Soloptical
Soloptical is a Spanish direct-to-consumer optical and audiology retailer operating 170+ physical stores and an e-commerce platform, selling prescription glasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, hearing aids, and its proprietary Bluecare blue-light-filter lens treatment to individual consumers across Spain.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersMálaga, Spain
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Soloptical does
Soloptical is a privately held Spanish optical retail chain operating more than 170 owned physical centers across the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, complemented by an integrated e-commerce platform at soloptical.net. The company sells prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, lens solutions, and eye hydration drops, and at select locations also offers audiology services including hearing aids and audiometric testing. Its core proprietary technology is Bluecare, a blue light filter lens treatment marketed to reduce visual fatigue from digital screens and support circadian rhythm regulation. The company carries premium third-party brands such as Ray-Ban, Gucci, Oakley, Prada, Vogue, and Ralph Lauren alongside its own house brands Venus and the SXT family (SXT Marbella, SXT Vintage). Pricing is positioned at the value-to-mid tier: prescription frames from €29 to €99, sunglasses from €25 to €85, and an optional €7-per-year Soloptical Seguro insurance add-on.
The business model is direct-to-consumer omnichannel retail, monetized through one-time frame-and-lens combinations, contact lens reorders, audiology device sales, and a small recurring revenue stream from the eyewear insurance product. The go-to-market leans heavily on the physical store estate as the primary acquisition and fulfillment channel, supported by free in-store eye exams (graduación gratuita), 24–48 hour lens preparation, and personalized optical-optometrist consultations. Online, the company offers free shipping on orders above €30 within peninsular Spain and uses its store locator to funnel digital traffic into physical locations. Soloptical participates in the Plan Veo government subsidy program, providing €100 discounts on prescription eyewear for minors under 16 plus a second free pair, which gives it access to a regulated family demand pool.
Customer segmentation spans five primary personas: women and men seeking prescription and fashion eyewear, children eligible for Plan Veo subsidies, digital device users targeted by the Bluecare lens treatment, and hearing-impaired customers served through the audiology offering. Distribution is single-country domestic, with no evidence of international operations or planned geographic expansion outside Spain. Marketing channels include the e-commerce site, 170+ physical locations, organic social media presence on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, and multi-channel customer service via WhatsApp, email, and in-store consultations. No AI/ML capabilities, public funding rounds, M&A activity, or disclosed revenue figures appear in the available data.
Soloptical firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Soloptical
- Legal name
- Soloptical
- Website
- https://soloptical.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Soloptical is a Spanish direct-to-consumer optical and audiology retailer operating 170+ physical stores and an e-commerce platform, selling prescription glasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, hearing aids, and its proprietary Bluecare blue-light-filter lens treatment to individual consumers across Spain.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Soloptical industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Optical Retail
- NAICS
- Optical Goods Retailers (456130)
- SIC
- Ophthalmic Goods (3851)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Discount Drugstores with Optical & Vision Services (CRAEAHAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Optical & Eyewear Store-in-Store (CRAGAHAF)
Keywords
Where Soloptical is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Málaga
- HQ country
- Spain
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices44 records
Markets served
Soloptical business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Optical Products Sales: Sale of prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, lens solutions, and hydration drops through physical stores and online store. Revenue generated from frame and lens combinations with various lens types (monofocal, bifocal, progressive) and treatments (antireflective, photochromic, polarized, blue light filter).
- Audiology Services: Sale of hearing aids (audífonos), audiology accessories, and audiological services including audiometry testing. Some locations operate as combined optical and hearing centers.
- Extended Warranty/Insurance: Soloptical Seguro - insurance product offering protection against prescription changes, breakage, or loss for 1 year from purchase date, starting from €7. Provides 50% discount on new prescription or sunglasses.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Prescription eyeglasses ranging from €29 to €99 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sunglasses ranging from €25 to €85 |
| Subscription | Annual | Soloptical Seguro insurance from €7 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Soloptical product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Soloptical operates a specialty optical retail chain of more than 170 centers across Spain, selling prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, and lens-care products under its own house brands (Venus, SXT, SXT Marbella, SXT Vintage) as well as licensed third-party brands. The company also provides audiology services, including hearing aids, and supports purchases through services such as free eye exams, a 24-48 hour lens preparation guarantee, the Plan Veo government subsidy, and the in-house Seguro Soloptical insurance plan. Sales are fulfilled both in physical stores and through its online store at soloptical.net.
Product overview
Soloptical operates a network of more than 170 optical retail stores across Spain as both an e-commerce platform and physical store chain. The product portfolio centers on prescription eyeglasses (Gafas Graduadas) and sunglasses (Gafas de Sol), supplemented by contact lenses (Lentillas), lens solutions (Líquidos), and audiology services (Audiología). The company offers its own house brands (Venus, SXT, SXT Marbella, SXT Vintage) alongside premium international labels (Ray-Ban, Gucci, Oakley, Prada, Vogue, Ralph Lauren). Key services include free eye exams, 24-hour lens preparation, blue light filtering (Blue Care), and the government-subsidized Plan Veo program for children's eyewear. An optional insurance plan covers breakage, loss, and prescription changes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Venus: Private label eyewear brand offering glasses frames
- SXT
- Plan Veo
Products and services
- Prescription eyeglasses (own-brand Venus) In-house brand of prescription eyeglasses sold through Soloptical's 170+ optical centers across Spain and the soloptical.net online store. Targeted at Spanish consumers seeking affordable everyday prescription eyewear.
