In Focus: Industry reacts to ‘unhelpful’ consumer advice show

Condemnation of a money saving feature on the cost of glasses by Channel 4’s consumer advice programme Supershoppers has been industry-wide.

Supershoppers viewer Susan Smith from Burnley was said to have contacted the programme to ask: ‘Glasses: Why are they so expensive?’ The nine-minute feature set out to educate Smith on the cost of glasses and then show other viewers how they could save ‘hundreds of pounds’ on eyewear by ‘swerving the high street and going online’. Smith said she wanted to know if similar quality frames and lenses could be sourced any cheaper.

After some background information on the history of eyewear manufacturing from the College of Optometrists museum curator Neil Handley, the programme’s attention turned to competition in manufacturing. Presenter Sabrina Grant spoke to strategy consultant Dr Tony Grundy on the creation of EssilorLuxottica, as well as trusted retailers such as Vision Express, Boots Opticians and Specsavers. Grant summarised: ‘This domination of the industry by a few large companies, seriously reduces consumer choice and price competition.’