Wholesaler Interview

Hui Huang

Posted on by Burcu Yıldız

Hui Huang

New and Extraordinary

“By exhibiting in Silmo Istanbul, we increased our chances of following the developments in the sector and gaining a competitive advantage.”

Hello Mr. Mertcan, could you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you personally crossed paths with the optical sector?
Hello, I was born Mertcan Özel in Istanbul in 1997. Our Özeller Saat optical store, founded by my father İsmail Özel in 1991, was our first intersection with the optical sector. I have been working in stores since I was little, both finishing my schooling and supporting my father in stores. I graduated from Istanbul University Mechanical Engineering in 2019 with a good degree. Our paths crossed with Hui Huang because we are an old and strong company in the optical industry. Hui Huang is a company that has been producing for different brands since 2015, and we started to produce our own brands with us. With this, we started to get a share in the domestic and foreign markets with our own brands. We produce style products that can keep up with different fashion outside the standard.
Although you are a young company, you are successful with your vision. How and when did you decide to establish Hui Huang?
Hui Huang was established in 2017, taking into account the developments in domestic production and the need for plastic frames in the optical industry. It has set itself the goal of being the face of Turkey opening to the world by realizing many firsts in the sector. The reason why we are different from the market is that we can also make different styles of model molds that will appeal to customers in our own mold shop. This is our most distinctive feature that distinguishes us from our competitors. If we decide to make a model, we have the ability to turn it into a product within 10 days. At this speed and with this quality, we do not know any competitors in Turkey. Since the competitor companies have their molds made in China, the best deadline to receive the sample, receive the mold and start production can be 3-4 months. Our aim is to maximize localization in the optical sector and to make products of top group brand quality.
Could you tell us about your production activities in your factory in Istanbul and the functioning of your facility?
We produce plastic optical frames and sunglasses for our own brands and our customers’ brands from TR-90 raw materials. We have varnished and unvarnished production methods. We produce standard TR-90 products without varnish. We also produce varnished products by using different painting techniques in upper group products. Apart from our own brands, we also have the ability to prepare collections for the brands of our domestic and foreign customers. We produce for many brands in Turkey and abroad with their own models and colors.

Let’s talk a little bit about your brands. Could you share with us the main features of your brands, their interaction groups and their position in the sector?
We currently offer services with our three brands. With Pourchet, one of our brands, we offer affordable, quality price performance product frames from standard TR-90. With our Imabari Kinsei brand, we offer products in the middle segment for men and women. Finally, we continue to serve with Louis Barton, our brand for men only.
What is your priority when determining the collections of your brands? What inspires you while designing your products?
Our point of inspiration is “extraordinary”. Acting with this motto, our company has the most different and creative collection in Turkey. With our self-colored injection glasses, which are the world’s first and only self-colored injection glasses, we plan to be the change-maker face of Turkey on international platforms. Understanding the needs and expectations of our customers becomes a priority in the design process. We strive to design comfortable and functional eyewear that suits the style of our customers. We follow the trends in the fashion world and try to offer our customers eyewear in line with the latest trends. The choice of material is an important factor in eyewear design. The quality of the materials can have an impact on the durability and comfort of the eyewear. Therefore, we are meticulous in the choice of materials. Colors can reflect the style and personality of the glasses. Therefore, we are careful in the choice of colors. Our sources of inspiration include the world of fashion, nature, art and architecture. Inspired by these sources, we strive to design unique and creative eyewear.