- Prescription eyeglasses (own-brand SXT) In-house brand of prescription eyeglasses sold through Soloptical's optical centers and online store, providing an affordable own-label option.
- Prescription eyeglasses (own-brand SXT Marbella) Variant of Soloptical's SXT in-house brand of prescription eyeglasses, positioned as an own-label alternative sold in physical centers and online.
- Prescription eyeglasses (own-brand SXT Vintage) Variant of Soloptical's SXT in-house brand of prescription eyeglasses with a vintage styling line, sold through Soloptical centers and online.
- Sunglasses (Soloptical assortment, including house brands and licensed brands) Range of sunglasses sold through Soloptical optical centers and soloptical.net, including in-house and licensed third-party brand models for Spanish consumers seeking fashion and UV-protective eyewear.
- Contact lenses and lens care solutions Contact lenses and lens care solutions sold through Soloptical optical centers and online, serving consumers who use contact lenses for vision correction.
- Audiology services and hearing aids Hearing tests, audiology fittings, and hearing aids offered in Soloptical's optical centers for adult consumers with hearing-loss needs, extending the company's vision-care offering into hearing care.
- Free optometric eye exams Complimentary optometric eye examinations performed in Soloptical optical centers, provided to customers to determine prescriptions for eyeglasses or contact lenses.
- Plan Veo government-subsidized optical products Optical products (eyeglasses and lenses) offered through the Plan Veo government subsidy program in Soloptical centers, targeting subsidy-eligible Spanish consumers.
- Seguro Soloptical insurance/coverage plan In-house insurance or coverage plan sold alongside Soloptical eyewear purchases, providing customers with coverage benefits tied to their optical products.
Quantifiable outcome
- Free eye exams (graduación gratuita) at all 170+ Soloptical centers
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Soloptical
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Soloptical technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Soloptical partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Plan Veo (Government of Spain)coreGovernment subsidy program (Plan Veo) providing €100 discount for minors under 16 years on prescription glasses (frame + lenses), prescription lenses, and prescription contact lenses plus solutions. Soloptical participates as an affiliated retailer. Additionally offers a second free prescription glasses when purchasing through Plan Veo.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Soloptical competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Alain Afflelou: French-founded optical chain with a significant Spanish retail presence. Competes head-to-head with Soloptical on prescription eyewear, eye exams, and frame assortment across overlapping Spanish shopping-center locations.
- General Óptica: One of Spain's largest optical retail chains with a multi-hundred-store footprint across Spain. Directly competes with Soloptical in prescription eyewear, sunglasses, contact lenses, and audiology services under similar value-and-brand hybrid positioning.
- MultiOpticas: Spanish optical retail chain operating stores across Spain and Portugal. Direct competitor to Soloptical on prescription glasses, budget pricing, and free eye-exam positioning.
- Opticalia: Spanish optical chain with a national franchise/store network. Competes directly with Soloptical on prescription eyewear, contact lenses, and the value-oriented optical category.
- Federópticos: Spanish optical cooperative/chain with national coverage. Direct competitor to Soloptical in the Spanish optical retail market across prescription frames, lenses, and audiology.
- Visionlab: Spanish optical retail chain operating under the Natural Optics Group. Competes with Soloptical in mid-market prescription eyewear, packaging its own house brands alongside premium third-party labels.
- Masvisión: Spanish optical chain with a national retail footprint. Competes with Soloptical on prescription glasses, contact lenses, and value pricing across overlapping Spanish geographies.
Broad incumbents
- Specsavers: UK-founded optical retailer with Spanish operations. Comparable to Soloptical on omni-channel optical retail (stores + online), free eye exams, and value pricing, but operates as a broader international incumbent.
- Warby Parker: US-based direct-to-consumer eyewear brand with retail stores. Comparable to Soloptical's house-brand-plus-omni-channel model (private label + retail + online), representing the digital-first disruptor competitive threat to traditional Spanish optical chains.
Others
- Amplifon: Global hearing-care retailer and audiology services provider. Comparable to Soloptical's audiology segment (hearing aids, audiometry) as a benchmark for the audiology revenue stream embedded within its optical stores.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Soloptical social profiles
Digital presenceSoloptical financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Soloptical leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Soloptical funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Soloptical M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Soloptical
What does Soloptical do?
Soloptical operates a specialty optical retail chain of more than 170 centers across Spain, selling prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, and lens-care products under its own house brands (Venus, SXT, SXT Marbella, SXT Vintage) as well as licensed third-party brands. The company also provides audiology services, including hearing aids, and supports purchases through services such as free eye exams, a 24-48 hour lens preparation guarantee, the Plan Veo government subsidy, and the in-house Seguro Soloptical insurance plan. Sales are fulfilled both in physical stores and through its online store at soloptical.net.
Is Soloptical a public or private company?
Soloptical is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Soloptical founded?
Soloptical was founded in 1993. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Soloptical based?
Soloptical is headquartered in Málaga, Spain, in the Europe region.
How does Soloptical make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Optical Products Sales are the primary driver. The others are audiology Services and extended Warranty/Insurance.
Who are Soloptical's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Alain Afflelou, General Óptica, MultiOpticas, Opticalia, Federópticos, Visionlab and Masvisión. Broad incumbents are Specsavers and Warby Parker. Amplifon is listed as an others.
Does Soloptical have an API?
No public API is recorded for Soloptical.
What industry is Soloptical in?
Soloptical's product category is Optical Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAEAHAF, Discount Drugstores with Optical & Vision Services, with a secondary code of CRAGAHAF, Optical & Eyewear Store-in-Store. Its NAICS code is 456130 and its SIC code is 3851.