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View a PDF of this year's Top 50 U.S. Optical Retailers 2024

View a PDF of last year's Top 50 U.S. Optical Retailers 2023

Staff retention, continued inflation and the capability to provide a better patient experience were just a few of the challenges that eyecare professionals and optical retailers faced in 2023. The 2024 VM Top 50 U.S. Optical Retailers report is based on calendar year 2023 locations and sales provided by companies along with VM’s estimates. VM's research with retailers revealed that upgrades and investments in operations and technology, including remote and telehealth equipment, continued to gain traction among the Top 50 in 2023.

Inflation concerns again appear to be at the top of the list for many retailers, leading to targeted goals such as decreasing the cost of goods and maintaining current fixed expenses. Staff retention was another challenging issue, leading some to invest more dollars in staff training and technology. Opportunities to make quality care more affordable and accessible, such as by investing in the development of AI tools, were also mentioned by several companies. Enhancing medical care delivery to assist ECPs in providing comprehensive eyecare solutions to patients was another common goal cited by retailers.

Despite these challenges, 2023 still saw organic growth, including new store and office openings, among the Top 50 retailers. And, this year, there are four companies on the VM Top 50 for the first time. The collective sales of VM’s Top 50 U.S. Retailers rose 8 percent in 2023 compared with 2022, to reach an estimated $20.1 billion from 16,369 locations. The Top 10 retailers accounted for 84.5 percent of overall Top 50 sales.