What Apollo Optik Holding does

Apollo Optik Holding GmbH & Co. KG operates a German optical and acoustic retail business under the Apollo brand, running approximately 900 physical stores nationwide supplemented by an integrated e-commerce platform (apollo.de). The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of EssilorLuxottica, the global eyewear conglomerate, and is headquartered in Schwabach, Germany under a GmbH & Co. KG legal structure with Apollo-Optik Beteiligungs-GmbH as general partner. Three managing directors (Alex Versteeg, Massimiliano Mutinelli, Antonio D'Agostino) oversee operations.

The product portfolio spans prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses (including exclusive international brands Ray-Ban, Prada, Miu Miu, Oakley, and Ralph Lauren), contact lenses and care solutions under the iWear house brand alongside third-party brands (Dailies, Acuvue, Air Optix, Biofinity), hearing aids and audiology services, and emerging AI-enabled smart glasses (Ray-Ban Meta, Oakley Meta) and Nuance Audio hearing glasses. The technology stack includes an e-commerce platform with virtual try-on capability, an online appointment booking system for eye and hearing tests, a subscription management system for the iWear Abo (contact lens subscription), and the Apollo+ rental subscription service. The website maintains WCAG 2.2 Level AA accessibility compliance.

The business model combines one-time product sales (eyewear, contact lenses, hearing aids) with recurring subscription revenue (iWear Abo with 14-360 day delivery intervals, Apollo+ rental) and professional services (Sehtest Pro eye tests, contact lens fitting, hearing tests). Pricing includes free standard shipping over €20, 5-10% subscription discounts, PAYBACK loyalty points, a Bestpreisgarantie price-match guarantee within 8 weeks, and a 2-month satisfaction guarantee. Distribution combines direct-to-consumer e-commerce, in-store pickup, home delivery via DHL, and a franchise partner program. Key partnerships include EssilorLuxottica (parent), PAYBACK (loyalty), Transitions Optical (certified lens provider), Klarna and Adyen (payments), DHL (logistics), and ACL advanced commerce labs (subscription order processing). Customer segments span general vision correction consumers, contact lens wearers, children and families, hearing care customers, and tech-savvy early adopters of smart eyewear.

Name

Apollo Optik Holding

Legal name

Apollo-Optik Holding GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://apollo.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Apollo Optik Holding operates approximately 900 optical and hearing retail stores across Germany under the Apollo brand. A subsidiary of EssilorLuxottica, it sells prescription eyewear, contact lenses, hearing aids, and AI-enabled smart glasses to German consumers via integrated online and physical channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Optical Retail

NAICS

Optical Goods Retailers (45613)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Retail (Glasses/Frames/Lenses) (HLAKAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sunglasses (Non-Prescription) (CRAAAKAB), Luxury & Designer Eyewear (CRAAAKAD)

Keywords

• Optical retail services
• Prescription eyewear products
• Contact lens supplies
• Hearing aid services
• Vision care retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Schwabach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales - Eyewear: Revenue from sale of prescription glasses, sunglasses, and frames including own exclusive brands and international designer brands such as Ray-Ban, Prada, Miu Miu, Ralph Lauren, and others
2. Contact Lens Sales: Revenue from contact lenses including daily, weekly, monthly lenses, and specialty lenses (multifocal, toric, colored) with own iWear brand and major manufacturers like Dailies, Acuvue, Air Optix, Biofinity
3. Contact Lens Subscription (Abo): Recurring revenue from subscription service for contact lenses and care products with flexible delivery intervals from 14 to 360 days, offering discounted pricing and free home delivery
4. Professional Services: Revenue from professional services including eye tests (Sehtest Pro), contact lens fitting, hearing tests, and related consultations, with some services offered free as customer acquisition
5. Hearing Aids and Audiology: Revenue from hearing aids, hearing protection, and related accessories as Apollo expands into audiology services at select store locations
6. Lens Care Products: Revenue from contact lens care solutions including all-in-one solutions, peroxide systems, saline solutions, and cleaning products from various manufacturers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Apollo-Optik Holding operates a large-scale optical retail business in Germany, selling prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, contact lens care products, hearing aids, and AI-enabled smart glasses (Ray-Ban Meta, Oakley Meta) through approximately 900 physical stores and an online e-commerce platform. The company also provides professional eye and hearing tests (Sehtest Pro / Hörtest Pro), contact lens fitting services, and recurring delivery subscriptions for contact lenses and a monthly glasses rental program (Apollo+).

