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With three stands, and one solely dedicated to optical cases and accessories, Caseco had an impressive selection of products on display. Traditional favourites, such as the company's distinct leather collection, were on show as well as many new models to appeal to both sexes and children. According to Caseco's managing director, Peter Wood, optical cases and other accessories are often undersold by practitioners.
'I certainly feel that there are opticians out there who are not aware there is a market for these products,' he said. In terms of trends, the growing popularity of bigger frames has generated an increase in demand for bigger cases and provided a bigger platform for their sale,' Wood added. He also pointed out that many Caseco items can be tailored to the customer's own requirements. In terms of current best-sellers, the Italian-made Glitz range was a hit at the show. Available in three metallic colours - blue, silver and pink - the cases carry a competitive retail price of under £10.
Optoplast launched its new product catalogue at the show which features 25 new case models in various styles and materials. Managing director Mike Carberry said there was a noticeable increase in demand for lower-priced items. He singled out new case designs River, Mersey, Smooth and Cool as representing fantastic value and being suitable for purchase as give-aways.
In terms of re-sale to the customer, the Barcelona range of cases also looked like an attractive value-for-money proposition. With a crocodile finish material and magnetic closure, the range is available in four colour options.
Innovative and eye-catching best described the CentroStyle stand. The more unusual items included the SprayClean Aroma range of scented lens sprays. Available in colourful 35ml bottles, there are three scents to choose from - Orange, Mixed Fruit and Ice Mint. The stand also displayed a wide array of microfibre cleaning cloths. Centro Style's Stephanie Baur said the seasonally-themed line had proved very popular with customers at the show.
A range of rimless sun clips proved a hit with visitors on the busy Hilco stand. Featuring a one-piece flex bridge instead of the top brow bar, the design appealed to women because of its fashionable style, according to Steve Beech, Hilco's sales manager.
With a retail price of between £25 and £30, the rimless sun clips are 30 per cent lighter than standard sun clips, with polycarbonate lens material and back-surface AR coating.
Beech was keen to emphasise that practitioners could maximise incremental sales in a professional manner by simply asking customers what they were doing for sun protection. 'We all know that the optical sector is down at the moment, and business ideas such as rimless sun clips can build sales for opticians,' he said.
Fun displays
A visit to the Optipets stand was a must for practitioners looking to stock unusual but eye-catching optical accessories. It was the company's first time at the show and its fun and colourful range of eye-glass holders drew a lot of curious visitors. Available in a multitude of designs and themes, they are marketed as being suitable for purchase by practitioners for creating creative window displays or as a sell-on item. A best-seller for the company has been the 'children's jungle animals' themed range.
'Opticians can buy them to use as attractive display pieces because of their visual appeal or for re-sale. They can provide an additional source of revenue in these difficult times,' said Alan Kasmir, founder of Optipets.
