David Clulow Opticians
David Clulow Opticians is a UK premium optical retailer with 30+ stores across London and the South East plus department store concessions in John Lewis, Harrods and Selfridges, dispensing designer prescription eyewear, sunglasses, contact lenses and NHS-funded eye examinations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1962
- HeadquartersKINGSTON UPON THAMES, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What David Clulow Opticians does
David Clulow Opticians is a UK-based premium optical retailer founded in 1962 and now operating through Luxottica Retail UK Ltd, a subsidiary of the EssilorLuxottica Group. The business runs more than 30 stores concentrated in London and the South East, with additional optical concessions inside major UK and Irish department stores including John Lewis, Harrods, Selfridges, House of Fraser, Brown Thomas, Fenwick and De Gruchy. Its consumer base is mainstream optical retail customers, weighted toward the premium segment, alongside NHS-funded patients seeking clinical sight tests.
The retail proposition combines clinical eye care and designer eyewear. Services include private eye examinations (approximately £35 per test), NHS-funded sight tests, and advanced diagnostic imaging using OCT and retinal scanning technologies. The dispensed product range spans prescription spectacles, sunglasses and contact lenses, with frames priced from approximately £65 to £388+. More recent category additions include AI-enabled smart glasses developed under the Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta brands, hearing-aid eyewear under the Nuance Audio line, and Stellest 2.0 myopia management lenses for children. Diagnostic imaging hardware is procured from specialist ophthalmic instrument vendors, while the eyewear portfolio is supplied principally through the parent group's brand allocations.
Revenue is generated through three principal mechanics. First, prescription and non-prescription eyewear retail at premium price points across standalone stores and department store concessions, with the concession model providing brand reach without full standalone-store fixed costs. Second, dispensing and clinical fees on examinations, with NHS contracts supplying a counter-cyclical volume base beneath the discretionary designer frame trade. Third, contact lens supply via both single-purchase and recurring subscription (Contacts By Mail) channels. The combination of NHS volume, premium retail, and a subscription line provides a mixed revenue cadence, while the EssilorLuxottica parent secures preferential brand supply and operational leverage that is not directly available to independent UK opticians.
David Clulow Opticians firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- David Clulow Opticians
- Legal name
- Luxottica Retail UK Ltd
- Website
- https://davidclulow.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1962
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- David Clulow Opticians is a UK premium optical retailer with 30+ stores across London and the South East plus department store concessions in John Lewis, Harrods and Selfridges, dispensing designer prescription eyewear, sunglasses, contact lenses and NHS-funded eye examinations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
David Clulow Opticians industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Optical Retail and Eye Care
- NAICS
- Optical Goods Retailers (45613), Offices of Optometrists (62132)
- SIC
- Ophthalmic Goods (3851)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Retail (Glasses/Frames/Lenses) (HLAKAKAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Comprehensive Eye Exams & Vision Care (HLAKAKAA), Luxury & Designer Eyewear (CRAAAKAD)
Keywords
Where David Clulow Opticians is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- KINGSTON UPON THAMES
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices26 records
Markets served
David Clulow Opticians business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Eyewear Product Sales: Retail sales of prescription glasses, sunglasses, and frames from designer brands including Chanel, Prada, Ray-Ban, Oakley, Tiffany & Co., and many more. Revenue generated from both frame and lens sales.
- Eye Examination Services: Private eye tests at £35 and NHS-funded examinations for eligible patients. Professional optometry services including contact lens fittings.
- NHS Contracted Services: Contracted ophthalmic services under NHS including sight tests for eligible individuals and dispensing of eyewear funded by NHS vouchers.
- Contact Lens Sales and Subscriptions: Sale of contact lenses (daily, monthly, bi-weekly) with subscription delivery service (Contacts by Mail) for ongoing supply.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Eye Test |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Designer Frames |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time/ perpetual license | Gift Cards |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Insurance and Warranty Services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
David Clulow Opticians product offering
Product offeringCore offering
David Clulow Opticians is a UK premium optical retailer that sells prescription glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses from designer brands such as Ray-Ban, Prada, Oakley, Chanel, Tiffany & Co., and Oliver Peoples, alongside advanced eye care services including premium eye tests, OCT scans, and retinal imaging. The company combines over 30 physical stores and department-store concessions with a direct e-commerce platform, offering NHS-funded examinations, contact lens subscriptions (Contacts by Mail), and innovative products including AI smart glasses and hearing-assistive eyewear.
Product overview
David Clulow Opticians is a premium optical retailer offering a unified product and service portfolio centered on eyewear and eye care. The core offering comprises prescription glasses and sunglasses featuring designer brands (Ray-Ban, Oakley, Prada, Chanel, Tiffany & Co., Oliver Peoples, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani Exchange, Diesel, and others), alongside contact lenses in daily, monthly, and bi-weekly formats. The company differentiates through advanced diagnostic services including OCT Eye Scan and Retinal Screening as part of its Premium Eye Test. Key product innovations include AI-powered Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta smart glasses with audio integration, Nuance Audio Hearing Glasses combining eyewear with hearing technology, and Essilor Stellest myopia management lenses for children. The Style Service provides personalized frame consultations, while Contacts By Mail offers subscription-based contact lens delivery.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation: A charitable foundation dedicated to improving the vision of people in need through outreach, research and education. Has helped more than eight million people around the world since founded in 1988.
Products and services
- Prescription Glasses Designer prescription eyeglass frames combined with optical lenses tailored to individual prescriptions, offering single vision, bifocal, and varifocal options across men's, women's, and children's ranges.
Companies that use David Clulow Opticians
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
David Clulow Opticians technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability3 records
Feature3 records
David Clulow Opticians partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and major.
