Shamir now offering Autograph in Lenscrafters!!!

[Craig]

I just learned of a program between Shamir and Lenscrafters to offer Free Form lenses at select stores to start. I find it interesting that they also decided to spurn the independents as they had promised for the past bunch of years. Zeiss/Sola, Essilor and now Shamir are offered at Lenscrafters around the country.

That is why I support the Kodak Unique and Ice TEch to offer the best products the industry has to offer and not be available across the street at the 800 pound gorilla. They are located across the street from all 3 of my stores and people do shop to some degree. Now I will just inform them that Ray Ban, Prada and Shamir lenses are Lencrafter brands and we are free to pick any lens the industry has to offer and we choose to use some other brands which we prefer. I was at one point my Shamir reps largest account by a wide margin; she quit right after I stopped utilizing the lenses.

Who is left to support the independents if we don't support ourselves! Why anyone would utilize Lux or Essilor is beyond my independent scope of thinking. :hammer:

Craig

[drk]

I feel your pain.

However, telling companies not to sell to your competition is protectionist.

Now, purchasing from your competition is another story altogether.

[HarryChiling]

Who is left to support the independents if we don't support ourselves! Why anyone would utilize Lux or Essilor is beyond my independent scope of thinking. :hammer:

Craig

Craig,

It's business, the independents are the only customers that woud purchase from a new company, the 800 pound gorilla only buys from the companies that can supply the 800 pound gorilla. Looks like shamir is ready to play with the big boys, good for them good products great company. I don't think any publicly held company is looking out for the independents or can look out for the independents.

[For-Life]

I always love how we troll every Essilor move, but it appears companies who do the same are immune to those attacks

[HarryChiling]

I always love how we troll every Essilor move, but it appears companies who do the same are immune to those attacks

I probably use more troll products than the average joe, I don't like it when they try and decieve, but for some reason most people confuse that with I don't like their products. I use a heck of alot of essilor product. I also use some shamir product and will probably use more in the future.

[Fezz]

It is my understanding that Shamir has been selling to the mass merchants of Canada for a long time.

[For-Life]

It is my understanding that Shamir has been selling to the mass merchants of Canada for a long time.

Not only that, but it would not supply Canadian labs with their lenses, so that independents can buy them.

From what I have heard about Shamir, it is a fantastic PAL supplier, but it does not make the company perfect.

[edKENdance]

I thought Lux dumped the Shamir stuff when they opened up Pearle Vision here in Canada.

[For-Life]

Nope, they continued with it

[edKENdance]

Nope, they continued with it

I'm not sure if that's the case in Winnipeg. Heard they dumped them when they started using the former Shoppers Optical lab as a local central lab.

[For-Life]

I'm not sure if that's the case in Winnipeg. Heard they dumped them when they started using the former Shoppers Optical lab as a local central lab.

I have asked my lab manager in Winterpeg and he confirmed they were continuing up to a few months ago. It has also been asked from board members here (and they specifically said Pearle).

[edKENdance]

I have asked my lab manager in Winterpeg and he confirmed they were continuing up to a few months ago. It has also been asked from board members here (and they specifically said Pearle).

Well, I did hear about it from a disgruntled former lux rep so I should have probably of taken it with a grain of salt. :)

[gemstone]

Who is left to support the independents if we don't support ourselves! Why anyone would utilize Lux or Essilor is beyond my independent scope of thinking. :hammer:

Craig

Name three products.





:)

[Jubilee]

HHmm. Interesting.

I have not heard anything about this in my locality. I know that they have been doing the Accolade Freedom in certain test markets.. wondering if that is the case with the Shamir product.

Kodak lenses are used by many of our union shops in this area. Where people taking the cut to the bone UAW plans and still offering them new frames every year (plan is 2 years) and such to get the numbers of people in.. Including a couple of midwest chains.

I will certainly call my rep (he was just in last week and didn't mention this) and ask him what the real deal is.

As far as Shamir is concerned.. they may have gotten their product in the big boy stores, however they still don't have their own network of labs and other indicators of market domination..

[karen]

could be that LC is using Shamir technology for their own private label free form. There is a lab in my area that has their stuff and is getting ready to run their own FF on it. They already do "free form" Drivewear -just digitally surfacing the back side. Signet is doing the same thing to the Drivewear lens out here- a Unique Drivewear. If you have the equipment why not use it for whatever you can I guess.

