Paul Beswick with Jamie Smith

Look Sharp Eyewear has acquired the Charmant portfolio from Misty Optic and welcomes former Misty Optic and Charmant sales rep, Jamie Smith, to the Look Sharp team.

In a previous life, Look Sharp’s Paul Beswick and business partner Graeme Bond sold the Charmant collections when they worked directly for the brand. Both retained a great deal of respect for the brand for its “outstanding quality” and “easy selling shapes and colours at an affordable price point”, said Beswick, so decided to approach’s Misty Optic’s Chris Clark to see if he’d be interested in selling.

The duo was also keen to see if Smith would join them as he’s well respected in the industry, Beswick said. “Jamie is a great guy who has a great work ethic and we wanted him to be part of our team, so much so that Jamie will be coming on board as a major shareholder in Look Sharp Eyewear.” Smith will continue to cover the whole of New Zealand selling the Charmant collections alongside Look Smart’s existing sales representative Paula Hollobon.

Although he wasn’t actively looking to sell the business, Clark said the plan made perfect sense when Beswick approached him, especially the part to help Smith into an ownership role. “There was always an intention for Jamie to take an ownership stake at some stage and the Look Sharp proposal has allowed this to happen quickly and will also provide a great platform for growth. It’s especially pleasing to see the Charmant portfolio go to a great home as I know they’ll be well looked after and will also be fully supported by the Eyepro network.”

Not having the frame distribution business to oversee will allow Clark more time to focus on his other business interests, the private, independent optometry network Eyepro and the Curtis Vision practices, he said.

Beswick said the Charmant brands fit particularly well with the company’s current collections as they are more mid-priced as opposed to its existing brands which are more mid- to high-end. “The addition of recognised brands will give Look Sharp Eyewear even more coverage offering a broader range of eyewear to New Zealand optical practices.”

All Misty Optic’s brands, Charmant, Spy Optic, Spy+, Look South and Scope RX Safety, will be distributed by Look Sharp Eyewear from 1 April 2019.