- OneSight EssilorLuxottica FoundationcoreDavid Clulow is part of OneSight, a charitable foundation dedicated to improving vision of people in need through outreach, research and education. Since 1988, OneSight has helped more than 8 million people worldwide. David Clulow employees volunteer at Global Eye Care Clinics. The foundation funds research, education programs, preservation grants and scholarships for optometry students.
- NHS (National Health Service)coreDavid Clulow provides NHS contracted ophthalmic services including sight tests for eligible individuals and dispensing of eyewear using NHS vouchers. The company invoices the NHS for contracted services at nationally agreed NHS rates.
- KlarnasupportingKlarna provides payment processing services enabling customers to Pay in 3 or Pay in 30 days on purchases. Subject to status, 18+ UK residents only.
- John Lewis PartnershipmajorDavid Clulow operates optical stores within John Lewis department stores across the UK including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Reading, Welwyn Garden City, Cardiff, and Cheadle. These locations offer the full range of eye care and eyewear services.
- HarrodsmajorDavid Clulow operates both a full optical store and sunglass concession within Harrods department store in London, offering premium eyewear and eye care services.
- SelfridgesmajorDavid Clulow operates designer sunglass concessions within Selfridges department stores, offering premium and luxury eyewear.
- EssilorLuxottica GroupcoreDavid Clulow is part of EssilorLuxottica Group, the world's largest eyewear group with over 7,000 stores worldwide. The parent company provides access to exclusive brands, global supply chain, and latest eye examination technologies. Ultimate parent is EssilorLuxottica S.A. headquartered in France.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
David Clulow Opticians competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- LensCrafters: LensCrafters is the largest optical retail brand in North America, also owned by EssilorLuxottica. It shares the same parent and supplier ecosystem as David Clulow and offers the same core optical retail proposition (eye exams, prescription eyewear, designer frames) at larger scale in a different geography.
Direct peers
- Sunglass Hut: Sunglass Hut is a global sunglasses specialty retailer owned by EssilorLuxottica. It is a sister brand under the same parent and directly comparable as a channel for non-prescription designer sunglasses, with overlapping premium brand portfolio and concessions in UK department stores.
- Vision Express: Vision Express is a UK high-street optical chain providing eye tests, prescription eyewear, and contact lenses. It directly competes with David Clulow in UK optical retail, with overlapping NHS services and a multi-brand frame assortment.
- Specsavers: Specsavers is the UK's largest optical retailer, offering eye tests, prescription glasses, contact lenses, and hearing care across hundreds of stores. It is the most direct competitor to David Clulow in UK optical retail, differing mainly on price positioning (mass-market vs premium).
- Optical Express: Optical Express is a UK optical and refractive surgery provider with clinics offering eye tests, glasses, contact lenses, and laser surgery. It overlaps with David Clulow on optical retail and clinical eye care services in the UK market.
- Boots Opticians: Boots Opticians operates optical stores within Boots pharmacies across the UK, offering eye tests, glasses, and contact lenses. It competes directly with David Clulow for UK optical customers, particularly through NHS-funded sight tests and accessible high-street locations.
- John Lewis Opticians: John Lewis is a UK department store retailer that hosts David Clulow concessions within multiple locations and also sells eyewear through its own channels. It is a department store partner/competitor overlap, given David Clulow's reliance on John Lewis concessions for reach.
Emerging players
- Mister Spex: Mister Spex is a European online optical retailer with UK operations, selling prescription glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses online. It competes with David Clulow's e-commerce channel and for digitally native UK eyewear customers.
- Warby Parker: Warby Parker is a US direct-to-consumer eyewear retailer offering prescription glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses at mid-market price points. It is comparable as a modern optical retail disruptor that competes for the same end-customer wallet share, although it is not yet a UK retail competitor.
Others
- Oliver Peoples: Oliver Peoples is a luxury eyewear brand owned by EssilorLuxottica and stocked by David Clulow. It is comparable as a premium/luxury optical brand within the same corporate family and target customer segment, though it operates as a brand rather than as a competing retailer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
David Clulow Opticians social profiles
Digital presenceDavid Clulow Opticians compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
David Clulow Opticians financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
David Clulow Opticians leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
David Clulow Opticians funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
David Clulow Opticians 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 David Clulow Opticians
What does David Clulow Opticians do?
David Clulow Opticians is a UK premium optical retailer that sells prescription glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses from designer brands such as Ray-Ban, Prada, Oakley, Chanel, Tiffany & Co., and Oliver Peoples, alongside advanced eye care services including premium eye tests, OCT scans, and retinal imaging. The company combines over 30 physical stores and department-store concessions with a direct e-commerce platform, offering NHS-funded examinations, contact lens subscriptions (Contacts by Mail), and innovative products including AI smart glasses and hearing-assistive eyewear.
Is David Clulow Opticians a public or private company?
David Clulow Opticians is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was David Clulow Opticians founded?
David Clulow Opticians was founded in 1962. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is David Clulow Opticians based?
David Clulow Opticians is headquartered in KINGSTON UPON THAMES, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does David Clulow Opticians make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Eyewear Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are eye Examination Services, NHS Contracted Services and contact Lens Sales and Subscriptions.
Who are David Clulow Opticians's main competitors?
LensCrafters is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Sunglass Hut, Vision Express, Specsavers, Optical Express, Boots Opticians and John Lewis Opticians. Emerging players are Mister Spex and Warby Parker. Oliver Peoples is listed as an others.
Does David Clulow Opticians have an API?
No public API is recorded for David Clulow Opticians.
What industry is David Clulow Opticians in?
David Clulow Opticians's product category is Optical Retail and Eye Care. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAKAKAL, Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Retail (Glasses/Frames/Lenses), with a secondary code of HLAKAKAA, Comprehensive Eye Exams & Vision Care. Its NAICS code is 45613 and its SIC code is 3851.