Sales volumes of spectacles and sunglasses in England Scotland and Wales steadied during 2010 after large falls in 2009, according to market research company GfK. It reve
aled that sales by volume declined by a marginal 0.3 per cent during the year compared to a drop of 4.5 per cent in 2009.
GfK attributed a value decline of 2.2 per cent compared to 6.9 per cent the year before to a drop in the average price of spectacles of 1.9 per cent to £67.50 in 2010.
The company also revealed 'a clear shift towards gender-specific models in the frames market' reporting that volume sales of unisex eyewear declined by 10.5 per cent. In contrast it said that year-on-year sales of men's and women's spectacles grew 2.8 per cent and 3.9 per cent in volume respectively.
GfK also revealed that the UK market for spectacles, excluding Northern Ireland, faced continuous price polarisation during 2010, with sales shifting from the mid-price range into the lower and higher price points. It disclosed that volume sales of frames under £45 grew by 26 per cent and represented 36 per cent of all sales in 2010. At the same time, the number of frames sold for £150 and more grew by 13 per cent compared with the same period in 2009.
Metal frames still represented the majority of all spectacles sold in the UK, with at least three out of every four frames sold in 2010 made from metal.
Sunny weather during the 'key seasonal months' of 2010 had a positive impact on sales of sunglasses. GfK reported that sunglass sales recorded growth of 19 per cent in both volume and value compared to 2009 within the opticians' channel, exceeding the growth rate recorded in 2009 of 12.6 per cent. The average price remained almost unchanged at £88.50 per piece. Similar to the frames market trend, the lowest price point of £45 and below continued to grow, increasing by 24.7 per cent year-on-year and accounted for 23 per cent of all sales of sunglasses in volume terms.
Sales reports for 2010 from a number of UK spectacle and sunglass manufacturers appeared to support GfK's findings. Andrew Wilkinson, managing director of Mondottica UK, said his company's optical sales by value to the independent market were up approximately 7 per cent in 2010 on the previous year. He said that sunglass sales were significantly higher in both the independent market and department stores, attributing the increase in sales to independents to the company's prescription sun pack offer.
Looking forward to 2011 Wilkinson said he expected his company to achieve growth of around 30 per cent in both the ophthalmic and sun segments by value, aided by the introduction of three new brands at the end of 2010, Converse, Anna Sui and Christian Lacroix.
Nick Boys, UK sales director for Maui Jim, agreed that prescription sales of sunglasses had increased significantly in 2010. He revealed that Maui Jim's sales by value had increased around 100 per cent.
Fabris Lane echoed this sentiment, telling Optician its 2010 sales of sunglasses were 'buoyant and remain the core of the business, but our expertise in glazeable sunglasses really shone through and won us significant additional business'.
Speaking about his company's performance last year, Tom Davies told Optician that his UK sales showed only small growth compared to sales in Europe and the US, but added that during the last three months of the year things picked up significantly. 'The year started very well, the summer was really terrible but then it bounced back at the end of the year. Exports were up 45 per cent, some of this came from new account openings but most pleasingly, our opticians also were buying more,' he said.
Allison UK's sales director Les Johnson revealed that Allison finished 68 per cent over budget for the year despite facing what he described as 'the worst economic climate I have experienced during 26 years in this industry'. He underlined the importance in such market conditions of positioning brands 'at the right price' and said Allison's sunglass sales were 'on the up'. Johnson attributed this to a strong interest from companies wishing to stock collections that are adaptable to prescription and have internationally recognised branding.
Jason Kirk of Kirk Originals said that his brand's 2010 sales were up 20 per cent in value on 2009, taking into account both spectacles and sunglasses.
Charmant UK also reported growth in its UK sales to independent opticians in comparison to 2009, 'despite all of the challenges during 2010'. It cited the introduction of new products as the reason for its improved performance.
Rodenstock reported that 2010 was a record year for its Wimbledon sunglass collection with regard to the number of stockists from which it was sold and sales volumes. It added that the demand for 'good quality, affordable eyewear remained strong despite the economic difficulties'.
Further details on GfK's research will feature in next week's Optician including figures for the contact lens market. ?