Most of the eyewear industry today is run by one giant monopoly, based in Italy. This huge optical concern can charge whatever the market will bear with very little competition. The excellent value aviators shown in the image are available here.
Starting with FDR in the 1930s and going onward for forty years, the US government opposed giant mergers that would result in monopolies. The business and political climate started changing in the 1970s. Giant mergers and giant corporations became more and more acceptable. Now, one rarely hears of any governmental opposition to mergers and acquisitions that result in monopolies or enormous conglomerates.
A Brief History
This is the case with the giant Italian optical firm whose name is very well known. This company has pursued a policy of acquisitions that has resulted in almost all famous brand frames and designer sunglasses being owned by them. They even own the big name, eye wear outlets such as Lens Crafters, Sun Glass Huts, Pearl Vision and many others.
With competition gone, they can act like the famous diamond concern and charge whatever the market will bear.
Meanwhile, the world’s largest optical lens company, based in France, had been acquiring almost all successful optical lens manufacturers in a similar way to the Italian company, gobbling up its competitors.
In the fall of 2018, the coup de grace to most competition occurred when these two companies merged. Now the worldwide sales and distribution of sunglasses, eyewear and optical lenses were dominated by one enormous behemoth, employing 150,000 people and mainly controlled by the family that owned the giant Italian eyewear company.
Meanwhile in Shenzhen, China
At the same time that all this was happening, manufacturing of eye wear and sunglasses was shifting to China. This has occurred to the point that the vast majority of the world’s eyewear and sunglasses is manufactured in China. This includes much of the eyewear and sunglasses produced and sold under the famous brand names.
This is where the informed consumer’s opportunity lies. The sunglass purchaser can get non-branded eye wear made with the same manufacturing skills and using the same materials as the famous-branded, designer glasses – BUT, at much lower prices.
What are the Alternatives
The value-priced, polarized, aviator sunglasses shown in the image are available here. One source of value-priced, quality eyewear is EYE MD® Eyewear. Another is eyewearglasses.com. They offer you sunglasses, reading glasses, computer glasses and plano (no power) glasses.
The offerings with polycarbonate lenses are extremely impact resistant. They also greatly reduce ultraviolet exposure to your precious eyes and in the case of readers and computer glasses, many, also reduce blue light exposure.
Click HERE for Los Angeles Times article about this issue.
