In this article, we are going to dust off the optical and solar landscape a little. Myopic or not, you will find something to satisfy your curiosity. You can also return to the Glasses Guide to refresh your memory and help you choose your glasses. Good reading !
“And yes Fred, optics is above all a question of point of view”
Scenario: the obscure prices of glasses
The teacher poses the following problem to solve:
"Knowing that the cost of a corrective lens varies from 25 euros to more than 350 euros, and that anti-reflective and anti-smudge treatments increase the bill. Also knowing that a branded frame costs on average between 150 and 250 euros and my mutual does not reimburse enough.
- a) How much will my optical budget be for this year? Do the same calculation by adding a pair of sunglasses, knowing that the mutual insurance company will not be able to reimburse this pair.
- b) Should Bob use his Housing Savings Plan to be able to afford two pairs of glasses for his vision?
- c) Bonus question: calculate the quality/price ratio of a designer pair at 300e.
- d) answer “D”.
“Haaaan I don’t think we’ll have a break at 10am”
Let's skip this statement. You will have understood that there are some abuses in this world of optics.
Glasses mainly under license
The offer of glasses is an activity which is mainly under license, in the same way as many perfume or watch brands which do not develop their products themselves.
The principle of a brand license is to transfer the brand rights to a given product, thus distributed by the licensee. An interesting alternative for a company which does not wish to invest in mastering the manufacturing or distribution of a product, or which simply does not have the know-how.
It will often be a clothing brand that decides to expand its catalog by offering watches or glasses (as you can imagine, Armani does not have its own watchmaking workshop!).
There is no shortage of examples, visiting the pages of the companies that dominate the market: Luxottica , Marcolin and Safilo (all three Italian). you will see the extent of the phenomenon.
And that’s completely normal! The brands develop the design with huge budgets and leave the technical aspect to these manufacturers who are capable of mastering complex aspects of eyewear manufacturing.
The Luxottica Empire dominates the distribution market and the brands themselves. For example, they manage the Prada or Burberry brands from A to Z, but only with regard to glasses.
The tricks of an oligopoly
We are in fact in the presence of an oligopoly (a small number of companies for a large number of customers), like a spider's web where all the threads converge in one place: Luxottica. The largest company in the world in the field of optics (7.1 billion euros in turnover).
But above all, in addition to manufacturing, Luxottica has a huge share of the distribution of optical brands, and that represents hundreds of points of sale and references.
This means that Luxoticca manufactures the glasses and is then able to distribute them at whatever price they want. And there are 500 million people who, today, wear glasses licensed by Luxottica.
Of course, the big brands have their say... apparently mostly.
Since if disagreements arise, Luxottica has all the power to delist a brand from its stores, reducing its sales to an extremely reduced level.
This was the case for Oakley, which ended up going bankrupt due to lack of distribution. It was then bought by Luxottica. RayBan has also been a victim of takeover and has now come under the full control of the Luxottica empire. Some denounce the decline in quality of RayBan which has occurred since this acquisition.
Information that you will find in the report below dedicated to the most powerful company in the optical market.
A situation that some do not hesitate to denounce, such as the founder of Sensee in an interview with Le Figaro , an independent online distributor whose aim is to break market prices. He faces a barrier from Essilor, the largest manufacturer of optical lenses. He refuses to work with online distributors, who are more likely to lower their prices and disrupt market dynamics.
The right price
Finally, we must not forget that for marketing positioning reasons, the luxury brand will raise its prices. In a brand image strategy, a pair of "Tom Fiat" glasses (yes, it's a fake brand that I invented) sold for less than 200 euros would damage the image of the entire brand and could even have an impact on its sales; even if it costs $30 to make.
In itself, it is not a bad thing that brands use a license to distribute their glasses. Moreover, as the CEO of Luxottica says so well: “ if there are people to buy, it is not immoral to sell at this price ”.
But it is a problem when oligopoly becomes a tool for controlling competition and a way of enslaving an entire market to the point of controlling its prices. In this scenario, the consumer is not a winner.
The final price is only a marketing element, it in no way represents the work of a worker, a quality material or a particular production technique. This is indeed a set of factors that artificially inflate the price of frames.
