It does appear to be possible to avoid this, my frames at least come from http://morel-france.com/ (the French Jura made glasses - http://morel-france.com/history-1880/, the Swiss Jura made watches?) and http://www.undostrial.com/ ...
A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
51–60 of 138 posts
Re: A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
#52I bought my most recent frames at a shop in Tokyo to avoid the Luxottica monopoly. They were 1/3 the price, the frame is the best (in terms of both style and ruggedness) I've ever owned, and the optics match my prescription better than any I've ever owned. If you're visiting Japan, bring a recent eyeglass prescription with you!
Can you recommend that store? Looking for an English-speaking store that can sell Seiko lenses that are only available in the Japanese market.
Re: A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
#53If you're ever in Japan or Taiwan, have some glasses made there. JINS in Japan is ~$120 including lenses, lenses ready in 3 hours. Pick up same day. I heard there's a company in Taiwan with a similar business model as well. They're set up to handle tourists, and will handle duty free as well.
I got some glasses made up for me on my last trip to Malaysia. Cost less than $50 all up.
Re: A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
The lack of good designs for non-Luxottica brand frames is appalling. I use a third party eye glass company to order frames + lenses for < $100 and get good quality stuff (but not the best styles). Why are they not able to compete on style and fashion?
Luxottica offered to buy Oakley, and Oakley refused.. said it was never going to happen. So Luxottica stopped distributing Oakley's products in Sunglass Hut, etc.. which deprived Oakley of the majority of it's revenue, causing their stock to crash. Oakley then accepted a buyout offer from Luxottica. So to answer your question, why are there not better Luxottica competitors.. because when someone produces a good produ…
> If Luxottica controls the distribution channel
One could have argued similarly for Gillette. Then Dollar Shave Club went direct to consumers.
Likewise, I referenced an independent distributor who stocked non-Luxottica frames. Margins in this business are wide enough that economies of scale, alone, are an insufficient explanation.
Re: A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
#55The reason glasses cost so much is because one company owns: (1) nearly all brand name frames including Ray-Ban, Oakley, Prada eyewear, Armani eyewear and so on, (2) nearly all retail stores such as LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical and Target Optical and (3) EyeMed, one of the largest vision insurance companies. Luxottica retail brands: http://www.luxottica.com/en/retail-brands Luxottica eyewear brands: htt…
I see an independent ophthalmologist. He stocks both Luxottica and non-Luxottica frames. Every time, they and I blindly select frames with a bias against Luxottica. Every time, I choose the Luxottica frame. Somehow, that company has cornered the market for decently-built frames for non-hipsters.
i mean... maybe they got so good at marketing that they have succeeded in incepting the concept of "decently built frames for non hipsters" in your mind to be the stuff they produce?
thats kinda sorta the whole point of marketing a branded commodity product...
Re: A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, their business model is based on pretending like they are saving you money when they are just ripping off the customer for marginally less with fancy branding like dollar shave club. Look at Zenni Optical and tell me I'm wrong.
Not sure why this is getting tons of downvotes. Warby Parker's profitability per retail square foot is one of the highest in all of retail mostly because there's such a distance between what their frames cost to make and what they sell them for. Limited choice (Trader Joe's style) and a good sense for the products their target market wants seem to be their secret sauces to pulling off crazy margins on said products.
>profitability per retail square foot is one of the highest
are these numbers public? source?
Re: A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
I see an independent ophthalmologist. He stocks both Luxottica and non-Luxottica frames. Every time, they and I blindly select frames with a bias against Luxottica. Every time, I choose the Luxottica frame. Somehow, that company has cornered the market for decently-built frames for non-hipsters.
i mean... maybe they got so good at marketing that they have succeeded in incepting the concept of "decently built frames for non hipsters" in your mind to be the stuff they produce? thats kinda sorta the whole point of marketing a branded commodity product...
[deleted]
Re: A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
#58If you're ever in Japan or Taiwan, have some glasses made there. JINS in Japan is ~$120 including lenses, lenses ready in 3 hours. Pick up same day. I heard there's a company in Taiwan with a similar business model as well. They're set up to handle tourists, and will handle duty free as well.
I second this recommendation. The JINS experience (at least in Japan) is amazingly convenient, pleasant, and affordable. I sometimes drop in to pick up an extra copy or two of a pair that I like, and get my current pair tuned up. They'll keep your lenses in their system so you can drop into any store. Thirty or so minutes in and out, and exemplary customer service. What more can anyone ask for?
Re: A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
I see an independent ophthalmologist. He stocks both Luxottica and non-Luxottica frames. Every time, they and I blindly select frames with a bias against Luxottica. Every time, I choose the Luxottica frame. Somehow, that company has cornered the market for decently-built frames for non-hipsters.
i mean... maybe they got so good at marketing that they have succeeded in incepting the concept of "decently built frames for non hipsters" in your mind to be the stuff they produce? thats kinda sorta the whole point of marketing a branded commodity product...
Even if so, the point of blinding is that it's not the brand per se, but the actual design. And unless they have intellectual property defending the design, there should be nothing keeping a competitor from copying it.
Re: A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
The lack of good designs for non-Luxottica brand frames is appalling. I use a third party eye glass company to order frames + lenses for < $100 and get good quality stuff (but not the best styles). Why are they not able to compete on style and fashion?
Luxottica offered to buy Oakley, and Oakley refused.. said it was never going to happen. So Luxottica stopped distributing Oakley's products in Sunglass Hut, etc.. which deprived Oakley of the majority of it's revenue, causing their stock to crash. Oakley then accepted a buyout offer from Luxottica. So to answer your question, why are there not better Luxottica competitors.. because when someone produces a good produ…
Competitors have mostly focused on alternative or direct-to-consumer distribution. So instead of picking out frames at your optician's office (where everything is Luxottica), you just get your prescription and then either go online or go to a store that direct-sells non-Luxottica.