Can I tell you that tossing in the towel and earning my pink cadillac sounds better and better every day......anybody need any targeted action eye revitalizer or firming eye cream? See, I can even keep it eye related!:shiner:

[Craig]

Name three products.





:)

1-Kodak Unique is owned by Signet Armorlite- Family Held business
2-Ice TEch- Allen owned business
3-Younger Image- Great availability, prices and family owned

I use all 3 with great sucess and have no reason to use much else; it fits all my clients needs except for some 1.74 progressives for a high minus. To my knowledge, they are some of the few who are not competing with us at this point.

Craig

[gemstone]

1-Kodak Unique is owned by Signet Armorlite- Family Held business
2-Ice TEch- Allen owned business
3-Younger Image- Great availability, prices and family owned

I use all 3 with great sucess and have no reason to use much else; it fits all my clients needs except for some 1.74 progressives for a high minus. To my knowledge, they are some of the few who are not competing with us at this point.

Craig

1 and 3 sell to chains. Not sure about 2. What brand points file is 2 useing?

[Chris Ryser]

Selling to chains is a fantastic deal for wholesalers and manufacturers, big orders, big profits..............but it is a 2 sided sword..............when they drop one, it hurts like hell, even if he is large.

As a supplier or manufacturer, or even retailer one should never ignore the small account..........lots of small accounts also make a big one, but when a customer drops off you dont feel it so hard.

It just looks more and more that these corporations are like the Boa Constrictors that apply's more and more pressure to strangle the independent optical retailer.

So what is the solution?

[AdmiralKnight]

It is my understanding that Shamir has been selling to the mass merchants of Canada for a long time.

Only in one chain, but yes. It doesn't really surprise me that they're doing this. Shamir supplied Shoppers/Shorneys. Shoppers/Shorneys was bought out by Lux. They're just continuing the relationship. As a business, would you REALLY turn down the opportunity to sell your product in such a large brand? I wouldn't.

[gemstone]

This reminds me of the70's. The (buyers) labs controlled the lens market. You could not buy lens blanks without "listings". These "listings" were basically approved or more often not by the lab or labs in the area. Then came a lens manufacturer that would sell to anyone with a generator and everything change.

[For-Life]

Only in one chain, but yes. It doesn't really surprise me that they're doing this. Shamir supplied Shoppers/Shorneys. Shoppers/Shorneys was bought out by Lux. They're just continuing the relationship. As a business, would you REALLY turn down the opportunity to sell your product in such a large brand? I wouldn't.

The main point is that Shamir refused to sell its lenses to labs in Canada.

Thus it refused to sell to independents.

[Chris Ryser]

The main point is that Shamir refused to sell its lenses to labs in Canada.

Thus it refused to sell to independents.

I think I can count independent labs left in Canada on one hand, most of them belong to Essilor and the others to the other big guy's.

[For-Life]

I think I can count independent labs left in Canada on one hand, most of them belong to Essilor and the others to the other big guy's.

You'd be surprised

I cannot name them off the top of my head, but I know I regularly received stuff from indies. Plastic Plus, Riverside, Opal Lab (which has three), NuManitoba, just from what I remember.

Either way, it does not matter. Neither of these independent labs could carry it (I asked them), Essilor labs couldn't, Centennial couldn't, Zeiss couldn't, no one could.

Why? Because Shamir has it in its contract that only the Shoppers/Shorney's stores can get their lenses in Canada.

[Chris Ryser]

This reminds me of the70's. The (buyers) labs controlled the lens market. You could not buy lens blanks without "listings". These "listings" were basically approved or more often not by the lab or labs in the area. Then came a lens manufacturer that would sell to anyone with a generator and everything change.

.......and if you go back a few years, an independent could not even buy the machinery for surfacing, it was also controlled ..............

until Coburn cam along sent Bob Robert who marked the oder for a full size lab on the back of a match book.

Then I was allowed to buy from American Optical and a few years down the road Imperial Optical sold me AO lenses for 25% cheaper than AO did.

[co_mac]

Pearle's EasyView lenses that have been out for months now are Shamir Autographs, from what I understand. They got Shamir after Lux bought Shopper's in Canada and turned them into Pearle stores.

http://www.optiboard.com/forums/arch...p/t-24197.html

In the last Vision Monday, there was an article talking about how Pearle has been using free form lenses and that the other brands would start using them soon, but it did not say anything other than that.