Asia: new eldorado of French eyewear?

Asian opticians are more and more likely to be seduced by French eyewear. Among their assets: the origin of their products, the technical expertise of their opticians, but also the excellence of their visual health sector. French manufacturers, is Asia your new El Dorado?

Success for the French

In recent years, manufacturers of French optics are increasingly talking about them in Asia and especially China . And it is in Shanghai , the most populated city of the country, that their notoriety explodes, because of the important purchasing power of the population. Most French eyewear implanted on site, are positioned rather on the high end . The excellence of their know-how and design are also recognized by the Chinese.

Sign of their success, some of these eyewear were present this year at the 17th China International Optics Fair (SIOF), held from February 15 to 17 in Shanghai. Among them: Lafont , Morel , and for the first year, Alain Afflelou . They were part of the 800 exhibitors from 21 countries, including 272 international, installed on 70,000 m2 of living room.

French eyewear manufacturers in Asia

For Lafont , which has been present in China for over 20 years, it was a golden opportunity to assert the solidity of its presence in a country that is very sensitive to French know-how , especially in the optical-eyewear sector . The brand even has a commercial director specifically dedicated to Asia and has already scheduled its participation in China International Optics Fair in Beijing next September.

Morel , meanwhile, is even older in the Chinese market , since it has been present on the territory for more than 40 years. The French eyewear, which is positioned on the high-end, sells even live for some years on Hong Kong and Macao. For its sales manager Asia, on-site opticians are seduced by the new Morel collections, especially the Öga brand , thanks to their design and innovation . As proof of its success in Asia, the brand won the V Silver Award at the Optical Fair in Hong Kong last November, as well as an iF Design Award 2017 in the product category.

For the first time in 2017, the Afflelou Group also participated in the China International Optics Fair. With the objective, the development of its reputation in Asia and internationally.

Recognized French training

What shines in the Asian market , in addition to the know-how of eyewear, is also the quality of the training of French opticians . Logic therefore, that the Chinese government has requested the Higher Institute of Optics (ISO), to establish an optician diploma in China. He has also been active for more than 5 years in China, to meet the vision health needs of Chinese ametropics, and provides training to major brands in the country. In France, the Institute offers many training courses in the field of optics, including BTS optician lunetier .

So, convinced of the advantages to implement in Asia? 😉