We therefore have the following addition which makes up your pair of big brand glasses:
- a frame with high margins, which vary depending on the brand and the optician,
- glasses with margins of 6 to 50 times the manufacturing cost,
- the cost of the license to be amortized (very expensive for certain luxury brands),
- the distributor's margins to cover salaries and management costs.
Alternatives to know
There are two solutions available to you:
- Based on this observation, you prefer to stop spending so much and you fall back on frames for 1 euro more, at least you have the same thing for less. Go to page 140 of this book of which you are the hero (page 140 does not exist, it's a joke to introduce the second point),
- You decide to inform yourself about what you buy and turn to brands that have adopted a different strategy, stay on this page.
Are you still there? So you haven't succumbed to the dark side. Let’s discover the real alternatives together.
If your optical budget only allows you to change glasses every 4 years, don't panic. We talked about Sensee above. But there are others.
Jimmy Fairly
A Toulouse start-up, Jimmy Fairly , has reversed the trend and offers very convincing glasses by removing intermediaries (margin generators) for quality and a fixed price of 99 euros for a frame and the lenses to match. view. Note that a collaboration with artisans from the Jura is available for 149 euros with more high-end materials.
The “ Buy One, Give One ” humanitarian program is the brand’s commitment to sending a pair of glasses to the most disadvantaged for every frame purchase. This is exemplary and it is by supporting this type of initiative that aid programs will see the light of day.
There are already 3 stores in France: Toulouse, Lyon and Paris. A store will open in Montorgueil in 10 days based on the coffee & glasses concept.
But you can also receive models at your home to try them on if you don't have a store nearby! The concept is based on a business model that has already proven itself in the United States ( Warby Parker ).
The models are current and available in a few colors. No more trying on 50 frames while being undecided.
As for the models offered, we have a choice of thirty pairs for men. I found a lot of designs seen everywhere, JF's offer can reach a lot of people, and its solar models are also varied in the choice of shapes and colors. The inspiration is vintage, it's completely in line with the current trend without always having a feeling of déjà vu.
For sunglasses, let yourself go!
No need to say more, spend a few minutes on the site or in store. The atmosphere is very different from any optical store and the salespeople have a more stylistic approach to glasses, which is a change from your classic optician and its 4,000 glasses references.
As for sunglasses, JF gives a real style lesson on the same principle as prescription glasses.
And bonus : it’s a good plan that you can share with your friends for once 😉 (those who write to us looking for a feminine BonneGueule: hello girls!).
Glasses for everyone
A second big surprise (and big surprise) in the world of optics: Glasses for everyone .
Honestly, I thought it was a scam before seeing the store in real life.
What is their secret to selling glasses between €4.99 and €19.99? Lenses made in South Korea and frames made in China. But without repeating the sourcing of large manufacturers, I am willing to bet that certain pairs sold for more than 100 euros are produced in these same factories...
No surprise however, the on-site assembly and the quantity of requests mean that it is not an easy thing! A really interesting alternative if you see your banker more than your wife. Or that you are without mutual insurance, but not necessarily a reliable alternative in the long term if I believe the numerous feedback on the forums.
And the brand actually makes its margin on the options (which added together can quickly add up).
What about high-end glasses?
If you have a significant budget for purchasing your frames, this is good news, but you'll have to be smart! Designer brands have been there and offer models for 300 euros which hardly reach the quality standards found among certain eyewear makers and their artisan work. Japanese acetate will replace simple plastic and more elaborate designs and colors will surprise you.
We promise, we're not talking about the rappers' luxury glasses
For Parisians, an essential address remains the optician Garrett Leight , Moscot , Dita and Lesca . A place where you can try and discover many international brands with beautiful designs and true professionalism. However, you have to know how to find the pair that suits you, with all this choice you will have to allow an hour before you decide.
Other references are sold across France, you just have to keep your eyes peeled. By chance, I discovered Francois Pinton , Anne&Valentin or Lunor (very beautiful models) . Did you know that you can even have custom glasses made? The price is astronomical, don't doubt it...
For the final word, I suggest you look around you, beyond the flashy signs. You will see that you certainly pass by a store every day that could change... your vision of things.
