Sunglasses in Romania

PROSPECTS

Fashion and health the two key trends

Sunglasses has continued to witness double-digit current value growth in 2018 with this being supported by two key factors. Firstly, consumers in Romania are becoming increasingly fashion conscious, with this being supported by strong growth in wages.

Optical shops leads distribution but internet retailing wins share

Optical shops remains the dominant distribution channel for sunglasses in Romania, but it has continued to lose share to internet retailing in 2018. Concerns over the authenticity of branded sunglasses has previously curtailed online sales, but with a number of optical shops now taking an omni-channel approach these concerns are being allayed.

Social media playing key role in sunglasses

The growing influence of social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram is increasingly feeding into sunglasses. On one hand consumers are becoming increasingly image conscious thanks to the growing selfie culture, with this creating demand for the latest fashions in sunglasses as well as for luxury brands.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Safilo takes the lead despite losing share

Safilo Group SpA took over the lead from Luxottica Group SpA in sunglasses in 2017. Safilo offers the Safilo, Gucci and Dior brands while Luxottica offers Ray-Ban, Oakley and Ralph Lauren, with both companies enjoying a strong distribution presence in Romania.

Dolce & Gabbana and Silhouette see strong performance

Dolce & Gabbana and Silhouette saw the biggest increases in value share within sunglasses in 2017. Silhouette benefitted from the growing popularity of its minimalist approach to fashionable eyewear, including sunglasses.

Fast-fashion retailers see growth

While designer fashion labels dominated the competitive landscape within sunglasses in 2017, fast-fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) continued to record double-digit growth in current value terms. Despite improvements in disposable income, and the economy in general, many consumers in Romania remain price conscious.

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