Tesco has come under fire from rival Asda over the recent launch of its online eyewear collection with Asda saying there is 'no actual benefit to ordering online' for customers and it has no plans to offer a similar service in the foreseeable future.
Asda was responding to questions put forward by Optician on recent developments in the optical sector, including the recent launch of an online collection by Tesco, and the supermarket chain's own plans to develop its optical business.
In a statement a spokeswoman for the supermarket chain said: 'Asda has no plans to sell prescription glasses online. It is not the right thing to do for our customers. Tesco online customers are expected to fill in their own prescription and pupillary distance, whereas we have experts to do that in all our opticians. On top of that, Tesco online customers still have to visit a store to have them fitted correctly - so there is no actual benefit to ordering online. In addition, customers with certain prescriptions cannot order online and Tesco Online lets any customer order glasses no matter what the age of the prescription or the accuracy of it.'
The spokeswoman reiterated the benefits to customers of making an in-store purchase with the assistance of optical professionals.
'At Asda we like to make sure our customers get the best face to face advice from fully qualified optometrists and dispensing opticians. Our DOs ensure that suitable frames and lenses are recommended that are firstly fit for purpose given the customer's needs and lifestyles, secondly, work well with the prescription level eg not too thick, and thirdly suit the customer's face shape.
'DOs can also recommend suitable extras such as light-reactive lenses based upon usage and lifestyle.'
The company also told Optician that it had plans to increase its number of in-store opticians, and that its Watford branch would be the next to get one.
The spokeswoman added that Asda's optical business was thriving in the current difficult trading climate.
'Asda's optical business is going from strength to strength and in a year where the market has suffered from lower dispensing levels we have seen our eye test numbers increase and are dispensing more glasses than ever,' she said.