Not just a business, but also an opportunity to create an industry.Ne tikai bizness, bet arī iespēja izveidot nozari.
1992
The history of the company is closely connected with the University of Latvia (LU). 1992. On September 1, 1992, the first optometry study program was established at the University of Latvia, which was only the second of its kind in Europe at that time. Since there were no internships for new students, in December 1992, the optics and optometry teaching staff and students of the department from the University of Latvia founded and over the years developed SIA “Latvijas Universitātes Optometrijas centrs” (LU OC), which served as an internship for students and became the basis for the current OC VISION group.
1993
In the first year of operation, the employees of the LU OC were the owners themselves, the first employee was hired only in 1993, so initially everything had to be done by the founders of the company themselves. Vitolds Grabovskis was the company manager, Jānis Dzenis, the current chairman of the board of OC VISION, was responsible for the center’s finances at that time, while the well-known professor Ivars Lācis was the first optician who, together with Aldis Liepiņš, polished lenses, and Pēteris Cikmačs was responsible for all types of spectacle lenses, which he still does. The company also had sales manager Inta Butlere, who was also responsible for the selection and offer of frames, as well as accountant Skaidrīte Āboltiņa.
Soviet-era optics meant for buyers the opportunity to choose from only 10 models of spectacle frames and simple glass lenses. Under the counter, you could also get something better, but not everyone, only those who had the so-called “blats” as in string-pulling. All this made an impact
on the older generation – they are still shy about using this product, because the image of the so-called Western pensioner is associated with progressive glasses that are always on their nose, while the post-Soviet pensioner with simple reading glasses, hidden deep somewhere in the pocket. With the beginning of market relations, everything changed rapidly, the deficit disappeared, all that was needed was money, which also slowly began to appear among the inhabitants of Latvia. When LUOC was “born”, the market was divided between the privatized state-owned optical company and the international joint venture Vision Express Baltija, but the market growth was so rapid that it allowed LUOC to slowly grow its market share. From the very beginning, instead of conventional glass lenses, it was possible to offer plastic lenses, which were much better in terms of their optical properties and weight, and very soon, clear lenses were also offered. Following the latest trends in the sale of optical products, LU OC introduced a self-service concept, where the customer had free access to frames, as well as modern medical equipment for vision correction and a vision test protocol that meets European standards, consisting of at least 12 visual function tests. All the money earned was invested in the development of the company.
The first optical store
The first optical store was established in February 1993 at Ķengaraga Street 8, where it still exists under the OptiO brand. The following year, two more LU OC branches were opened in polyclinics, including the Children’s Clinical University Hospital, where special attention was paid specifically to children’s vision correction.
1996
LU OC operated as one brand until 1996, when customer surveys showed that the name was not associated with vision problems for customers. Then it was decided to create the “Pasaules Optika” brand, which would apply to all stores. After another 10 years, some of the stores were transformed into OptiO brand stores, which are intended for a different target audience. OptiO was created as a more accessible chain of stores in terms of both price and location. Thinking about customers who value style, special eyewear design and rare and expensive brands, a new salon was created in 1996 – Lornete.
A particularly important moment for the OC VISION group was the acquisition of the Vision Express license. It was the first international brand in the optics industry, which existed in Latvia since 1991. 2002. In 2002, the opportunity arose to acquire two French-owned companies in Latvia and Lithuania, thus becoming an international company at least on a Baltic scale. A total of 8 stores in Latvia and 5 stores in Lithuania were acquired with the right to use the Vision Express brand license.
2017
OC VISION as a group of companies was established at the end of 2017, before that the company was called SIA “Optometrijas centrs” (from 2010 to 2017) and SIA “Latvijas Universitātes Optometrijas centrs” (from 1992 to 2010). The group also includes SIA “VISION EXPRESS BALTIJA”.
OC VISION Development
The OC VISION group includes five optical retail brands: Vision Express, OptiO optika, Lornete, VIZIONETTE.
- 2019 has been a particularly significant year for the company. It was marked by the continuation of the implementation of the new Vision Express concept in the Baltics and the significant investments made in the development of the World Optics chain, starting its transformation into VIZIONETTE. Currently, 9 VIZIONETTE concept stores operate in Latvia.
- The development of the regional availability of the OptiO optical store chain also continues.
The company also includes Opptica, a wholesaler of optical goods, services and medical instruments, which operates not only at the Baltic level, but also in the European Union and worldwide. Wholesale has been the company’s business line throughout its existence, although it acquired its name and brand in 2017. In turn, the contact lens online store Dr.Lensor, which started operations in 2013, has shown significant growth in recent years and operates in all Baltic countries.
Also read OC VISION Brand story on dienasbizness.lv here.
