Small decline in frame sales for first quarter

Spectacle frame sales have declined in both volume and value in the first quarter of 2011 in comparison to the year before, according to data compiled by market research company GfK.

In its review of the UK optical market during the quarter, GfK stated that volume dropped by 3 per cent against the same quarter last year and value by 2 per cent, resulting in a slight increase in average price in the market.

It revealed that total sales of frames by volume through opticians in quarter one of 2011 amounted to 3.16 million pairs. The company stated that sales of men's spectacles in the UK market did actually grow by 0.8 per cent year on year however, the women's category decreased by 1.1 per cent in volume and 2.9 per cent in value in the same period.