Livo Company, the result of the merger between the Brazilian namesake and the Colombian Lentes Plus, is ready to revolutionize the Brazilian optical market with an ambitious expansion plan. The company plans to open 30 stores in 2026 and between 400 and 500 new units in the next five years.
The main strategy for this growth is the franchise model, in the view of Jaime Oriol, CEO of Livo and founder of Lentes Plus. In an interview with InfoMoney and other press vehicles, the executive detailed the company’s plans. “Our goal is to create the main omnichannel visual health player in Latin America,” he stated.
With a history of success in Latin America, where it became the largest contact lens company, with more than 700 thousand repeat customers, Oriol set its first foot in Latin America with the creation of Lentes Plus, in Colombia. Then came expansion to Chile, Argentina and Mexico. In 2022, it acquired LIVO, then focused on sunglasses and fashion profiles. The acquisition allowed the integration of teams, culture, systems and technology, in addition to setting up its own laboratory, preparing the “expansion machine”.
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The inspiration for the plan comes from abroad: from Warby Parker, a digital native that sells prescription glasses and received several billion-dollar contributions until it went public in the United States, valued at more than R$30 billion, in 2021.
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The national bet is validated and reinforced by a board of investors that brings not only capital, but decades of knowledge of the sector. Among them, Roger Hardy stands out, a global specialist with two successful IPOs in the segment, which opened doors to the global frames market. In Brazil, the company also has Eugênio Zagottis, founder of Droga Raia, who brings in-depth knowledge in retail operations; Ronaldo Pereira, former CEO of Óticas Carol; and Murillo Piotrovski, former CEO of Grand Vision.
Vision of the future
To follow in the footsteps of the American giant, Oriol will focus on geographic expansion on the one hand, and on proprietary frames and verticalization of the operation on the other.
Today, the company already processes more than 50,000 digital orders for contact lenses per month. The challenge is to take this digital customer to the stores as well. To achieve this, the company has a ‘heat map’ that identifies digital customers within a 4-kilometer radius of the stores and who would have 10 times greater conversion potential. “We do this location analysis for each franchisee who wants to open a store”, says Oriol.
Still on the expansion front, the company uses a showroom model for stores, with low inventory and daily replacement of products sold. With currently 15 operations, the company is expected to launch a new model in the coming weeks, with an area dedicated to product customization.
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The verticalization side of the operation, in turn, is inspired by European models. There, highlights the executive, who is Spanish, the role of the optometrist is quite common and regulated for a long time. It is in offering this service free of charge that lies one of the bets for Livo’s growth. “We carry out the free exam with an optometrist. In just a few minutes, the customer can get their results — and without the obligation to make a purchase with us”, he says.
With its own laboratory, which cuts the lenses (which can also be from the company’s own brand or from competitors), the company can deliver prescription glasses in a matter of hours. “If you are lucky and have a health plan, you will call an ophthalmologist to make an appointment, you will waste three hours of your day. Then, you will get the prescription and go to a store, find your product, pay a high price and you will have to wait between one and two weeks to receive your glasses”, says the executive.
“This is the process today. Clearly, there is a very big opportunity: to eliminate intermediaries, deliver a quality product at an affordable price”, he states. Product prices vary between R$300 and R$700.
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