Scottish-born eyewear brand, IOLLA, has today (1st May 2024) announced the launch of a Joint Venture Partnership model as part of its ambitious business growth strategy to scale the independent brand nationwide.
The new partnership offers savvy entrepreneurs & aspiring business owners the opportunity to co-own an IOLLA business in a territory where they’ll operate a showroom.
IOLLA is looking for joint venture partners to grow the direct-to-consumer brand into new regions, by opening and operating one of IOLLA’s innovative dispensing eyewear stores. Partners will be given access to the brand’s proven business model, high-level support & guidance, and proven marketing & advertising strategies.
The innovative eyewear concept which originally started as a pop-up, selling its first pair of glasses in a coffee shop in Glasgow in 2015, has already started its journey to take the UK by storm, with four permanent showrooms and over 60 IOLLA team members.
As well as its head office in central Glasgow, IOLLA now has three retail locations for its loyal customer base in Scotland, plus in 2022 it opened its inaugural showroom in England, choosing St Ann’s Square in Manchester city centre. The brand’s biggest showroom yet is situated in St James Quarter in Edinburgh, with a new style of plug-and-play shelving stations, digital screens and modular podiums, enabling IOLLA to double its business on the East Coast.
IOLLA’s online platform, which now ships its fashionable eyewear to over 40 countries, has been the target of recent company investment, setting the business up for growth via ongoing technological developments, and with an enhanced customer experience which captures preferences to streamline the shopper’s journey.
The opportunity to become a Joint Venture Partner is open to all potential people who have the passion, commitment and commercial drive to establish a local brand presence, and support IOLLA’s mission to provide high-quality eyewear and exceptional customer service nationwide. Long-term, founder Stefan Hunter wants to see an IOLLA showroom in reach of everyone in the UK.
Stefan Hunter, CEO and Founder of IOLLA said: “Our vision is to create a seamless eyewear shopping experience that empowers customers all over the UK to look and feel their best, and we believe effective Joint Venture Partnerships are key to achieving this goal, and the next stage in IOLLA’s growth.
“By providing unparalleled business support and guidance to those who are aligned with our mission and values, we are confident that we can drive growth by bringing the IOLLA brand closer to our loyal customers while fostering new fans who are seeking stylish, high-quality, and affordable eyewear.
If you share these values and are ready to take on the challenge of building a successful IOLLA joint venture showroom in your region, we invite you to join us and become a part of the IOLLA family, and write the next chapter of our incredible journey.”
Ownership will be at the heart of the new community, as the brand continues its expansion across the UK. IOLLA will offer its new Joint Venture Partners exclusivity of their own regional locations, benefiting from showroom sales alongside online sales that are shipped within that territory. Unlike traditional franchising models, sales revenue will split fairly between IOLLA and the new partners, as the brand supports them to build their very own communities.
To find out more about IOLLA’s Joint Venture Partner opportunities, visit
