Luxottica Is Now Your Newest Competitor In The Retail .............

[LENNY]

Harry1
Who is US Vision?

[Mikef]

HarryC

Eyemed was not bought by Luxottica it was started by Lenscrafters!

[Mikef]

Doing business with "Competition" is an everyday thing in every other business!


Every designer name has thier own stores as well as sell to department stores!

Sony has stores!
Armani has stores!
Nike has stores!
Pepsi owns Pizza Hut and more!
Kodak has stores!
But all these products and many more are sold buy the "competiton"!

Has anyone ever read the book "Who Moved My Cheese"?.

[Mikef]

I never tell my customers that they should become mini Lenscrafters! But with a combination of what the big guys have and have not is a good mix!

If Luxottica takes over your best selling product do you get rid of that! and then again and again!

I truly think that Luxottica does not want any of you to go out of business!

[Pete Hanlin]

Who Moved My Cheese? is an excellent (and quick) read.

Yes, by not buying Luxottica frames, each store can impact the Luxottica employees here in America (like Mikef). However, even if every independent office in the US decided not to purchase a single Luxottica frame, it wouldn't change one thing about the presence of LensCrafters in your market- and it wouldn't improve your own bottom-line. The only effect would be a decrease in competition among frame manufacturers in the US, and the release of all of Luxottica's US frame representatives.

[sjthielen]

Luxottica buying cole vision will increase the compitition of frame vendors, due to the fact they will no longer have a large chain to sell the bulk of their frames. Which means you the independent optical stores become more valuable to them. Do you really think lux/lenscrafters distributes anything other than their own product? It may be time for a field trip to your nearest lenscrafters.

[hcjilson]

If I wanted to make a lot of money to try and open stores next door to LensCrafters. He rightfully knew that larger companies are very inflexible and difficult to make change. Any entreprenur can take advantage of that fact alone to make an impact. There are two types of retailers. The leaders, and the followers.

Because of their size, large companies cannot be the leaders. Sure they do larger volume dollar wise but thats a factor of their overhead as much as anything else.They rarely are the innovators, and thats where the money is.....in being inovative.

The independent is in the enviable position of being able to, almost instantly, adapt to changing market trends.Try this yourself. Visit a LensCrafters shop and see what they are selling.The last time I did that all I found was very ordinary merchandise I think you will find that as well.

When 3 pc mountings came back into vogue I dropped by a couple of National competitors. I didn't see one piece on display in either location. I'm sure their customers are like my customers, and asking for the product. By the time the "buying dept" realizes a fashion trend exists, its already been around a while, and usually another is just beginning.

The independent can take advantage of new trends not only in frame fashions, but in lens designs and materials.Trivex is a good example. How long do you think it will be till LC offers this product? How about short corridor progressives? A blind man could compete with the big boys as long as he was flexible.

My thought here is not to put down the competition but to encourage it. Lets face it, its good for us both. All we as indepentdents have to do is stay on top of what's happen'in in our industry. Most Optical people tend to put the focus on what someone else is doing.....thats misplaced. The focus should be on what WE are doing.

How can we compete? We can compete by being educated, and not looking at CE credits as a pain, but looking at them as an opportunity to get a leg up on the competition.We can compete by being flexible enough to change when necessary. We can compete by being better than the competion by doing things they can't or no longer want to do. ( a local National competitor no longer will allow their customers to use their own frames.....(even IF the frames were purchased from them recently!) Man, do I LOVE competition like that. Even if they decide to change this policy it will take 6 months......I'm hoping they don't....it puts a lot of customers back on the street where I can get a crack at them! :D

hj

[fletch]

sjthielen'

Have you ever been in a Lenscrafters? They carrry Charmant, Modo, Viva, Cartier ect.

Sunglass Hut has Safilo, Marchon, Maui, Oakley!

[hcjilson]

Fletch,

Probably been in more LC's than most!

Sunglass Hut is running several of my former Shades of Cape Cod Locations as I speak. I've been in a few hundred of those too.

According to a former President of Maui, mine were the first optical shops to carry Maui's. I know I was the first Optical company that Oakley opened because they were exclusively in sport shops at the time, and you didn't need a 5k minimum order in those days. I have been around the block more than one time.

