CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France— Essilor International (Reuters: ESSI.PA) reported a 15.4 percent increase in operating profit for the year ending December 31, 2014, along with a 12 percent rise in revenue. Operating profit reached €989 million, while revenue climbed to €5.67 billion, Essilor said in a statement yesterday. The lens maker attributed the growth to several factors, including strong sales momentum in the U.S. and in its sunwear and online businesses; major progress in fast-growing countries, and acquisitions.

"The quickening pace of growth throughout the year culminated in an excellent performance in the fourth quarter," said Hubert Sagnieres, chairman and CEO of Essilor. "Our mission of improving lives by improving sight has expanded the company's playing field and led in 2014 to transformational acquisitions in the photochromic, sunwear and online businesses.

"While remaining focused on its core ophthalmic optics business, Essilor is increasingly capitalizing on the interconnections between all its activities and moving closer to the consumer in the marketing of its brands and solutions. In a structurally expanding ophthalmic optics market and with a more favorable currency environment, 2015 promises to be another year of strong growth in revenue and contribution from operations. Our teams are fully engaged and energized about maintaining this momentum over the medium term," he said.

Essilor said its 2014 results were also shaped by the sustained success of products such as Crizal, Varilux S series, Transitions Signature and Xperio lenses.

The company noted that, despite a mixed economic environment, it increased its presence in corrective lenses and in the percentage of revenue coming from North America, to 45 percent, and from the fast-growing countries, to 22 percent. Essilor deepened its presence in the photochromic segment by completing the acquisition of the remaining 51 percent of Transitions Optical, its largest acquisition to date, and in the online space with the acquisition of Coastal.com.

Essilor also developed a sunglass offering combining the company's premium sunlens production expertise and FGX International's distribution capabilities. The sunwear business was also strengthened by the acquisition of the mid-range Bolon and Molsion brands in China at the end of 2013, and of the Costa brand in the U.S. performance sunglass segment at the beginning of 2014.

Essilor reported a 5 percent increase in revenue in North America in 2014 on the back of strong new product sales and effective consumer marketing campaigns. The company noted that business with managed care organizations rose after the supply contract with the number two provider in the U.S. was broadened, with full deployment scheduled for completion in first-half 2015.

In 2015, Essilor said it plans to step-up its growth momentum by strengthening in three main businesses: corrective lenses, sunwear and online sales. It will step up its consumer marketing spend, which should total almost €200 million across the business base, and will continue to develop all the synergies generated from the acquisitions completed in 2014. Essilor said it will also continue to expand in fast-growing countries and enter new territories.