Eyewear in Ukraine

COVID-19 impact on eyewear

The outbreak of COVID-19 is expected to lead to a reduction in eyewear value and volume sales in 2020 overall, as the Ukrainian government implemented necessary quarantines and social distancing measures to contain the pandemic from March in the year. The decline for the year as a whole will mainly be due to the forced closure of optical shops during the lockdown period, which resulted in a complete end to in-store sales, albeit temporarily.

COVID-19 country impact

From 17 March, the government in the Ukraine ordered the closure of most public places and facilities nationwide, except for pharmacies, banks, gas stations, insurance companies and grocery stores. All public events and gatherings of more than 10 people, including religious ceremonies, were banned.

Company response

The Ukrainian eyewear market remains concentrated with foreign operators dominant and local manufacturers having a minor presence. The leading player was domestic retailer Luxoptika TOV, which offers a wide portfolio of international brands, selling them through its own Luxoptika chain of specialists and its e-commerce platform www.

Retailing shift

In terms of distribution of eyewear, e-commerce has seen an unprecedented rise in sales of eyewear since March 2020 and is expected to see a dramatic increase in value share during 2020 overall due to optical shop closures. Online stores were the only places able to sell eyewear during Q2 2020, which meant that those consumers that needed to buy spectacles, contact lenses and solutions and/or sunglasses turned to e-commerce as their only option.

What next for eyewear?

The Ukrainian eyewear industry is expected to start to record volume growth again in 2021 and then throughout the forecast period assuming that the pandemic is contained in the second half of 2020, with spectacles and contact lenses benefiting from the increasing rate of myopia in the Ukraine. Additionally, eyewear products – especially corrective spectacles – are considered a necessity by most wearers, so consumers will need to buy them, albeit opting for cheaper brands in order to save money.

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