Product overview

Apollo Optik Holding operates a retail optical and acoustic business offering a comprehensive portfolio of eyewear and hearing products. The core offering includes prescription eyeglasses (Brillen) with various lens types, sunglasses (Sonnenbrillen), contact lenses (Kontaktlinsen), and contact lens care products (Pflegemittel). The portfolio includes both global designer brands (Ray-Ban, Prada, Oakley, Miu Miu, Ralph Lauren) and the house brand iWear for contact lenses. Recent additions include AI-enabled smart glasses (AI Glasses) featuring Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta with Meta AI integration. Apollo+ provides a lens rental subscription model, while the iWear brand extends to contact lens subscription (Abo) services with automatic home delivery. Services include professional eye tests (Sehtest Pro), virtual try-on technology, and hearing aid offerings. The company operates approximately 900 retail stores across Germany with both online e-commerce and in-store purchasing options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• iWear: Apollo's house brand for contact lenses and contact lens care solutions
• iWear Direct
• Apollo Plus
• DbyD

Products and services

• Brillen (Prescription Eyeglasses) Prescription eyeglasses including progressive/multifocal (Gleitsicht), reading, self-tinting (selbsttönende), and children's glasses from global designer brands and the DbyD Apollo exclusive brand. Sold to consumers seeking vision correction and fashion eyewear.
• Sonnenbrillen (Sunglasses) Sunglasses including polarized lenses, prescription sunglasses, sport sunglasses, children's sunglasses, and AI-enabled sunglasses from brands such as Ray-Ban, Prada, Oakley, Miu Miu, and Ralph Lauren. Sold to consumers for sun protection and fashion.
• Kontaktlinsen (Contact Lenses) Contact lenses including daily disposables, monthly, weekly, day-and-night, multifocal, toric (astigmatism), and colored lenses. Brands include Apollo's own iWear plus Dailies, Precision1, Acuvue, Air Optix, and Biofinity. Sold to contact lens wearers.
• Kontaktlinsen-Pflegemittel (Contact Lens Care Products) Contact lens care solutions including All-in-One solutions, peroxide systems, saline solutions, and cleaners for rigid/firm lenses from brands including iWear, AOSEPT, EasySept, OPTI-FREE, Biotrue, MeniCare, Boston, ReNu, Solocare Aqua, and Blink Total Care. Sold to contact lens wearers.
• AI Glasses (Ray-Ban Meta & Oakley Meta) Smart AI-enabled glasses integrating the Meta AI assistant with camera, microphone, and speakers for voice commands, photo capture, audio playback, and hands-free AI interactions. Compatible with most prescription lenses. Sold to tech-savvy consumers.
• Hörgeräte (Hearing Aids) Hearing aids, hearing protection products (Gehörschutz), and accessories offered at Apollo stores with professional audiologist fitting services. Sold to consumers experiencing hearing loss or needing hearing protection.
• Brillengläser & Glaspakete (Lens Packages) Lens packages with coatings and treatments including self-tinting (Transitions), blue light filters, lens upgrades, and lens types (progressive, single vision, occupational). Sold to eyewear purchasers at point of frame purchase.
• iWear (House Brand Contact Lenses) Apollo's proprietary iWear contact lens brand covering lenses, care solutions, and the iWear Direct home delivery service. Offers value pricing with free home delivery. Sold to cost-conscious contact lens wearers.
• Apollo+ Lens Rental Subscription Monthly rental subscription allowing customers to rent glasses instead of purchasing, with flexibility to exchange frames and lenses regularly. Targeted at consumers preferring recurring eyewear refresh over outright purchase.
• Kontaktlinsen-Abo (Contact Lens Subscription)

