Contact lenses fuel growth

Market research company GfK has recorded stable growth in its optics category for the first quarter of 2013.

Against a backdrop of 0.3 per cent GDP growth in the wider UK economy, value sales in optical products were up 0.2 per cent compared to the same period last year.

This slender growth across optics is mainly the result of a 1.1 per cent uplift in contact lenses balancing out a 0.2 per cent decrease in spectacle frames. Associated contact lens care products followed the positive trend for contact lenses with an increase of 0.6 per cent.

Daily lenses continued to grow in market value while reusable products saw a general decline despite some individual sub-categories showing growth.