Opticians 'seeing 1,000pc profit on glasses'

An interesting piece found in the daily mail..................

"High Street opticians are making profits of more than 1,000 per cent on glasses, it has been claimed.

A recent Government study found that the sale of spectacles is the one area where deregulation and the supposed introduction of greater competition has failed to drive down prices. In fact, the average price paid for a pair is now put at £148.50 - up by around 40 per cent since 1999.

The industry is dominated by four major chains, Boots, Vision Express, Specsavers and Dollond & Aitchison, which are responsible for more than 70 per cent of sales.

It is claimed there is little evidence of price competition - except around promotional periods such as January.

The public is largely kept in the dark about the true cost of frames and lenses, which means they are unable to challenge charges. And there is little or no value in shopping around because prices across the major High Street names, and even small independent opticians, are about the same."