No tariff price hikes at Courts Optical

COURTS Optical customers should not expect a significant increase in prices despite the imposition of tariffs by the US government.

Regional director of Optical at Unicomer group John Roberts told media the brand will remain mostly unaffected as they source their glasses frames from Italy and go through suppliers directly from China.

“What we’ve seen is some increases in transportation costs…but we have plenty of inventory right now. I live in the US and every day it’s tariffs, tariffs, tariffs but I think things will level itself out…but right now we’re watching it carefully,” he said at the opening ceremony of the brand’s newest location within Kappa Drugs, Glencoe on April 23.

He said in light of competition from other brands and the online market, Courts Optical is revising its marketing strategy.

“It’s been a tough year. So what we’re trying to do is re-image the stores so this is the latest concept for us. We’re focused more on the clinical side…What we’ve found is that online is rapidly getting into the market but at the end of the day you don’t really get a full service."

The new location, which stands as the 60th Courts Optical store in the Caribbean, features a fully equipped eye examination room with technology designed to assess eye health and determine the ideal glasses prescription for customers.

In addition, the store offers a wide range of designer frames, including Court’s Optical’s exclusive Luxia line.

Director of Optical at Unicomer TT Ltd Kellon Craig said, “I would like to implore people to see about their eyes, don’t take it for granted that you can see well. Take that opportunity to book a free eye exam with us.”

He said Courts Optical will continue to look for opportunities to expand within Trinidad and Tobago as it already has two locations in Tobago and over ten in Trinidad.