A visitor tries on a stylish UV-light protective glasses at an international optometric and optical fair in Beijing. (CHEN XIAOGEN/CHINA DAILY)
Stores are expected to double to 120,000 by 2021, spawning a 1 trillion yuan market
Li Rongnan, 36, a Shanghai-based corporate legal affairs consultant, bought three pairs of glasses on a weekend this scorching summer.
"One for driving, one for swimming, and one for playing tennis," said Li, adding that various situations in life demand matching eyewear.
He now has eight pairs of glasses, including three sunglasses, for a better vision and, yes, great looks.
Li said a pair of good glasses is a multipurpose accessory. "It's worth investing in because it is perhaps the only item that you wear the longest in a day. It is part of how you dress for an occasion, and it's part of your personal image," said Li.
He has spent more than 34,000 yuan ($5,128) on eyewear in the past two years.
Eyewear makers and retailers have sensed a big opportunity in China. According to the China Optometric and Optical Association, China already boasts more than 60,000 eyewear stores.
Frederic Poux, CEO of Alain Afflelou Group, France's largest franchised eyewear group, said increasing disposable incomes of middle-class Chinese, and rising awareness of the importance of vision and sight, are likely to boost the Chinese eyewear market.
Players expect that in the next five years, China will likely need 120,000 eyewear stores to meet the fast-growing demand that could spawn a 1-trillion-yuan market.
According to data of Shanghai Bosi Commercial Consultancy Ltd, China has more than 400 million users of some kind of eyewear. That would mean about 80 million pairs of glasses will be needed every year.
So, eyewear manufacturers are eager to set up shop in China as the market expands.
