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Essilor purchased CoastalContacts.com few months ago and they are still giving CR39( 1.49Index) lenses including AR free of charge.I think continuing to order Essilor products by independent optical businesses means they ,opticians and optometrists, are feeding their own competitor.
Lenscrafters uses Essilor, Walmart and others use Zeiss, everybody uses Shamir. If you only want to use products that exclusively sell to private care you'll have pretty slim pickins. Lexus dealers don't worry about the Toyota dealer across the street though the same company supplies both products and sellers. If you are selling the same cheap CR-39 AR lens as Coastal and charging a chunk for it, sure you may be in trouble. But if you're selling Varilux and Crizal, you're the Lexus, not the Toyota, dealer and that market is not you're competition nor does Essilor selling them low tier product hurt you directly. Unfortunately people know the difference between Lexus and Totyota and our job is tougher because we have to educate them on the difference between high and and low end product in our industry, but guys selling cheap glasses is nothing new. Walmart and America's Best have been churning out 2 pairs for under $100 for years, and we are still here. You just have to be worthy of the customer's expense.
yup, Dan pretty much summed that up.
Years too late for that to make a difference.
Should we stop buying E products? I think so. I dont see why you would support this company and many options are available.
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Originally Posted by DanLiv
1) Lenscrafter is Luxottica that falls into the same category than Essilor.
When their new management has decided on their future directives
you might also dislike them a bit more.
2) Walmart is not involved with optical manufacturing.
3) Shamir is now also part of the Essilor Kingdom.
Stick to independent suppliers of which there are still plenty in this field that do not sell to on-line optical s either. Promote them and their products instead of the latest technologies coming from the Kingdom which then gets into the on-liners and you did the selling job.
You also have the OptiBoard on which you can hand out any news just instantly and let others know whats happening.
I agree with Chris 100% on this one!Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Ryser
Regards,
Golfnorth
Luxottica can and probably will start selling everything in Essilor's range.Quote:
Originally Posted by DanLiv
From Crizal Prevencia, to Varilux Physio DRX in Trivex.
The infrastructure is already there. It would only take the click of a button to make it possible at all locations simultaneously.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ml43
Do not forget that they are in heavy competition in the frame business, we all tend to forget that Essilor is also a heavy weight in that department.
Maybe Essilor also wants to own Lux to complete the cyrcle.
Lux has already been using Essilor for 20+ years and has always had at least Varilux Comfort available as a specialty product. If they ever wanted to sell the rest of the Varilux line and Crizal I imagine they already would be. Even for a big client like Essilor the premium on Varilux/Crizal compared with standard Essilor product, multiplied across the volume of the company and compounded by the sales training it would require, would make it too negligibly profitable. They already do very well selling basic Essilor at pretty premium prices. Too keep beating my previous analogy, Lux knows it sells Toyotas and concentrates on selling more Toyotas than everyone else. It has only peripheral interest in the low volume luxury optical market (they do have some boutique stores, no idea what lenses they use there).Quote:
Originally Posted by ml43
Essilor owns a big chunk of Shamir, but they have not fully absorbed them. I hope not to add a yet.
as of right now, they offer the varilux comfort enhanced, and physio enhanced with crizal Alize as an option, in poly, 1.67, and 1.74Quote:
Originally Posted by DanLiv
they do not push it, as profit margins aren't as high as the accolade.
With upper level management changes and with them slowly losing market share. I could see them slowly start offering varilux products in house. I have heard from at least a few equipment manufactures that they are preparing to purchase at least a few digital generators.
I agree that private practice and chain stores are in two different markets. However, if your idea of "high end" is only essilor products, and your business model depends on their marketing/commercials.
I could see the playing field being leveled out very quickly, especially when most of the chain stores already have the infrastructure to offer what most private practices offer. it would just take a few very easy decisions from corporate.
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Originally Posted by ml43
Maybe you forget that a Varilux blank does not cost them anymore to make than making a single vision lens these days. They can and will sell them at any price and still make money.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Ryser
Luxottica/eyemed labs do not process varilux/crizal in house.
they use an essillor partner lab. I'm guessing there is a contractual reason for that, or eyemed/luxottica does not want stock anymore blanks than necessary.
I wouldn't stop using Essilor products because they are so big, but I would stop using them because their new releases have been very mediocre lately. Essilor promised to grab the middle of the optical market and they are fulfilling their own expectations. Given their high prices you can simply find better quality products for much less in other brands.
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Originally Posted by sharpstick777
If you find they have high prices they also prove to the public that their retail prices are low, by heavy advertising through their own on-line retail outlets.
They have and are still testing the wildest retail market they can encounter in this field...............North America and use the learned
practice and theory on other continents and markets. In the old days we used to say they have a "Napoleonic Complex" of dominating the world and are going ahead full speed. They are well ahead of any other competition in the most the heavy populated countries like India.
They have just about eliminated independent labs in Europe and still offer good quality products. So there will never be any unity in the optical retail in the USA to put them in Quarantine and delete them from any suppliers list. They are obviously winning the game.
exactly,Quote:
Originally Posted by sharpstick777
I'm sure most E labs process just as much Stuff that doesn't say crizal or varilux on it.
the difference is, the profit margin is still going to E, even on the jobs where the blanks don't come from E. they are just being processed by an E lab.