Press Release - July 2026

• Sales by retail outlets of optical products amounted to €3.035 billion in 2025, up 3.6% year-over-year. Optical retailers integrated into chains were somewhat more dynamic than the sector as a whole, with turnover of €1.630 billion and accounting for 54% of market value.

• The sector remains highly concentrated, with the top five operators accounting for nearly half of total business in 2025.

• INFORMA's DBK Sectoral Observatory recently published these insights in the 'Optical Goods Retailing' Sectoral Report.

Madrid, 21 July 2026.- According to INFORMA's (Cesce's subsidiary) DBK Sectoral Observatory—a leading provider of business, financial, sectoral, and marketing information in Spain and Portugal—the value of sales by retail outlets of optical products totalled €3.035 billion in 2025, 3.6% up on the previous fiscal year, in which it had risen 3.7%, amid a solid performance in household spending.

Optical retailers integrated into chains, which operate several outlets under a single brand whether or not they are affiliated with buying groups, increased their turnover by 4.5% to €1.630 billion, nearly 54% of total market value. Meanwhile, outlets affiliated with buying groups generated revenue of around €1.740 billion, up 3.9% year-over-year, accounting for 57.3% of the overall market.

By type of product, ophthalmic lenses continued to account for the largest share of sales value, with about 45% of the total, followed by frames, at nearly 20%, and contact lens products, at 16%. Sunglasses were the most dynamic segment, raising their share to 14% of the overall market.

The sector ended 2025 with 9,800 stores in Spain, maintaining a trend of moderate decline due to the closure process affecting small, independently operated outlets.

It is worth noting that most outlets, over 6,000 (61.4%), were affiliated with buying groups. In terms of their membership of chains, whether or not they were affiliated with buying groups, around 35%—that is, nearly 3,400 outlets—were integrated into chains. Taking jointly the optical retailers affiliated with buying groups and/or integrated into chains, their share exceeded 90% of the total number of outlets, versus less than 10% for independent outlets.

The sector is highly concentrated, with the top five operators (buying groups and/or chains) holding a combined market share of 48.7% in 2025; the top ten competitors exceeded 70%. 

Data Synthesis, 2025