2008 review: A look back over the past year

January 2008

The New Year kicked off with the relaunched German optical exhibition Opti Munich reporting that it had attracted around 18,000 visitors at the show, down from the 35,000 who visited the previous year. Show organiser GMH had repositioned the event for the German speaking countries and reduced the number of halls from four to three. Meanwhile, optical practices from around the country reported that they had had a mixed trading period in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Some outperformed sales from the previous year, while for others business was sluggish, an Optician news poll revealed. At the end of the month, the sector received an unexpected boost when the Italian company behind recently appointed England manager Fabio Capello’s frames announced it was to launch its range in the UK after a surge in demand for the company’s eyewear. Zerorh+ said it had been planning to launch the eyewear in the UK but Capello’s new job had ‘catapulted things forward’.