Germany, 2% Downturn in Optics Market 2002

It is clear that the negative economic situation and the related consumption crisis have also been felt in the German retail optics market. According to data published by Zva, (Zentralverband der Augenoptiker), the union of German opticians, the sector's gross billings in 2002 fell by 2% to 3.958 billion euros (see graph on right).

Sales of sight eyewear (including repairs, lenses and various services), which account for 79.7% of the total, have also dropped by 2% to 3.157 billion euros. However, sales of contact lenses, at 335 million euros (+4.7%) make up 8.5% of global billings; other articles, such as sunglasses, barometers and binoculars account for 9% of the market at 355 million euros. There has been a slight growth in hearing devices sold by opticians, products with a 2.8% share of the sector's total sales.

As far as the specific market of sight eyewear is concerned, while frame sales have dropped by 8.2% (from 11 million to 10.1 million), the sale of ophthalmic lenses has decreased by 4.2% to 31.6 million: according to Zva, about a third of these were mounted into frames clients' already had.

The negative economic situation in 2002 also slowed down the opening of new stores in Germany, from 9,753 in 2001 to 9,798. At the same time, the concentration of the optics retail market was strengthened with 12.4% of all outlets in the hands of the 10 major German companies and with a 30.6% (1.21 billion euros) share of the sector's total billings.

The labor market in the optics world also reflects the difficult economic situation: for the first time in the last four years, employment levels dropped by 1% from 47,500 to 48,000 (see graph on left)