MONTE CARLO—HAL Holding, parent of Pearle Europe, has acquired optical chains in two countries so far this month.

On May 2, GrandVision, a 100 percent subsidiary of HAL Holding, acquired the 75-store G C Bateman Group, an optical retail company in the south of England. The purchase was made through GrandVision subsidiary Vision Express UK, which already operates 235 stores in the U.K. and Ireland.

Last week, HAL signed an agreement to acquire 88 percent of the shares of Chilean optical retail chain Rotter y Krauss. Based in Santiago, Chile, the chain has 43 company-owned stores and operates 89 optical departments within department stores throughout the country. Rotter y Krauss reported 2007 net sales of approximately €32 million.

The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter.