Supermarkets gear up for optical price war

Glasses and contact lenses were forecast to be the subject of the next big supermarket price war by retail experts quoted in newly-launched tabloid The Sun on Sunday.

The prediction was made in a consumer finance article that found supermarket prices could be four times cheaper than those of high-street opticians.

The like-for-like comparison article collated the prices for a pair of designer Bench frames from a number of sources and then added the price of additional options such as AR coatings and higher indexes. Included in the report were Asda, Boots Opticians, Dollond & Aitchison, Specsavers, Tesco Opticians and Vision Express.

Asda was found to be the cheapest of those surveyed, with its basic 'no hidden extras' spectacles costing £70. Vision Express was the most expensive at £260, with all available lens options added. Cheapest of the high street stores was Specsavers, which offered the spectacles at £195 - £125 more than Asda. Tesco glasses were priced at £164.