SDM Eyewear will continue to distribute top international eyewear brands under the newly named holding company: FrontierCo. This is after SDM’s previous holding company, Busby, went into Voluntary Business Rescue in July this year.

SDM has been part of the Busby stable since 1998. Along with the other brands in the group, SDM underwent a significant restructuring process in the months following the Business Rescue announcement. The process resolved in the renaming and rebranding of the holding company to FrontierCo.

Michelle Minnie, who has been appointed as the Division Head of SDM Eyewear, says “Ultimately Busby emerged from Business Rescue with 91% of our creditors voting in favour of the Business Rescue Plan. The well-managed process managed to save 800 jobs across the FrontierCo group while still allowing licensors, like SDM, to continue supporting their local suppliers and not losing their footprint and market share in South Africa.

“We have made several changes to the business to ensure that we have improved our ability to service our clients. This includes moving to new fit-for-purpose premises in Gosforth Park and streamlining the costs structure of the business,” she says. Myself and the new leadership, look forward to taking the business forward in a customer-focused way.”

The SDM/FrontierCo Vision will go forward as a standalone entity, 100% owned by FrontierCo rather than being a division of FrontierCo.

FrontierCo CEO, Bernard Mostert, says “We are highly confident that under Michelle’s leadership SDM now has the right focus and we are excited about its future. We will continue to invest heavily in SDM.”

Michelle says, “We would like to thank all our loyal customers for entrusting us and having the confidence that SDM Eyewear will continue to prosper and grow into the future. Your patience and understanding during these challenging times, as well as during our transition to our new premises, are very much appreciated,” she says.

“A dedicated team remains at SDM and we are passionate about ensuring all our customers’ expectations are met,” she says.

SDM Eyewear will continue to distribute international fashionable eyewear, as well as the local eyewear brands our clients have come to expect. The brand portfolio is:

Optical Division
Guess
Tom Ford
Timberland
Swarovski
Ted Baker
Polo
Soviet

Non-Optical Division
Le Specs
Glareware – Exclusive to Dis-Chem
Xtra Vision Readers
Funky Readers
Eyeware Readers

“We are looking forward to a brighter future and a successful 2021,” says Michelle.