, up 4 percentage points
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use The Fielmann Group
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Fielmann Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature3 records
The Fielmann Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Optometry Advisory Board (US)coreFielmann Group established dedicated Optometry Advisory Board for US market. Dr. Howard Purcell (President/CEO of New England College of Optometry) serves as Chairman. Six renowned Optometric Doctors join as members. Panel advises Fielmann Group and Fielmann USA on strategic development, providing deep expertise in medical eyecare.
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE)coreFielmann Group sponsoring €600,000 medical study conducted by UKE to scientifically validate Fielmann's Eye Health Checkup screening service. Comparing Fielmann screening results with comprehensive UKE examinations. Results expected end of 2027. Ocumeda platform used for tele-ophthalmology.
- ZEISS Vision CarecoreZEISS Vision Care announced acquisition of 10% stake in Ocumeda at €100m valuation from Fielmann Group. Plans to scale the tele-ophthalmology platform with Fielmann. Ocumeda connects customers with ophthalmologists for eye screenings.
Scale indicators23 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Fielmann Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Fielmann Group social profiles
Digital presenceThe Fielmann Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
The Fielmann Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Fielmann Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
The Fielmann Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries8 records
The Fielmann Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Fielmann Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Fielmann Group
What does The Fielmann Group do?
The Fielmann Group designs, manufactures, and retails prescription eyewear, contact lenses, hearing aids, and primary eye care services. It operates an omnichannel platform combining approximately 1,300 retail stores and optometry practices with digital sales channels across Europe and North America, serving 30 million active customers through both in-store dispensing and its e-commerce platform.
Is The Fielmann Group a public or private company?
The Fielmann Group is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was The Fielmann Group founded?
The Fielmann Group was founded in 1972. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is The Fielmann Group based?
The Fielmann Group is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does The Fielmann Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Eyewear and Spectacles are the primary driver. The others are contact Lenses, primary Eyecare Services and hearing Aids (Hörakustik).
Does The Fielmann Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Fielmann Group.
What industry is The Fielmann Group in?
The Fielmann Group's product category is Optical Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAKAKAL, Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Retail (Glasses/Frames/Lenses), with a secondary code of HLALAGAL, Ophthalmology & Vision Telemedicine Platforms. Its NAICS code is 45613 and its SIC code is 3851.