The companies listed in your post have done, and are doing a lot to be inovative, but take a close look at some of the featured sunwear in that particular issue of 20/20 and tell me how many of those styles you'll find. Take a look at the featured Eyewear in any given 20/20 or EyeCare Business ( a couple of excellent trades) and tell me how many of those inovative styles you'll find in a national competitor. Not many, and the reason for that is that that's not the way they buy styles.

Each issue of those trade mags provide independents with a way to excell. Each CE course does the same thing. Just because your competition carrys some of the same stuff don't thing they own your market. They don't!

Competition is good for business.

[fletch]

Hcjilson

I am with you!


My post was directed at the one before you!


If Luxottica starts selling frames real cheap (retail) or they tell me I can't buy from them - I will worry!

I don't think either will happen!


Keep your friends close and keep your enemies closer!

[sjthielen]

As a matter of fact I have been in many Lenscrafters and happen to have a step daughter working in one. Any product they have other then their own is not current nor the best selling styles of their competitors. You must think that they dont realize the competitive advantage it is to sell their own product. Anyone in Lux situation would be an idiot not to. Luxottica is making a smart business move for their company, It doesn't mean that it is also a great move for any private practice to be involved with. By the way Ive never seen a Cartier frame in a lenscrafters.

[fletch]

Sjthielen

The Lescrafters by me have Cartier! They also have M+ which I believe is Modo's new line!

Sunglass Hut has Oakley right as you walk in a posters all over the place

[rep]

After out selling frames for a few days and reading the excellent post on this thread I just have to ask a few questions .

1. To those of you who can't stand the thought of selling a Lux frame because you consider them a compeditor, how about all the other frame companies that now have retail locations or allow their brands to be sold in retail locations or warehouse clubs and third party insurance programs that have retail locations. Example, Safilo, Viva, Nike, Armani, Cartier, on and on. Where's the outrage?

2. To those of you 3 0's who would never carry product found in retail chains my question is "Who is your compeditor" Retail Chains of other 3 O's ?

90% of the time I can go into any 3 O office and find the exact same product mix from the same vendors for 75% of their board space. They all look the same.

The real question is "Why do you feel customers leave your office and go elsewhere and where do they go and why?

Done any surveying lately? You might be suprised.

Before you answer, if your really worried about losing customers to retail chains, hadn't you better change you product mix, store design, displays, pricing, store hours and services to better reflect your customers wishes? Is the customer not always right? (God forbid add a sunglass concept and train your help to sell sunglasses).


Rep

[For-Life]

Rep, I do carry brands carried in other retail stores; however, my store is in a smaller, more conservative market and I kind of have to. Saying that, I am not afraid to not carry one particular brand if I feel it is damaging my store, ie: We were the only store in town that did not carry Easy Clips.

But the difference between Nike and Viva is that I do not compete with them. They do not set up stores in my area that want to take a part of the market share. Now, if I was in a larger centre, I would not carry any brand carried by Walmart, Sears, or any retail chain. When it comes to lenses, I would have to look into that further, because there is a lot of frame competition and I could find another distributer, but there isn't as much on the lens side.

[Chris Ryser]

For-Life said:
Rep, I do carry brands carried in other retail stores.........................;

But the difference between Nike and Viva is that I do not compete with them. They do not set up stores in my area that want to take a part of the market share. ..............

It all still boils down that by supporting, stocking, selling and paying for a make of frames that you can easily replace with somebody else's products............YOU ARE LETTING A COMPANY EARNING Y O U R MONEY which they are using to take away as many of your customers as they possibly can

Yes it is good and healthy to have competition, but what I do not understand that many of you guy's and girl's can't see the difference between good and damaging competition.

I understand tha rep argues FOR LUX, it is his job to do so, he works for them and has a duty to defend them.

In a market with such a large overproduction in frames, it is totally easy to support others that will not use the revenue to go into competition with you in a small or large style.

[eyewatch]

For-Life said:
This is why I am against carrying any Luxottica products. They have Lenscrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears, and Sunglass Hut. I don't think we should carry any of their products including Ray Bans. They will just open a location close to you are try to put you out of business.

Good for you, there are too many other companies that do not sell to our patients or try to take them away from us. Don't let them fool you. They will say anything to make you believe otherwise, Optigirl, I have done this to many loves in my life after I wanted to have my cake and eat it too, not much different here, and they don't care about going too far anymore