marketmover
Sunglasses market set for rapid expansion?
Rapid Eyewear is offering a range of value added incentives for retailers. Are their sunglasses a viable alternative for sports retailers?
W
ith the UK still teetering on the edge of a double
dip recession, retailers need to keep check of every penny to keep their businesses viable. Although products from established brands are undoubtedly important, retailers may be justified in researching up and coming manufacturers who provide a level of service that the larger multi national brands may not be able to offer. Based in the picturesque village of Wateringbury in Kent, Rapid Eyewear has only been trading since 2005 but
now have accounts in over 30 countries worldwide. This growth has been organic with the company not having borrowed any money and starting off with a single purchase of just £200’s worth of sunglasses from a rival distributor. Rapid Eyewear now provide
a variety of sunglasses to the sports and outdoor market from polarised eyewear for fishing to performance wear for cricket and golf. To the untrained eye the sunglasses market appears to be fairly saturated. So how can retailers benefit from Rapid Eyewear? “We are mainly focusing on UK independent retailers at the
moment” says Rapid Eyewear’s John Clark. “We are ideal for small independents who don’t have the cash supplies for large bulk orders. We can supply small orders to shops and our only stipulation is that orders of £75 or less have to be paid upfront.” Clark describes the pricing points on the glasses as mid- range. “Our sunglasses retail in the middle range at around £30-55. This compares well to the equivalent ranges from the likes of Oakley that retail at around £75. The quality to the pricing point is high and I’d happily pitch our quality against the larger brands.” The margins on the glasses
are around 100% and the majority of the pairs come with lenses, a strap, a cleaning cloth and hard case as standard. This differs from many other brands that charge extra for their accessories. There are also no postage fees on any Rapid Eyewear order and a full spares back-up service is also provided which is unusual for the sub- £50.00 eyewear market.
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ideal for small independents who don’t have the cash supplies for large bulk orders
We are In comparison to the larger
distributors of sunglasses, Rapid Eyewear also offer a prescription service through retailers where a customer can bring a prescription to the shop and then the prescription is sent directly to Rapid Eyewear. It is these types of initiatives from suppliers that retailers need to keep watch on so that customers are offered a quality of service that has previously not been available. Although companies
like Rapid Eyewear will not supercede the larger sunglasses brands in retailer outlets, they may be a suitable alternative for customers looking for sunglasses that may not break the bank but yet are still of high quality. For retailers, sussing out companies offering something that little bit different may be the key to success and not always relying on the more established brands.
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