Sports brands break budgets

Premium brands are putting the public off buying prescription sports eyewear by creating prohibitive entry price points, claims distributor Academy Eyewear.

Lee Williams, sales director of Academy, said practices were being encouraged to get into sports eyewear but too often they opted for high profile, expensive brands, which were beyond their customers' budget.

'Opticians go for the large brands and wonder why people won't buy them.' When these products were glazed he said the price was prohibitive.

Lower cost brands such as those sold by Academy could enable opticians get in to the sports eyewear market and make sports eyewear affordable, he said. 'If you want to bring sports products to the public this is the way to do it.'