“Everyone wants a deal”

There is a dichotomy in the eyewear industry, according to exhibitors at Silmo.

Founder of Fleye Copenhagen, Annette Saus Estø, explained to OT that the market is “dividing” and creator of Wolf Eyewear, Margaret Wolfenden, said that pricing structure is a big challenge because “everyone wants a deal.”

“People focus on price and get a beautiful product for cheap or people want to be more individual and have something that is special for them, which is a more high-end market,” Ms Estø said.

Ms Wolfenden shared: “You either really need to be a super branded product or you have to have quality and service behind you, which is what we fall into.”

It’s about interpreting their dreams for an optical frame and turning it into something they can wear and really enjoy

Founder of Kirk & Kirk, Jason Kirk, also noted the “dichotomy” in the industry. “You have people going to the top – for example, opticians carrying fewer and fewer brands and finding each brand that hits a market sector for them or you’ve got opticians trying to go to the bottom and fighting on price. They don’t stand a chance, which is why more and more opticians are going to the top,” Mr Kirk explained.

He added that there is also a trend for safe products, which he said is “a nightmare” because every brand has a tortoiseshell frame and a round or panto shaped style.

Mr Kirk said: “It’s not going to help you as an independent optician because the consumer needs to understand the difference in the offer your store has that the others don’t. We’re seeing people trying to play it safe and then we’re seeing people trying to go edgy and combining it with commercial, which is where we’re positioning ourselves.”

When asked how Kirk & Kirk finds the balance between commercial and creative frames, Mr Kirk said: “It’s about interpreting their dreams for an optical frame and turning it into something they can wear and really enjoy.”

Sales manager at Orgreen, Jose Valinas Rial, explained to OT that there are a lot of small brands entering the independent eyewear industry.

“They’re going to find it very difficult in the marketplace because outside of the independent eyewear business you have a lot of companies that are making in-roads online and with physical stores. They’re challenging the industry in how people buy frames and price wise,” he said.

Sometimes it’s a challenge convincing opticians to stock the product because they don’t always get it

For the founder of William Morris Eyewear, Robert Morris, it is the “usual suspects” that are challenging the eyewear company. “It’s the challenges of the chains in the UK because we only supply independent opticians. A lot of independents are being bought up,” he said.

Mr Morris added: “Sometimes it’s a challenge convincing opticians to stock the product because they don’t always get it. That’s a challenge for William Morris, but that’s also a challenge for a lot of our independent opticians, who are in danger of losing customers if they don’t have the right product on their shelves. More UK opticians should come to shows like Silmo. It helps to open their eyes to a much bigger world in terms of design and fashion.”

As the deadline for Brexit gets closer, more questions from the eyewear industry are being asked.

Brand ambassador at Safarro, Tim Young, said that the brand is “still forging ahead with Europe” because “that’s where most of the design and manufacturing comes from.”

However, Kirk & Kirk’s Mr Kirk said that Brexit is getting in the way of providing the best product and service the company can to its customers because of the amount of uncertainty created.

“As a business we have to position ourselves very carefully. How can you have a situation where we don’t know what’s going to happen in six months time? Are there going to be tariffs? Is it going to be any easier or more difficult to trade with our Europeans partners?” he said.