In an effort to sound chic and American, Chinese retailers have adopted odd names, according to a New York Times post:
Helen Keller, named for the deaf-blind American humanitarian, offers trendy sunglasses and classic spectacles at over 80 stores, with the motto “you see the world, the world sees you.” Read more.
“Warby Parker has made a name for itself by selling affordable, hipster-chic eyeglasses through a website, avoiding costly store expenses and licensing fees,” starts the Wall Street Journal post that appeared last week. “While that business has thrived, the startup’s promising next act is taking shape in a chain of storefronts dotting trendy retail neighborhoods from Boston’s Newbury Street to Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Los Angeles. Warby Parker is shaking up the glasses industry by offering home try-ons, online ordering and prescription frames for under $100. Co-founder and Co-CEO Neil Blumenthal discusses. Warby Parker’s eight brick-and-mortar stores are now collectively turning a profit, says Dave Gilboa, the company’s co-founder and co-chief executive. The stores sell an average of $3,000 a square foot annually, higher than most retailers not named Apple Inc.” Read more.
“San Francisco private equity firm FFL is investing in Eyemart Express,” reports Mergers & Acquisitions. “Eyemart, headquartered in Farmers Branch, Texas, is an optical retailer that has more than 150 stores in 30 states. The company sells private label and branded glasses, including Nike, Guess, Fendi, Calvin Klein and Armani.” Read more.
More than five months ago, Visionworks, Inc., lost a database server from its Annapolis location on Jennifer Square. It went missing after it was replaced on June 2 during a scheduled upgrade. The company statement read: “The server potentially held partially unencrypted protected health information belonging to as many as 75,000 of the store’s customers. All credit card information housed on the server was encrypted, and therefore should not be at risk.” Thieves don’t make a habit of stealing encrypted servers. The company believes that the missing server accidentally was sent to one of the store’s local landfills, adding that there’s no reason to believe that any of the information residing has been accessed or used inappropriately. The retailer has notified the affected customers. It also is offering free credit monitoring for one year. Read more.
The consequences of making an incorrect or uninformed online purchases could cost patients more time and money in the long run, according to a new warning from the American Optometric Association (AOA). An AOA study published in 2011 with the Optical Laboratories Association and The Vision Council reinforces the drawbacks of online orders. The study concluded:
“Jobson Optical Research has released the 2014 U.S. Optical Retailer Report & Directory, which lists the top optical retailers in the U.S., including their company headquarters contact information, key executives, buyer names for all product categories, and trade names/DBAs,” reports Vision Monday. “The report/directory also includes Vision Monday’s most recent annual ranking and analysis of the “Top 50 U.S. Optical Retailers” based on their 2013 estimated sales and business unit counts.” Read more
We received the following email from the Opticians Association of America. We thought we would share.
Vision Monday is seeing how vast and manifold the optical industry is every single day. For their Sept. 1st issue, they would like to show their readers just how diverse and vibrant this industry is by asking different segments to document different parts of their day.
What does your company do each day that is interesting or particularly representative of your field? They are asking you to photograph and log at least 4-6 moments over the course of the next two weeks that you feel best represent or characterize what some of the various departments of your company do.
From the mundane to the outrageous they want to see it all. They've asked folks from all over the industry to do the same and they will plot them all out in the September issue in order to share with you all just how great and multifaceted the optical industry in the United States is.
They are offering the option of providing you with a disposable camera and printed worksheets to record the moments (as well as a self-addressed and stamped return envelope). You are of course also welcome to use your own digital camera and email them the images, as well as the completed worksheet, if that makes you more comfortable.
They are expecting a lot of amazing pictures, so they ask that you please email your worksheet and images back to John Sailer (Senior Editor, Vision Monday) at jsailer@jobson.com (or return your worksheet and camera that will be included in the envelope) by July 25th.
Please let them know which you would prefer (and provide a mailing address if you'd like the camera) so they can get you everything you need ASAP!
Click Here for the "A Day in the Life" Worksheet. Have Fun!!!
Marketing Week reports that the British retailer Vision Express “launched its ‘Vision. Taken Seriously’ campaign, created by agency Dare, last month and James White, Vision Express’s head of brand marketing, told Marketing Week that it has already helped push sales up by double-digit figures. He said the campaign is the first stage in plans to cement Vision Express as the authority in the industry.” Read more.
In Sweden: Reuters reports that “private equity firm CVC Capital Partners has bought eyewear chain Synsam Nordic from Alipes, the investment firm controlled by Sweden's Kamprad family which also controls the world's largest furniture retailer IKEA, CVC said on Tuesday. CVC did not say how much it paid for Synsam, which had sales of around 3 billion Swedish crowns ($467 million) in 2013 and employs some 2,600.” Read more.
In India: “Retail eyewear chain Titan Eye Plus has sewn up plans for major expansion of its retail network of stores, adding 50-60 stores across the country in 2014-15 as its strengthens its presence with more brands, including Fastrack, Hipster and Glares,” according to Hindu Businessline. “Part of Titan Company Ltd of the Tata Group, the company opened its 96th store in South India and expects to hit the 100 stores mark shortly. It has a pan-India network of 278 stores operating across 106 cities.” Read more.
"No one’s really sure what was going through Michael Garvin’s mind when he broke into an Ada, Okla. eye care store," according to an SFGate post. "All police and store employees have is the aftermath of one very bizarre night. Ada police released surveillance video of the Jan. 4 break-in at Ada Family Eye Care. Something bad must have happened because police say Garvin, 22, called 911 from the business’ phone, Oklahoma City’s News 9 reports." Read more.
“A shady theft ring that targeted eyeglass retailer giant LensCrafters made at least $580,000 from illegal sunglass sales on eBay within 13 months, authorities said,” says the Sun-Sentinel. “Officials said the group of thieves — most of them from South Florida — hit LensCrafters across the state with distraction thefts, pocketing pricey sunglasses valued as high as $1,000 each. They have conducted at least eight heists in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties and in Central Florida. The first store to be hit was in Boynton Beach on Nov. 18, 2012.” Read more.
“The owner of a Jackson [Mississippi] eye clinic is facing charges of Medicaid fraud, announced Attorney General Jim Hood today,” according to WJTV. “Barbara Faye Jones, 30, of Jackson, turned herself into authorities with the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit Tuesday following recent indictment by a Hinds County grand jury. The indictment alleges that Jones, as owner/operator of Clear View Vision Care, did willfully, unlawfully and feloniously make, present and cause to be made and presented false, fictitious and fraudulent claims for more than $28,000 in Medicaid benefits, knowing the claims to be false, fictitious and fraudulent.” Read more.
Visionworks has finished renaming and making over its 615 stores. Visionworks, formerly known as Eye Care Centers of America, operated under 16 different retail store names back in June 2011 when it started its makeover. "We've enhanced the shopping experience for our customers by listening to what they told us they wanted, from an easy to navigate layout, to better lighting, and additional mirrors." said Jim Eisen, Visionworks’ president. Read more. 
