| Opticians & Optical Goods - Market | | | | operate. |
| Assessment Report ( ) This Market Assessment | | | | |
| report provides an analysis of the opticians and | | | | The retail environment in the opticians market |
| optical goods market, which includes spectacles, | | | | remains highly competitive, and expansion and |
| contact lenses and solutions, laser eye treatment, | | | | consolidation remain key features. For example, |
| private sight tests and general ophthalmic | | | | Specsavers has recently opened its 1,000th outlet |
| services. It updates a previous Opticians & | | | | worldwide; and in May 2008, Vision Express |
| Optical Goods Market Assessment report | | | | acquired the GC Bateman Group of opticians |
| published in 2006. | | | | (Batemans Opticians). Tesco has announced plans |
| | | | | to double its number of in-store optician practices |
| The spectacles sector has shown steady | | | | during 2008, and Black & Lizars, a |
| growth in value since 2003, due to increases in | | | | Scotland-based optician company, aims to almost |
| the number of sight tests taken and the various | | | | treble the number of stores it operates following |
| sales promotions undertaken. However, the | | | | its acquisition in April 2008 by a consortium of |
| sector remains highly competitive, and a number | | | | European investors. |
| of the leading chains are currently and actively | | | | |
| promoting their economically priced range of | | | | Almost two-thirds of the world's population are |
| spectacles. The leading suppliers of spectacles and | | | | thought to need corrective eyewear, although |
| frames include: Carl Zeiss/SOLA; Essilor; Luxottica; | | | | little more than a quarter of the global population |
| Rodenstock; Safilo; Silhouette; and the UK-based | | | | wear glasses. The highest wearer rates are in the |
| Norville. | | | | developed markets of North America, Europe and |
| | | | | Japan, whereas in other parts of the world, |
| Changes made in 2005 to the 1989 UK Opticians | | | | including Asia-Pacific, wearer rates are |
| Act — which allowed contact lenses to be | | | | considerably lower. Much of the future potential |
| supplied under the `general direction' of a qualified | | | | for the corrective eyewear industry lies in |
| practitioner, rather than requiring the `supervision' | | | | developing the markets in Asia-Pacific. |
| of sales — continue to have an impact on the | | | | |
| market. The changes opened up the retail market | | | | In original consumer research commissioned |
| for contact lenses to an extended range of | | | | exclusively for this report, 89.6% of adults said |
| sellers, including the major supermarket chains and | | | | that knowledgeable staff and a clean and tidy |
| online retailers, for which price is a major selling | | | | environment were important to them in choosing |
| point. The supply of contact lenses and solutions | | | | an optician. The survey also found that a |
| continues to be concentrated in the hands of a | | | | substantial percentage of respondents felt that |
| few large US multinationals, including Johnson | | | | price was the most important factor when |
| & Johnson, Bausch & Lomb, | | | | choosing an optician. An increasing proportion of |
| CooperVision, Advanced Medical Optics and Alcon | | | | adults are put off from having their eyes tested |
| Laboratories. Swiss-owned CIBA VISION is one of | | | | regularly because of the eye-test fee. |
| Europe's leading suppliers, and daysoft is one of | | | | |
| the leading UK suppliers. | | | | The UK opticians and optical goods market is |
| | | | | expected to remain highly competitive over the |
| The laser eye-treatment sector received a | | | | next 5 years (to 2012), with the impact of the |
| boost in March 2006 when the National Institute | | | | `credit crunch', and its effects on retail sales in |
| for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued | | | | general, expected to have some negative |
| guidance that laser eye surgery was safe enough | | | | consequences in the short term. Nevertheless, the |
| and sufficiently effective to be carried out on | | | | value of the sector is projected to show steady |
| appropriately selected patients. Since then, the | | | | growth over the forecast period from 2008 to |
| number of clinics offering laser eye surgery has | | | | 2012 — with further consolidation within the |
| increased and the three market leaders in the | | | | opticians sector and increasing competition from |
| sector — Optical Express, Optimax and | | | | the multiples and online eyewear sellers being |
| Ultralase — have all announced plans to | | | | expected to place more pressure on the smaller |
| increase further the number of clinics they | | | | optician chains and the independent opticians. |