Allison: impressions about the sector at the start of 2010
The CEO of Allison today answered some of our questions about the current economic problems and expectations for the future.
There has been a lot of talk about the global economic crisis. In what way has this affected the eyewear industry?
“The eyewear sector has felt this crisis in the same way as the other luxury sectors. Perhaps this industry felt it more because crisis affected certain developing countries, such as the Middle East and Eastern Europe in terms of eyewear consumption. It also must be remembered that the redefinition of prices added fuel to the crisis in our sector because prices dropped by an average of 20%. Especially at the start of 2009 and the summer of the same year, the problems were twofold: there was a falloff in the number of items bought and prices were also reduced. The sector is being repositioned with more adequate pricing, which I would say is about 20% lower than before, and with a “democratic” product proposal that is accessible to a wider section of the population”.
In your opinion, what strategies have been adopted to cope with the difficult economic situation and how should companies consider it?
“The crisis has made us change in terms of our approach to the market. We could, perhaps, call it a lesson in economics that we should apply to repositioning our companies and offers, and to reviewing our cost structure. I believe that this crisis would have come sooner or later given the enormous growth of the market and all companies must try to learn from this difficult moment in order to be stronger, more attentive to price and product proposals and the needs of consumers who want to spend the right amount”.
The forecast for this year? Are there any signs of a recovery?
“I am optimistic because we, and I believe all companies, have been able to reposition products in a very short time. I think that already the second half of 2010 and certainly 2011 will give us some satisfaction again. This difficult economic situation has taught us a lesson and it is important to learn from it”.
This year, Mido has had a considerable impact on the media. It is being talked about in the newspapers, television news and features. What are your first impressions of this edition?
“As an operator of the sector I can only be pleased about the positive response to the exhibition because the optics industry is very important for the Italian market. However, I must say quite honestly that I have seen many product proposals but few luxury brands. I also believe that if a fashion Mido is to be on the international scene, the move from May to March does not give the products that came out in January enough time to be sold”.
