What Cottet does

Cottet (legal entity SA COTTET) is a Barcelona-headquartered, family-owned optometry and audiology retailer founded in 1902 by Constantino Cottet and now in its fourth generation of ownership. The company operates 36-37 retail centers across Spain and Andorra under the Cottet brand, complemented by a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront, Click & Collect, and a formalized franchise licensing program. Its assortment spans prescription eyeglasses (monofocal, progressive, blue-light filtering, and reading), sunglasses (including designer brands Ray-Ban, Persol, Maui Jim, and proprietary Cottet Barcelona and Legacy 1840 lines), sports eyewear for cycling, running, trail, padel, tennis, ski and golf, contact lenses from Alcon, Acuvue, CooperVision, and Bausch + Lomb, and a full audiology service offering hearing aids, hearing tests, and accessories. The proprietary Legacy 1840 sub-brand uses Mazzucchelli acetate and is themed around world art museums (Louvre, Orsay, Uffizi, Tate Modern, Guggenheim), and the Cottet Barcelona line carries named frame models anchored to Barcelona neighborhoods, forming the premium anchor of the assortment.

The business generates revenue through three streams: unit-priced retail product sales across price tiers (entry packs from 89 euros, premium frames from approximately 112 euros plus lens upgrades), professional optometry and audiology services (eye examinations, hearing tests, prescription management, fitting), and franchise/licensing fees from third-party operators. Pricing follows a one-time/perpetual transaction model with no disclosed subscription or managed-services component, supplemented by a customer loyalty program (Cottet Club) and recurring consumables revenue from contact lens solutions, hearing aid batteries, and filters. Distribution combines owned physical retail, the cottet.com e-commerce platform with international shipping, social login integrations (Facebook, Google), and payment options including card, bank transfer, PayPal, and Spain's Bizum. Go-to-market is sales-led, anchored by appointment-based in-store consultations and supported by organic social (three active Instagram accounts), email/newsletter, a blog, and participation in MIDO, the leading international optical trade fair where Cottet won first prize at the Your BESTore Award in 2022.

Name

Cottet

Legal name

SA COTTET

Website

https://cottet.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Cottet is a fourth-generation, family-owned Spanish optometry and audiology retailer founded in 1902, operating 36-37 stores across Spain and Andorra alongside an e-commerce site. It sells prescription eyewear, sunglasses, contact lenses, and hearing aids under proprietary sub-brands Cottet Barcelona and Legacy 1840.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Optical Retail and Audiology Services

NAICS

Optical Goods Retailers (45613)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Sunglasses (Non-Prescription) (CRAAAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reading Glasses (OTC) (CRAAAKAG), Eye, Ear & Nasal Care OTC (Eye Drops, Ear Drops/Wax Removal, Saline Sprays) (CRADAMAG)

Keywords

• Prescription eyewear
• Audiology services
• Contact lenses
• Sports sunglasses
• Optical retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Product Sales: Sale of optical products including prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, and hearing aids through owned retail stores and e-commerce platform
2. Eye and Hearing Health Services: Professional optometry and audiology consultation services, eye examinations, hearing tests, and prescription management
3. Franchise Revenue: Revenue from franchise network expansion model across Spain and Andorra

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cottet is a Spanish premium optometry and audiology retailer that sells prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses, sports glasses, contact lenses, and hearing aids through 36–37 owned retail stores across Spain and Andorra and an e-commerce site. The company also delivers professional eye exams, audiology consultations, hearing tests, and prescription fitting services, and operates a franchise program plus a customer loyalty club. Two exclusive house frame collections (Cottet Barcelona and Legacy 1840) anchor the premium positioning.

Product overview

Cottet is a premium Spanish optometry and audiology company founded in 1902, operating a network of 36+ retail stores in Spain and Andorra. The company offers a comprehensive eyewear and hearing health portfolio organized around two proprietary sub-brands—Cottet Barcelona (Barcelona-inspired premium designs) and Legacy 1840 (museum-inspired heritage collection)—alongside a full range of sunglasses, prescription eyeglasses, blue filter glasses, reading glasses, sports glasses, contact lenses, and audiology services including hearing aids and hearing tests. Core products include prescription lenses with options for monofocal, progressive, and blue light filtering; sports eyewear for cycling, running, padel/tennis, and golf; and contact lenses from major brands. The portfolio is supported by in-store services including eye exams, prescription management, and professional fitting, plus digital services like online purchasing with Click & Collect and a loyalty program (Cottet Club).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cottet Barcelona: Premium eyewear brand - sunglasses and prescription glasses designed in Barcelona
• Legacy 1840

Products and services

• Cottet Barcelona Eyewear Collection
• Legacy 1840 Eyewear Collection
• Sunglasses
• Prescription Eyeglasses
• Sports Glasses
• Contact Lenses
• Audiology Services and Hearing Aids Complete audiology offering including hearing tests, hearing aids, hearing aid batteries (Pilas) and filters, plus annual hearing check-ups available across Cottet's physical centers.
• Eye Exams and Visual Health Services
• Cottet Franchise Program
• Cottet Club Loyalty Program

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GAES (Amplifon): Spanish audiology specialist chain under Amplifon offering hearing tests, hearing aids and related services; directly comparable to Cottet's audiology services line and a competing audiology channel in the same Spanish markets.
• Alain Afflelou: One of the largest optical retail chains operating in Spain with multi-brand sunglasses and prescription eyewear; directly competes with Cottet for Spanish consumers across physical retail and franchise channels.
• General Óptica: Spanish chain of optical centers offering eye exams, prescription lenses, sunglasses, contact lenses and audiology; very similar multi-service, multi-store model to Cottet and a primary direct competitor in the Spanish market.
• MultiÓpticas: Spanish optical retail chain with multiple physical centers, prescription eyewear, contact lenses and hearing services; competes head-to-head with Cottet in the mid-market and premium Spanish optical segment.
• Vision Express (España): Spanish optical retail chain with physical stores and online offering of prescription glasses, sunglasses, contact lenses; comparable channel mix and category overlap with Cottet's retail + e-commerce offering.
• Specsavers (Spain): Large international optical and audiology retailer with a Spanish subsidiary offering eye exams, prescription glasses, contact lenses and hearing aids via owned stores; directly comparable to Cottet's integrated optical + audiology store model.

Broad incumbents

• LensCrafters: Global retail optical chain owned by EssilorLuxottica offering prescription eyewear, contact lenses and in-store eye exams; broader international incumbent comparable to Cottet's retail optical model but at much larger scale.
• EssilorLuxottica: Global eyewear conglomerate owning Ray-Ban, Oakley, Persol and many other brands retailed through Cottet; relevant incumbent that controls much of the eyewear IP Cottet sells and shapes competitive dynamics across the Spanish market.

Others

• Maui Jim: Premium polarized sunglasses brand retailed through optical chains including Cottet; comparable as a premium eyewear manufacturer that competes for premium eyewear share but is also a supplier/partner channel for Cottet.

Emerging players

• Warby Parker: DTC eyewear brand with vertically integrated online plus physical retail offering prescription glasses, sunglasses and contact lenses; relevant emerging peer testing the online + owned-store hybrid model that Cottet also operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cottet_oficial
• Xx.com/cottet1902

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Cottet