Welcome to
Mister Spex
We empower & inspire people to wear glasses with joy and confidence
The way to find the right glasses should be an easy, intuitive and innovative process for our customers. That is why we offer them smart solutions, information and services that enable a unique shopping experience and provide inspiration at the same time – both on- and offline. Because purchasing a pair of glasses should do one thing above all else: easy. We want our customers to wear their new glasses or sunglasses with joy and confidence.
About the company
At Mister Spex, customers have access to an extensive range of over 100 attractive premium and luxury brands, trendy independent labels and high-quality private label brands, as well as selected designer and influencer collaborations. Thanks to the seamless and systematic omnichannel interlinking of online and offline offers, we create an individual shopping experience and, at the same time, give our customers the freedom to decide for themselves when, where and how they shop. Innovative technologies and smart, data-supported features play a central role in this.
As a driver of digital transformation, we have played a key role in shaping the optical industry since the day we were founded. Today, Mister Spex is the leading digitally-driven omnichannel optical brand in Europe with over 7.1 million customers. We operate online shops in ten countries, over 70 stores in Germany, Austria, Sweden and Switzerland, and a nationwide network of over 300 partner opticians. Since the first year, we have been growing consistently and were able to increase sales by 8 percent to 210 million euros in the 2022 financial year. Mister Spex is thus once again proving the sustainable success of its omnichannel strategy, even in a difficult market environment.
Key Facts
210 million euros in sales
in 2022
More than 7.1 million
customers
More than 70 stores
in Europe
More than 20,000 orders
a day
More than 1,300 employees
from 60 countries
Our Strategy
Mister Spex impresses with its multi-award-winning, digitally anchored omnichannel concept with seamless linking of online and offline offers. The advantage of our approach lies in the mutual strengthening of both channels, which creates valuable synergies.
An essential foundation for Mister Spex’s omnichannel success is its high level of brand awareness of over 70 percent.1) Thanks to the data- and technology-driven core of our business model, we are also continuously gathering valuable insights into the needs of our customers, thus developing a deep understanding of the market, which, in turn, forms the basis for our further expansion. This results in two crucial advantages: firstly, we know how and where to best get loyalty from our customers online and in our stores, and, secondly, the brand is already well established locally when we open a new store.
We are also expanding our target groups with our offline offers. By a digitally anchored purchase process, with a high proportion of educational formats, new customers in the stores are introduced to the online purchase process step by step, resulting in a very high repurchase rate via the online shop. At the same time, the share of online-only purchases without prior contact with the stores in regions where we are represented offline grows by more than 20 percent on average within three years after opening. The online and offline businesses stimulate each other, create valuable synergies and thus contribute significantly to the success of Mister Spex.
(1) 72% aided brand awareness, Q4 2020 Germany; online shoppers aged 18–59 years
Management Board
Supervisory Board
Dirk Graber
Dirk Graber studied business administration in Marburg, Hong Kong, Moscow, and Leipzig. He received his degree in business administration from the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HHL). Before founding Mister Spex, Graber worked as a consultant for the Boston Consulting Group for several years.
He gained his first e-commerce experience while still at university thanks to internships at eBay and Jamba. He also worked at KPMG and Commerzbank. As founder, CEO and part of the Mister Spex Management Board, he is responsible in particular for the areas of business development, IT, data analytics, operations and purchasing.
Stephan Schulz-Gohritz
Stephan Schulz-Gohritz completed his Master of Business Administration at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich and worked for several years as a management consultant at Arthur D. Little International.
Before joining Mister Spex, he had already gained two decades of experience as a board member in listed companies and has a long track record in strategic corporate development.
After Stephan Schulz-Gohritz was CFO of the pigment division ECKART GmbH at ALTANA AG, he was Chief Financial and Human Resources Officer of PAUL HARTMANN AG from 2009 to 2019 and at the same time Chief Retail Officer responsible for the development of the consumer goods businesses (KNEIPP and CMC). Most recently, he was Chief Financial Officer at BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG, a European market leader for cardiac rhythm therapy and vascular intervention. As CFO of Mister Spex, he has been responsible for all financial functions of the company, including M&A, since January 1, 2024.