Quantifiable outcome

• 2-month satisfaction guarantee - full refund if not satisfied with glasses purchase
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• EssilorLuxotticaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerApollo-Optik Holding is a subsidiary of EssilorLuxottica, a global leader in eyewear. EssilorLuxottica is a French-Italian multinational corporation formed from the merger of Essilor and Luxottica, combining expertise in lenses and eyewear frames. The group includes numerous eyewear brands including Ray-Ban, Oakley, Prada, Miu Miu, and others. Apollo operates as part of this large group benefiting from global sourcing, brand partnerships, and corporate resources.
• PAYBACKcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPAYBACK is a loyalty program partnership allowing Apollo customers to earn points on purchases. Points can be collected and redeemed for rewards, providing an incentive program for customer retention.
• Transitions OpticalcoreTechnology or IntegrationApollo is a certified Transitions partner provider, offering Transitions photochromic (self-tinting) lenses that darken in sunlight. The partnership includes a Transitions Certified Provider badge on Apollo's website.
• Ray-Ban (Luxottica)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerApollo is an authorized retailer of Ray-Ban products including the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses. Exclusive availability of certain models and joint marketing of new releases like Ray-Ban Meta.
• Oakley (Luxottica)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerApollo is an authorized retailer of Oakley products including the Oakley Meta AI glasses. Joint marketing for new AI-enabled eyewear products.
• Trusted ShopsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerApollo has subscribed to the Trusted Shops code of conduct for e-commerce trust and quality standards, providing customers with buyer protection and review capabilities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fielmann: Germany's largest optical retail chain with a comparable ~900-store footprint. Directly competes with Apollo in prescription eyewear, sunglasses, and contact lenses across the same German customer base.
• Mister Spex: Leading online optical retailer in Germany and Europe. Competes directly with Apollo's e-commerce channel for prescription glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses, and is a primary disruptor of store-led optical retail in Germany.
• eyes + more: German optical retail chain operating stores nationwide with a similar mid-market positioning to Apollo. Overlaps directly on eyewear assortment, store experience, and pricing tiers.
• Brillen.de: German online optical retailer selling prescription eyewear, sunglasses, and contact lenses. Directly competes with Apollo's online channel in the German DTC optical market.

Broad incumbents

• Specsavers: International optical and audiology retail chain with operations in Germany. Overlaps with Apollo across prescription eyewear and hearing care, but at smaller German scale and with a partnership-led store model.
• LensCrafters: Sister banner under EssilorLuxottica in the US. Operates the same retail optical model (stores + in-store exams + branded frames) and serves as the group's primary US comparable for Apollo's store economics.
• Sunglass Hut: EssilorLuxottica-owned global sunglasses specialty retailer. Overlaps with Apollo's sunglasses assortment (Ray-Ban, Prada, Oakley, Miu Miu) and represents the group's sunglass-specialty vertical.
• GrandVision (now part of EssilorLuxottica): Global optical retail platform acquired by EssilorLuxottica in 2021, operating banners across Europe. Sibling company to Apollo within the group and the most relevant international comparator for Apollo's retail economics.

Emerging players

• Ace & Tate: European direct-to-consumer eyewear brand with a growing own-brand store network. Competes with Apollo in fashion-forward and design-led eyewear, particularly with millennial and Gen Z consumers.

Regional players

• Vision Express: UK optical retail chain with comparable prescription eyewear and hearing care offering. Operates in a different geography but is a relevant structural benchmark for Apollo's store-and-service optical model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apollo-optik

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Apollo Optik Holding