EssilorLuxottica Weighs Doubling Its Investment in Nikon
EssilorLuxottica, the world’s largest eyewear company, is reportedly debating increasing its investment in Nikon to a stake that would work out to be “around 20%” ownership in the Tokyo-based camera and optics company.
The European-based eyewear giant initially invested a 5.1% ownership stake in Nikon back in 2024 but as of today it owns closer to 9%, Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the situation who wished to remain anonymous due to the private nature of the discussions. Nikon has a long history in the eyewear space through a partnership it formed with Essilor in the year 2000 (prior to the merger with Luxottica) to make optical lenses available to a Japanese-based clientele. That agreement was renewed in 2024 and now the two companies are weighing a deeper partnership.
Nikon and EssilorLuxottica representatives declined to comment and Bloomberg reports that the discussions are still early on and there is no certainty that a transaction will actually take place. If it were to close, however, a 20% ownership stake in Nikon would be substantial.
Bloomberg notes that the move coincides with EssilorLuxottica’s further push into the smart-glasses space which has seen considerable success in its partnership with Meta. Ray-Ban smart glasses, which are on their second iteration, are growing in popularity and sales have more than tripled in the first six months of 2025. Following that success, Meta and EssilorLuxottica announced Oakley Meta, what the two describe as a new category of “Performance AI” glasses.
In the eyewear company’s half-year earnings report, Nikon is specifically called out multiple times including its importance in the Asia-Pacific region.
“In Professional Solutions, the growth of Greater China continued to be sustained by the myopia management category, up high-single digit. Nikon emerged as one of the top contributors in lenses, winning across its entire range covering single vision, progressive, and DOT myopia control,” the earnings report reads. “The growth in lensees was led… with Nikon ramping up swiftly.”
Nikon’s stock has been lackluster in 2025, despite a strong showing in camera sales in 2024, as Bloomberg reports that it had fallen by 11% year-to-date prior to the rumors of the increased EssilorLuxottica investment. After the report, Nikon’s stock jumped 21%.
Image credits: Elemen ts of header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
