The company ALAIN AFFLELOU has an origin closely tied to its founder, the optical entrepreneur of the same name, and to a fairly simple but disruptive idea for its time: democratizing access to glasses. It all began in Bordeaux, France, in 1972. There, Alain Afflelou opened his first optical shop with a clearly different approach from the competition. At that time, the sector was dominated by high prices and offerings that were not accessible to the general public. Afflelou decided to break with that model by betting on more competitive prices, striking promotions, and very direct communication.
In 1979 the brand arrived in Spain, becoming one of its first international markets and where it now counts around 350 optical stores. From MuyPymes we spoke with its top executive in our country, Eva Ivars, who took on the role of CEO in 2013. Ivars shared with us some of the brand’s strategies that can be considered lessons for small and medium-sized enterprises in the sector in our country.
MuyPymes: How has Afflelou’s sales strategy evolved in recent years?
Eva Ivars: Afflelou’s sales strategy has evolved toward a clearly customer-centric model. Through active listening tools and the customer service department itself, we continuously gather information to better understand customers’ needs.
This approach has allowed us to develop innovative solutions that adapt to the evolution of consumers and their needs, both in product with launches such as our recent innovation MAGIC CONNECT, as well as in service models, especially in the audiology space. All of this is complemented by a continuous evolution of our stores, aimed at improving the customer experience and adapting to their new expectations.
MuyPymes: What sets your model apart from other optical chains in Spain?
Eva Ivars: Our model stands out for several differentiating factors. First, the company’s leadership at the European level, backed by a network of more than 1,000 franchisees, which provides solidity and trust in a highly competitive market.
Second, the results validate this model, as the company has maintained uninterrupted growth for more than 20 years, both in sales and expansion.
Finally, for us the commitment to franchisees is key. ALAIN AFFLELOU offers financing of up to 90% of the initial investment for qualified profiles, reducing risk and making it easier to enter entrepreneurship within a proven model.
MuyPymes: How do you combine the physical channel with the digital in your commercial strategy?
Eva Ivars: We advocate for a strategy with a single channel, where the digital and the physical integrate naturally within a single customer relationship model. Digital touchpoints allow us to accompany the consumer from the early stages, offering information, engaging with the brand, facilitating appointment scheduling, and making our services more accessible.
The physical store, for its part, remains the central axis, as it is where professional guidance and the full experience materialize. Our goal is to ensure a smooth transition between both environments, blending the convenience of the digital world with the closeness, trust, and expertise of our centers, and using the online environment as a lever to drive store traffic.
MuyPymes: Afflelou operates a franchise model: what entrepreneur profile are you currently seeking?
Eva Ivars: We are looking for optometrists and audiologists who are interested in starting and developing their own project, without necessarily having prior entrepreneurial experience or possessing the total initial investment. Our model is designed precisely to facilitate that step, offering support and guidance from the start.
Beyond this, we especially value profiles with a clear commercial orientation, leadership ability, and a high level of commitment. We seek people with a long-term vision, who want to grow within a solid and established model, supported by a strong brand and a structure that accompanies them through every phase of the business.
MuyPymes: How have purchase habits in the optical sector changed in recent years?
Eva Ivars: The optical sector has undergone a profound transformation in recent years, driven by a consumer who is increasingly informed, digital, and demanding. Today, the customer naturally combines visiting physical stores with online research, giving rise to hybrid purchasing models. In this context, the digital channel now accounts for around 10% of the market and continues to grow at more than 30% annually.
Additionally, replacement cycles have shortened and interest in products that blend visual health and aesthetics has increased, largely due to intensive screen use and greater awareness of ocular health. Added to this is a growing demand for convenience, with faster processes, professional guidance, and flexible purchasing options. As a result, the physical store is evolving into an increasingly experiential and specialized space, focused on diagnosis and value-added services.
MuyPymes: What does today’s customer look for: price, brand, service, or experience?
Eva Ivars: The current customer seeks a balance among all these factors, though with a clear tilt toward value-added services. While brand and design remain important, especially because of the fashion component of frames, price is no longer the sole decision criterion. The consumer prioritizes trust, professional guidance, and the technical quality of the product, all at a fair price.
This evolution reflects customers’ need to see better, combined with an aging population, which increases the share of progressive lenses in our product mix. We also observe, given digital habits, that an increasing number of children require prescription glasses, with myopia prevalence around 20%. At the same time, experience is becoming more prominent: we find that customers value personalization, transparency in recommendations, and the integration of different channels. In a sector closely tied to health, reliability and professionalism clearly prevail over occasional promotions.
MuyPymes: How does digitalization influence the eyewear purchasing decision?
Eva Ivars: Digitalization today plays a key role in every step of the purchasing process, especially with the advent of large language models and artificial intelligence. The customer informs themselves beforehand, checks opinions, compares prices, and browses online catalogs before visiting the store, making the digital presence of eyewear retailers a decisive factor. This new behavior has significantly raised consumer expectations in terms of accessibility and immediacy.
MuyPymes: What digital tools are you making available to your network to boost sales?
Eva Ivars: ALAIN AFFLELOU is advancing the development of new tools with high impact potential. We give franchisees visibility into their customers through client segmentation tools, with CRM, satisfaction surveys, NPS, Google notes tracking, as well as the virtual try-on, with information on what happens in social networks. If we focus on the in-store experience, we have implemented tele-education or tele-audiology to be more agile, we collaborate with partners to deploy high-precision centering devices that enable AI-powered custom lenses or hyper-fast financing…
In this context, the company is working on creating a standard, scalable process that facilitates all kinds of agreements. Existing and ongoing initiatives that stand out as a major growth lever, both for attracting new customers and for increasing the network’s business volume.
