CECOP

What CECOP does

CECOP (CENTRAL DE COMPRAS ÓPTICAS, S.L.) is a Madrid-headquartered multinational founded in 1996 by Jorge Rubio that operates as a community and services cooperative for independent opticians. It provides strategic solutions in operational management, development, training, and digital transformation to over 8,000 associate optical stores across at least eight countries in Europe and the Americas (Spain, Portugal, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Brazil, and the USA), with regional brands including Cecop España, Kimervisión, CECOP Portugal, CECOP Italy, National Eyecare Group, Egs Optik, Optik Society, and Cercle Optique.

The company monetizes primarily through annual subscription-based membership that bundles collective purchasing power with a portfolio of add-on modules: Evolution (strategic business optimization), Marketing Services, Digital Services (including website design and digital displays), and the Optinet practice management software acquired via the 2023 merger with the UK's National Eyecare Group. Members also access community programming such as ViveCECOP, the annual ExpoCECOP trade show, and the Premios NOA awards, and can opt into adjacent services including audiology through a 2022 alliance with Grupo GN and pilot integrations with vision-tech partners such as Wivi Vision.

CECOP's go-to-market is community-led and country-distributed: independent opticians enroll directly through regional websites and local offices, with each country operating under its own brand while sharing the cooperative's procurement, training, and technology backbone. The company is privately held, founder-led, and reports no institutional private equity or public listing; expansion has been funded through organic cash flow and a 2022 €800,000 loan from COFIDES supporting the €2.7 million acquisition of Cercle Optique.

Name

CECOP

Legal name

CENTRAL DE COMPRAS ÓPTICAS, S.L.

Website

https://cecopgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

CECOP is a Madrid-founded cooperative community serving over 8,000 independent opticians across Europe and the Americas with annual memberships, collective purchasing, training, digital transformation services, and practice management software.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership/Subscription Services: CECOP operates as a purchasing and services cooperative providing operational management solutions to independent opticians. Members pay for access to the community's value-added solutions, training, digital tools, and collective purchasing power.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CECOP is a membership-based community and purchasing/services cooperative for independent opticians, providing strategic solutions, training, operational management support, digital transformation services, and collective purchasing power across multiple countries. Through its 2023 merger with the UK's National Eyecare Group, CECOP also offers Optinet practice management software to member optical stores. Members pay recurring membership fees to access value-added services aimed at improving business profitability against optical retail chains.

Product overview

CECOP is a multinational community platform for the optical sector, offering a unified ecosystem of strategic solutions, training, and operational support to over 5,000 independent optician members across multiple countries. The core offering consists of the CECOP platform providing community benefits and member services, supplemented by specialized modules including Evolution (strategic business optimization), Marketing Services, and Digital Services (including website design and digital displays). The portfolio includes community programs such as ViveCECOP, the annual ExpoCECOP trade show, and the Premios NOA awards. Regional operations span Spain (including CECOP Spain and Kimervisión sub-brands), Italy, Portugal, Germany (Egs Optik and Optik Society), UK (National Eyecare Group), Brazil, and USA. Through the merger with National Eyecare Group, CECOP acquired Optinet practice management software, expanding its service offerings to include operational technology for optical practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kimervision: Brand operating in Spain under the CECOP Group umbrella, part of the two brands (Cecop España and Kimervisión) that sum to more than 1,800 points of sale.

Products and services

• Optinet Practice Management Software Practice management software for optical practices, acquired via the National Eyecare Group merger and offered within CECOP's digital ecosystem to help independent opticians manage operations.
• Evolution Strategic solutions module for independent optical stores focused on operational efficiency and business optimization services offered via the CECOP community platform.
• Marketing Services Marketing support services for independent opticians to enhance their market presence and customer engagement, delivered as part of CECOP's community membership.
• Digital Services Digital transformation tools and services including website design, digital displays, and technology solutions for independent optical stores, including support to access EU Digital Kit subsidies.
• Audiology Services (via Grupo GN partnership) Audiology services and support offered to CECOP associate stores through the Grupo GN partnership, including training and sales assistance, capable of generating 10-25% of a store's total revenue.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8% growth achieved in first four months of 2022
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Eyecare Group (NEG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2023UK's National Eyecare Group merged with CECOP in 2023. The deal included NEG's subsidiary Optinet, which offers practice management software. The merger facilitates digital transformation and expands CECOP's presence in Europe and the Americas.
• IndominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 April 2022CECOP and Indo jointly donated to the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC). This CSR partnership demonstrates the companies' commitment to non-commercial relationships with associates and clients.
• Grupo GNcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2022CECOP entered an alliance with Grupo GN to become an audiology provider for its associates. Grupo GN, with over 150 years of trajectory and 2021 sales of 15.775 billion Danish crowns (€2.119 billion), provides CECOP members with audiologist support, training, and sales assistance. Audiology can generate 10-25% of a store's total revenue.
• Óptica Bajo AragónminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022CECOP sponsored Óscar Pérez García of Óptica Bajo Aragón's Mongolia eyeglass donation initiative (#elcolordelassonrisas). CECOP fully funded the gasoline costs for the 30,000 km journey to deliver glasses to people in developing countries.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IDOC: Alliance of independent optometrists providing vendor negotiation, practice management tools, and operational support. Directly comparable to CECOP's value proposition in the US market.
• Vision Source: US-based alliance network of independent optometrists offering purchasing, marketing, and operational support. Closest analogue to CECOP's community/cooperative model, but North America-focused.
• PRIMA Eyewear / PERC Optical: Purchasing and service cooperative serving independent optical retailers with collective buying and operational services — directly comparable in business model to CECOP.

Broad incumbents

• National Vision Holdings: US-based optical retailer operating value and mall-based chains (America's Best, Eyeglass World). Represents the chain-retail model that CECOP's independent members compete against.
• EyeCare Partners: PE-backed network of optometry and ophthalmology practices in the US. Comparable as a consolidating/roll-up platform in independent eyecare, though a practice-owning model rather than membership cooperative.
• VSP Vision: Large US eye-care alliance and vision-insurance provider with a doctor network model. Adjacent incumbent operating in the optical professional-services space at much larger scale than CECOP.
• Bausch + Lomb: Global eye-health company spanning contact lenses, lens care, and ophthalmic products. Broad incumbent on the supplier side of the optical value chain that CECOP's members operate within.
• EssilorLuxottica: World's largest optical company (lenses, frames, retail brands like LensCrafters, Pearle Vision). Dominant industry incumbent whose retail and supplier reach shapes the competitive environment for CECOP's members.
• HOYA Vision Care: Global lens manufacturer and optical solutions provider. Sits on the supplier side of the same optical value chain that CECOP's members depend on.
• Carl Zeiss Meditec: Major optical and medical technology group serving eyecare professionals. Operates as a broad supplier/incumbent in the same optical ecosystem as CECOP.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cecop-grupo-optico-internacional

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A2 records

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about CECOP