4 ms·

Serious question: how can one "own" the whole industry? What stops me from opening my own eye glass store and sell my own made-at-the-back of the store glasses

Serious question: how can one "own" the whole industry? What stops me from opening my own eye glass store and sell my own made-at-the-back of the store glasses ??

sincerely 8y ago
Nothing, there are even a few startups that do that. Warby Parker for example. Plus there are cheap glasses available OTR at walmart/costco. This is mainly referring to the luxury market.
RickS 8y ago
They own the distribution channels, top to bottom[1]. Lenscrafters, sunglass hut, target optical, etc. If you don't play ball, they'll kill your distro. They did this to oakley in a hostile takeover[2] – luxottica cut them off and took almost 40% off their stock price. Oakley was then bought by lux. What's stopping you from selling mom and pop? Mostly nothing. Warby Parker – and to a lesser degree, coastal – are doing this. But it's a weird middle-market place to live. Similar to things like Daniel Wellington in the watch game – you're selling $5 chinese products for $100 because you have a marketing and brand engine that fashionable but unlearned people don't question. In reality, the same products can be had for far less. EyeBuyDirect is the best place for cheap glasses. First pairs are often free but for shipping, about $7, and later pairs are about #30. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxottica https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxottica [2]https://www.thestreet.com/story/1509351/1/oakley-suffers-as-luxottica-takes-advantage-of-house-brands.html https://www.thestreet.com/story/1509351/1/oakley-suffers-as-...
- hello_friendos 8y ago
  EyeBuyDirect is owned by Essilor. Coastal is owned by Clearly, which is owned by Essilor.
  - rootusrootus 8y ago
    So Luxottica strikes again, and continues to build their monopoly. Even when you think you're voting with your wallet, they still profit.
kevin_b_er 8y ago
They also own the 2nd largest insurance providers for eyeglasses, EyeMed. Your customers will likely pay extra to buy from you.

Serious question: how can one "own" the whole industry? What stops me from opening my own eye glass store and sell my own made-at-the-back of the store glasses ??

sincerely 8y ago

Nothing, there are even a few startups that do that. Warby Parker for example. Plus there are cheap glasses available OTR at walmart/costco. This is mainly referring to the luxury market.

RickS 8y ago

They own the distribution channels, top to bottom[1]. Lenscrafters, sunglass hut, target optical, etc. If you don't play ball, they'll kill your distro. They did this to oakley in a hostile takeover[2] – luxottica cut them off and took almost 40% off their stock price. Oakley was then bought by lux. What's stopping you from selling mom and pop? Mostly nothing. Warby Parker – and to a lesser degree, coastal – are doing this. But it's a weird middle-market place to live. Similar to things like Daniel Wellington in the watch game – you're selling $5 chinese products for $100 because you have a marketing and brand engine that fashionable but unlearned people don't question. In reality, the same products can be had for far less. EyeBuyDirect is the best place for cheap glasses. First pairs are often free but for shipping, about $7, and later pairs are about #30. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxottica https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxottica [2]https://www.thestreet.com/story/1509351/1/oakley-suffers-as-luxottica-takes-advantage-of-house-brands.html https://www.thestreet.com/story/1509351/1/oakley-suffers-as-...

hello_friendos 8y ago
EyeBuyDirect is owned by Essilor. Coastal is owned by Clearly, which is owned by Essilor.
- rootusrootus 8y ago
  So Luxottica strikes again, and continues to build their monopoly. Even when you think you're voting with your wallet, they still profit.

kevin_b_er 8y ago

They also own the 2nd largest insurance providers for eyeglasses, EyeMed. Your customers will likely pay extra to buy from you.