Increasing imports and sluggish economy last year has cast its shadow on the Rs 1,000 crore plus optical retail market. The entire optical industry is going through quit harsh times. Imports have hit local manufacturing and retail.

Flooded with almost every prominent international brand, the market for eye glasses and frames is estimated to have shrunk by about 15 percent in the last two years and is currently in a consolidation mode.

Over 100 opticians are believed to have quit the market in the last one year and industry experts attribute it to the state of the economy. In Maharashtra and Gujarat alone, about 40 percent small scale units in the optical trade are believed to have closed shops while the bigger units have changed hands. Wholesalers  have also gone in to backward integration for survival. Players are increasingly recognizing the fact that the market is highly skewed towards low value products and within the branded segment to words products in the Rs 1000 to Rs 3000 range. Value proposition is uppermost in the consumers courtesy  imported products. While prices have crashed by about 40 to 50 percent in the last five years, consumers have got more value for money with superior products.