Peter Williams
Chairman of the Supervisory Board Mister Spex SE
Place of residence: London, United Kingdom │ Nationality: British
Peter Williams was born in England in 1953. He studied mathematics at the University of Bristol in England from 1972 to 1975. For over 30 years, Mr Williams has held various management and supervisory roles in consumer-related companies in the retail, leisure, media and consumer goods sectors. For 13 years, he served on the Selfridges department store chain’s board, first as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and then as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). After Selfridges, he was CEO of Alpha Airports Group plc. In addition, Mr Williams held supervisory roles at ASOS plc for eight years and, following its IPO, at BooHoo Group plc for five years, among others.
Peter Williams has been a member of the Supervisory Board and Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Mister Spex SE since 11 December 2020. He has been appointed until 2024. Peter Williams is Chairman of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, a member of the Audit Committee and a member of the Strategy and ESG Committee.
Memberships in statutory domestic supervisory boards:
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Memberships in comparable domestic and foreign supervisory bodies of business enterprises:
Tartan BidCo (Chair of the Board of Directors)
Home REIT PLC (Senior Independent Director)
Nicola Brandolese
Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board Mister Spex SE
Place of residence: Rome, Italy │ Nationality: Italian
Nicola Brandolese was born in Milan in 1971. The Italian studied at the Politecnico di Milano and holds a Master’s degree in Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering. He started his career at Oy Erikstone Ab Ltd. in Finland before working as a management consultant at The Boston Consulting Group Inc. and Sapient Corp. In his subsequent positions at Sky Italia S.r.l., his focus was on marketing and sales. After nine years, Mr Brandolese joined Luxottica Group S.p.A. as Chief Digital Officer before becoming President Retail at Luxottica Group S.p.A. in 2014. Follwoing further professional occupations at LVMH and the NET-A-PORTER Group, he has been CEO of Doctolib S.r.l. since October 2021. Doctolib is a French technology company that enables the online booking of appointments with doctors. Here, Mr Brandolese is responsible for Italy.
Nicola Brandolese has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Mister Spex SE since 15 June 2021 and Deputy Chairman since 1 July 2021. He has been appointed until 2024. Mr Brandolese is Chairman of the Strategy and ESG Committee and member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.
Memberships in domestic supervisory boards to be formed by law:
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Memberships in comparable domestic and foreign supervisory bodies of business enterprises:
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Tobias Krauss
Member of the Supervisory Board Mister Spex SE
Place of residence: Icking, Germany │ Nationality: German
Tobias Krauss was born in Germany in 1976. He studied business administration in Mannheim and Konstanz from 1999 to 2003. His career began at Porsche Consulting GmbH. After several subsequent positions in the consulting industry and a Chief Restructuring Officer mandate at DAW SE, Germany’s largest paint manufacturer, Tobias Krauss worked as CEO at Possehl Mittelstandsbeteiligungen GmbH, an industrial holding company specialising in the acquisition and development of German medium-sized companies. He is currently Head of the Büll Family Office and Managing Director of ABACON CAPITAL GmbH, the primary investment vehicle of the Family Office.
Tobias Krauss has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Mister Spex SE since 11 December 2020 and has been appointed until 2026. He is a member of the Audit Committee, the Nomination and Remuneration Committee and the Strategy and ESG Committee.
Memberships in domestic supervisory boards to be formed by law:
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Memberships in comparable domestic and foreign supervisory bodies of business enterprises:
CustomCells GmbH (Member of the Advisory Board)
Bruss Sealing System GmbH (Member of the Advisory Board)
Earlybird Growth Opportunities Fund I GmbH & Co. KG (Member of the Investor Advisory Board)
Meron 2 LP (Member of the Limited Partners Committee)
Noventic GmbH (Member of the Advisory Board)
perma-tec GmbH & Co. KG (Member of the Advisory Board, Vice Chairman)
Think Bigger Fund 1 FCRE (Member of the Limited Partners Committee)
Vsquared Ventures 1 GmbH & Co. KG (Member of the Limited Partners Committee)
Birgit Kretschmer
Member of the Supervisory Board Mister Spex SE
Place of residence: Fürth, Germany │ Nationality: German
Birgit Kretschmer was born in Germany in 1970. She graduated in International Business Administration from the University of Nuremberg in 1994. With a degree in business administration, she has gained global experience in finance and retailing and started her career with the sporting goods manufacturer adidas. Here, Ms Kretschmer was, inter alia, Head of the Project Management Office Global eCommerce and Senior Vice President for Finance at adidas AG. She has been Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at C&A Europe since January 2021.
