Eyewear in Romania

COVID-19 impact on eyewear

The outbreak of COVID-19 has been leading to a reduction in eyewear sales, across all categories, in 2020, as the Romanian government implemented quarantines and retail closures to try and contain the pandemic. If the pandemic is successfully contained during 2020, the eyewear market is expected to see growth after 2020 in the forecast period, with spectacles and contact lenses both benefiting from the increasing myopia rates.

COVID-19 country impact

A state of emergency was declared in Romania on 16 March. All non-essential services were stopped from 18 March, with shopping centres and non-essential retailers closing down, but grocery retailers, pharmacies and pet shops stayed open, albeit with social distancing measures in place.

Company response

The Romanian eyewear market underwent further concentration in 2019, as the leading players in contact lenses, spectacles and sunglasses consolidated their leading positions in their respective categories. Contact lenses and solutions continued to be dominated by global vision care leaders – Bausch & Lomb Inc, CooperVision Inc and Alcon Inc – while local companies were not present.

Retailing shift

In 2020, eyewear was strongly affected by the COVID-19 restrictions in Romania. Starting in March, all physical stores, excluding grocery retailers and pharmacies, were closed, which highly influenced the availability of eyewear products and the interest of consumers in purchasing these products.

What next for eyewear?

COVID-19 was having a major impact on sales of eyewear in 2020 due to store closures and travel restrictions implemented during the lockdown. If the pandemic fades in the second half of 2020, the eyewear market is expected to see a slow recovery over the forecast period, as eyewear products are considered a necessity by many consumers.

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