Eye-wear dealer Optica opens first shop in Kiambu County
Eye-wear dealer Optica has opened its first shop in Kiambu County, bringing its branch count to 75 countrywide as the dealer focuses on aggressive expansion.
The 750 square foot outlet at Bricks Mall in Thindigua—a suburban neighborhood– is the third the dealer has opened in a span of a week alongside one in Onestop Arcade in Karen, Nairobi and another one at Markiti in Mombasa.
The dealer said the expansion is driven by customer demand for its products which include frames and lenses offered at pocket friendly rates.
“We understand our responsibility as the market leader and a pioneer in the industry to offer unsurpassed advantages to customers,” said Optica chief executive Wazeem Mohamed.
The family-owned business that started some 64 years ago currently offers all major ophthalmic lens brands and stocks different frames –with Oxygene, one of its signature brands retailing for as little as Sh890.
Its range of frames include designer brands such as Lindberg, Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger and Rayban.
At 75 branches, Optica is the largest optical chain in east and central Africa. The eye-wear dealer ranks fourth in the retail space regionally in terms of branch count, in a league featuring the likes of supermarket chain Naivas.
Naivas supermarket recently announced it will unveil two more branches in less than a month’s time in what will grow the count to 98 stores across the country.
Optica is viewed as a trusted optica service provider for all first tier medical insurances and corporates in an industry infiltrated by providers that are not keen follow-up eye-care services.
Mr Wazeem lauded implementation of the Kenya Health Professionals Oversight Authority (KHPOA) Act whose purpose is to regulate various health professionals including optmetry.
“We are hopeful with the regulator’s involvement, the field of optometry too can be cleaned of all the quacks practicing, a long lived challenge,” he said.
Optometrists, previously referred to as opticians, are trained to examine the eyes to detect defects in vision, signs of injury, ocular diseases or abnormality and problems with general health, such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
Optica ventured into making its own eyewear, launching Oxygene in the local market while continuing to stock international brands.
It introduced another of its own brands, Cactus, to build on the success of the first innovation.