SUNGLASSES REPORT Should more affordable brands be in the frame?
The sunglasses category has been able to incrementally grow its share of the fashion & accessories business since 2004, but unfortunately, in the last couple of years growth has stalled. Charlotte Turner asks suppliers if eyewear has in fact reached its peak in travel retail.
B
etween 2003 and 2013 the sunglasses category was able to grow its share of the fashion
& accessories segment by 6.5% and its share of the whole DF&TR market by almost 2%. However, this growth has stalled
in the last few years indicating that other core duty free and travel retail categories are increasing their share of customers’ spend. Looking back to 2015, which was
arguably one of the toughest years for the whole duty free & travel retail industry, sales of sunglasses reached $1.69bn, representing nearly 20% of all fashion & accessories’ sales. It’s sales currently represent around 2.7% of those registered by the whole global duty free & travel retail industry. Francis Gros, Head of Global
Channels for eyewear giant, Luxottica Group, says he is still sure of the pivotal role sunglasses have to play in DF&TR. “The sub-category breakdown
for 2016 from Generation Research is still to be published, but all our indicators show that the sunglasses category continued to be a growth driver of the business. “At least this is what we’ve
witnessed at Luxottica Global Channels and hear from our retailer partners, despite many challenges in markets around the world.” However, Gros is well aware that
the modest sales growth registered by the whole fashion & accessories category – +1.5% in 2016 – should be
Prada outpost managed by Luxottica at a DFS Galleria.
put in perspective. “We have to put these ‘gains’
into context; at +1.5%, the growth in fashion & accessories was behind the overall growth in the travel retail industry, which according to Generation grew +2.5% in 2016 versus 2015. Overall industry growth was primarily driven by skincare sales in Asia to Chinese consumers and much-improved performance of the liquor category.”
Is more space the answer? Gros believes that additional space is an ‘excellent answer to growth’, but not does provide the complete solution. “It’s important that we consider
Stuart McGuire, CEO, Scorpio Worldwide.
JULY 2017
closely how that space is being used to most efficiently maximise consumer engagement and spend at every touch-point. This is the crux of Luxottica’s multi-formatting strategy, which has played a huge role in the category’s rapid growth over the last decade. “With more strategically planned
Between 2003 and 2013 the sunglasses category was able to grow its share of the fashion & accessories segment by 6.5% and its share of the whole DF&TR market by almost 2%.
TRBusiness TRBUSINESS 43
placements of the sunglasses category, we create better visibility and incremental growth. Additional footprint doesn’t mean more of the same, but can be used for a variety of innovative concepts, tailored to consumer needs and desires.” Swiss Eyewear Group, Travel
Retail Director, Rebecca Harwood Lincoln is very optimistic about the potential of the sunglasses business
Below: An Oakley travel retail exclusive for 2017 from Luxottica.
Above Left XXXX.
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