Simon Dunn, Specsavers, Nottingham
How low can you go? An age-old question asked of limbo dancers the world over, and during the last 30 years, increasingly asked in the Retail Optics industry too.
I remember almost three decades ago as a trainee dispensing optician for Dollond and Aitchison having many debates with colleagues and customers about how inexpensively you could make a quality pair of spectacle and, often more importantly, how much you could sell them on the high street for. This was of course around the time that Specsavers Opticians was born.
In those days I can remember there being a popular industry opinion that there were ‘proper’ independent opticians, ‘almost proper’ multiple opticians like D&A or Specsavers - then in a multiple category of its own - and non-registered ‘bucket shops’.
With the exception of the latter there always seemed many comparisons made about the professionalism of the practices and in particular, and quite rightly, the quality of the eye examination and of the spectacles that were dispensed.
When Specsavers initially emerged with its groundbreaking two for one offer it changed the face of optics forever. And before I can be accused of turning this article into a ‘Should’ve gone to’ ad, it would appear that a significant proportion of the public agreed it was for the better.
Fast forward to 2015 and it is incredible to see how the view of the high street has changed. Independents have tried to adapt to the increasing popularity of the multiples but until relatively recently there were no significant new players in the market.
Perhaps the two biggest changes in recent times have been the internet and the supermarkets. Of course the internet has changed greatly how many contact lens wearers perceive their local optician and purchase their lenses. To a far lesser extent and despite a flurry of venture capitalists investments, it would appear that the surge of ‘online glasses’ providers has not had the devastating impact we all initially feared on the high street.
However the supermarket proposition could be considered more of a ‘threat’ to the traditional optical practice. It effectively removes many of the barriers to trade that internet suppliers have, such as the trust that comes with bricks and mortar and the ability to touch the product, but supermarkets can still sell at internet prices.
I can hear the cries of many ‘proper’ opticians: ‘Who would buy their spectacles from a Supermarket?’ Should we be worried by a largely price driven competitor offering significantly reduced price spectacles? In a practice where you buy the frame and the practice gives you whatever lenses you need almost regardless of the cost? Free multifocals? Free hi index? free multifocal high index?!!!
Of course we know it won’t last and eventually the public will get wise.