Birgit Kretschmer has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Mister Spex SE since 15 June 2021 and is appointed until 2024. She is Chairwoman of the Audit Committee and a member of the Strategy and ESG Committee.
Memberships in domestic supervisory boards to be formed by law:
Ceconomy AG
Memberships in comparable domestic and foreign supervisory bodies of business enterprises:
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Pietro Luigi Longo
Member of the Supervisory Board Mister Spex SE
Place of residence: Milan, Italy │ Nationality: Italian
Pietro Luigi Longo was born in Italy in 1972. He studied at the Università Commerciale L. Bocconi Milano in Italy from 1991 to 1997 and holds a degree in Economics. Mr Longo spent eight years at Credit Suisse, including as Head of the Corporate Advisory Group Italy, before becoming Managing Director of Banca IMI S.p.A., a subsidiary of Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. In 2014, Mr Longo joined Luxottica Group as Director of M&A and Business Development. He is currently Head of M&A and Business Development Director at EssilorLuxottica S.A.
Pietro Luigi Longo has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Mister Spex SE since 20 May 2021 and is appointed until 2023.
Memberships in domestic supervisory boards to be formed by law:
–
Memberships in comparable domestic and foreign supervisory bodies of business enterprises:
ARTGRI GROUP INTERNATIONAL PTE. LTD., Singapore (Member of the Board of Directors)
XIAMEN YARUI OPTICAL COMPANY LTD., People’s Republic of China (Member of the Board of Directors)
Stuart Paterson
Member of the Supervisory Board Mister Spex SE
Place of residence: Glasgow, United Kingdom │ Nationality: British
Stuart Paterson was born in Scotland in 1970. He studied Accounting and Computer Science at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh from 1988 to 1991. He started his career in Audit & Corporate Finance at Ernst & Young where he gained his Chartered Accountant qualification, he then worked in Corporate Finance with Ernst & Young for a number of years. He subsequently became a founder and partner of Scottish Equity Partners LLP. The UK-based firm has focused on investing institutional capital in high-growth technology companies across Europe for over 20 years. Mr Paterson has served on company boards in Europe and the US for over 20 years and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
Stuart Paterson has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Mister Spex SE since 11 December 2020 and is appointed until 2023. He is a member of the Audit Committee, the Nomination and Remuneration Committee and the Strategy and ESG Committee.
Memberships in domestic supervisory boards to be formed by law:
–
Memberships in comparable domestic and foreign supervisory bodies of business enterprises:
Babbel AG (Chairman of the Shareholder Committee)
Dohop ehf (Non-Executive Director)
European Assets Trust plc (Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee)
LoveCrafts Group Ltd (Non-Executive Director)
Nicole Srock.Stanley
Member of the Supervisory Board Mister Spex SE
Place of residence: Berlin, Germany │ Nationality: German
Nicole Srock.Stanley was born in Germany and studied design, art and interior architecture in Hanover and London from 1992 to 1996. With a degree in interior design, in addition to her expertise in the creative industry she has experience in retail strategy, scenography, design management, concept development and art direction. She is co-founder of the dan pearlman Group, a group of owner-managed, strategic creative agencies based in Berlin, in 1999. She leads the group as CEO and is responsible for brand and corporate strategies. In addition to her work at dan pearlman Group, Ms Srock.Stanley is the founder of Climate Education GmbH, which is committed to activating for climate protection. She is also involved, among other things, as Chair of the Advisory Board of the Stiftung Berliner Leben and is Vice President of the German Design Council.
Nicole Srock.Stanley has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Mister Spex SE since 1 July 2021 and has been appointed until 2024. Nicole Srock.Stanley is a member of the Strategy and ESG Committee.
Memberships in domestic supervisory boards to be formed by law:
–
Memberships in comparable domestic and foreign supervisory bodies of business enterprises:
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