Linton and Hayley Dodge co-owners of Acuity Lens

CR Surfacing Laboratories NZ has been acquired by the company’s former New Zealand general manager Linton Dodge and his wife Hayley and will be re-branded and launched anew as Acuity Lens Co from November 2023.

The transition has been a long time coming, with formal discussions beginning around five years ago, said Dodge. “This shift was not only aimed at allowing us to concentrate on the New Zealand market but also to empower the new ownership of Adam Fletcher (Melbourne-based CEO of the now re-named CR Laboratories) to concentrate on marketing strategies tailored to Australia.”

As well as remaining the sole supplier of CR Lab’s products in New Zealand, Acuity Lens will introduce a host of new, tailored progressive lens products and advanced coatings, said Dodge. This includes two new lines of freeform lenses, the F+ and H series, from 1.50 to a significantly thinner and tintable 1.74, he said. “Both innovative ranges will feature an array of advanced coatings that can be applied to all lens types, including standard single vision. These coatings comprise AR Gold, AR Green, AR Blue, AR Infrared, AR No-Fog, AR Drive and AR Mirror, ensuring enhanced performance and options for customers.

“While the straightforward approach of sourcing high-margin products from China or India might have been the simplest business strategy, we've chosen a different path,” said Dodge. “Our focus has been on identifying a premium range of products that align with our brand vision and cater to the unique demands of the New Zealand market.” The new lenses and coatings will be showcased under Acuity’s in-house branding, granting independent optometrists access to unique marketing opportunities and the ability to confidently resell these products, he said.

Since most of Acuity’s rivals are large corporations, Acuity’s aim is to be more than simply transactional, said Dodge. “As a family-owned business, much like most of our customers, we aspire to build not only trust in our new product lines, but also meaningful relationships founded on mutual understanding of each other's businesses and the shared pursuit of success. Trust and patronage have been instrumental in our growth, and we are excited to embark on this new adventure together with our customers.”