What is your strategy for expanding your distribution and sales network?
In addition to our existing market, we are planning to expand into new markets, so that we can reach more customers with our products. We conduct market research to discover new markets. We work with distributors to distribute our products in different regions. We use online sales channels to reach a wider audience with our products. These channels include e-commerce sites, social media platforms and online marketplaces. Finally, we use advertising to increase the visibility of our business.
As a company investing in the sector, what are your thoughts and expectations about the development of the sector?
The eyewear industry has shown rapid growth in recent years. According to a study by Grand View Research, the global eyewear market was valued at $169.9 billion in 2022 and is forecast to continue growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5% between 2023 and 2030. Factors behind this growth include changes in lifestyle, growing interest in luxury accessories, and eyewear manufacturers’ focus on developing attractive and affordable eyewear. Therefore, as an eyewear manufacturing company, we see a very bright future for the industry. In this context, we plan to increase our share in the sector by opening our company to new markets both through fairs and customer visits.
Do you follow international fairs and what are your thoughts on this subject?
Yes, we follow them very closely and we attach great importance to them. International fairs are important platforms for companies to promote their products and services on a global scale, find new customers, follow developments in the sector and establish business contacts. These fairs bring together industry professionals, offer cooperation opportunities and provide participants with up-to-date information on market trends. In addition, international fairs can help companies increase their competitive advantage and establish a presence in the global market.

As an exhibitor, how would you evaluate Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair, which will be held for the 10th time with its new and larger service area?
Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair is a very important platform for companies in the optical sector. When we participated for the first time, we had the opportunity to network with other companies in the sector, find new customers and introduce our products to a wide audience. By participating in Silmo Istanbul, we increased our chances of following the developments in the sector and gaining a competitive advantage.
Thank you very much for this valuable interview. Finally, could you tell us about the evolution of our magazine 4 your eyes to digital publishing?
We consider your magazine’s transition to digital publishing as a positive step in terms of reaching a wider readership and presenting content interactively. Digital platforms allow for a closer connection with readers by providing fast access, sharing and interaction opportunities. It is also important to offer a remarkable and user-friendly experience in digital compared to traditional print publishing. In this sense, we think that the digital evolution of 4 your eyes magazine will have very good results.

November 2023

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Eye_Doctor

Your eyes may be a harbinger of 5 serious diseases

Posted on by Burcu Yıldız

Your eyes may be a harbinger of 5 serious diseases

If you experience problems such as burning, redness or yellowing of your eyes, you might think that the problem occurs because of your eyes.

White or yellow swelling
If you have white or yellow bumps on your eyelids or around your nose, you may have high cholesterol. If you have these symptoms, you may want to check your cholesterol.
Yellow eyes
If the whites of your eyes turn yellow, you may have high levels of bilirubin in your blood. Yellow eyes can be a sign of jaundice, but can also indicate a liver infection, gallstones or cancer.
Light colored eye veins
When you pull down your lower eyelid, you should see a red or pink vein. If your blood values are low, you may be suffering from anemia. Anemia, which is more common in women than in men, is caused by iron deficiency.
Impaired vision
If you find that some parts of your vision are missing, you may be at risk of a stroke. The part of your brain involved in vision will be affected during a stroke.
Blurred eye
Eyes that look like they are popping out may be a sign of an overactive thyroid. One in 3 people with overactive thyroid glands experience eye problems.

November 2023

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Eye_health

Beware of eye diseases in the fall!

Posted on by Burcu Yıldız

Beware of eye diseases in the fall!

Eye Health and Diseases Specialist Op. Dr. Adnan İpçioğlu explained the ways to protect the eyes by stating that they are negatively affected in fall, which is a sensitive season.

Eye Health and Diseases Specialist Op. Dr. Adnan İpçioğlu gave information about the measures to be taken in eye health and said that care should be taken in public transportation in order not to catch pink eye. İpçioğlu stated that eye health protective measures can be takenand added: “In this season, you should be careful in crowded places, especially in public transportation such as buses and trams. When there is the slightest finding in the eye, such as redness, itching, burring, an ophthalmologist should be consulted. We should use our medicines carefully and not leave our treatment unfinished.”
Monitor Disease
Giving information about eye problems seen in office workers, Op. Dr. Adnan İpçioğlu said, “The serious problem seen in employees is monitor disease today. The computer has a very important place in all our lives. Intensive use of air conditioning seriously affects eye health in office workers and can trigger it if the person has an eye disease. Moisturizing drops can be used for dry eyes, especially in air-conditioned environments. The use of glasses may also be useful for people who constantly look at the computer, even at a low degree.”
İpçioğlu said that the direct contact of the sun’s rays to the eyes in the fall months will have a negative effect on eye health and added: “We strongly recommend the use of sunglasses, even in the fall. Especially those who drive vehicles should use sunglasses. I strongly recommend the use of sunglasses in sunny regions and sunny countries. Especially sunglasses are recommended especially for people who drive vehicles and work outdoors because the sun rays come more steeply in places such as the Southeast and Eastern Anatolia Region, which receive four seasons of sunshine. We can recommend the use of sunglasses for those who work outdoors and drive vehicles in winter.”

November 2023

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Sales Point

Emgen Optik

Posted on by Burcu Yıldız

EMGEN OPTİK

Rooted Legacy

“In addition to being informed about developments of abroad with Silmo Istanbul, it is a source of benefit and happiness to exchange ideas with colleagues you meet from different provinces.”

Hello Mr. Burak, could you tell us about yourself and your story of meeting the optical industry?
I was born in 1979 in Istanbul. I am one of the fourth generations in my family born in Istanbul. In 2002, I graduated from Istanbul Bilgi University business faculty. In 2005, I completed the international business master’s program at Bournemouth University. After working in different sectors until 2018, I entered our family business. When I realized that we are a well-established brand as Emgen Optik, I realized that I should continue this legacy in the most ideal way. I am currently actively continuing my business life as the chairman of the board of directors of our company. Putting making money on the back burner, I re-entered university after the age of 44. I am currently a student in the department of opticianry. My biggest goal is to develop this brand like my grandfather and father and to hand over a strong company that can manage itself to those who will take over the flag after me.
Emgen Optik has a rooted history. Could you tell us about how and when your store was founded?
Emgen Optik was born when my great grandfather, Pharmacist Salih Necati Emgen, opened his first pharmacy in Üsküdar Square in 1901. The company started to focus on the eyeglass business after 1925. After Salih Necati Emgen’s death in 1948, his son (my grandfather) Rahmi Emgen opened the store in Beyoğlu Istiklal Street, which operated until 2003, focusing only on opticianry. Rahmi Emgen, who was a founding member and president of the “All Opticians Association”, now known as the “Turkish Optical and Optometric Professions Association”, which was established in 1951, also realized the first optical lens production. In the early 1980s, my father Necati Çetin Emgen, who studied business administration in Austria and also has an optician’s diploma, took over the flag from my grandfather and continued the activities of Emgen Optik at the same address for 42 years.
You recently moved your store from Istiklal Street in Beyoğlu, one of the historical districts of Istanbul, to a location in Beyoğlu. What are the reasons for not giving up on Beyoğlu?
As you know, the main street buildings where the stores are located on Istiklal Street, although they are very valuable due to their status as historical monuments, are buildings with high renovation costs that you need to take care of seriously in terms of earthquake risk. On this occasion, we started to look for a newer and larger store that would not leave the borders of Beyoğlu towards the end of 2022. Our criteria included a new building concept and a comfortable space where our customers could spend more comfortable and longer time. We are very happy and peaceful that we were able to achieve these criteria in our new store. As much as we can, we will continue our commercial activities in Beyoğlu, which we see as the place where we were born and where we stayed the longest.

Do you have products from every group in your store?
Of course, we display and sell the product groups that should be in every optical store. From optical & sun frames, optical lens, contact lenses, solutions and many other eyewear accessories, we work with many brands, both foreign and domestic. Currently, we cooperate with a total of 21 distributors from different categories. As we stated in the promotional advertisements of our new shop, we have been an eyeglass shop since the day we were founded. We do not sell any other products (such as watches) or provide technical support other than eyeglasses and its other product groups.
What are the most popular brands of optical and sunglasses sold in your store?
We usually work with big international distributors. In sunglasses, we mainly sell Versace, Dolce Gabbana, Prada, Bulgari, Emperio Armani, Rayban, Persol and Vogue from Luxottica group. Carrera, David Beckham, Missoni, Jimmy Choo, Mark Jacob, Polaroid are the most demanded products from Safilo group. At the beginning of this year, we started selling Gucci, Saint Lauren, Montblanc, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga brands with Elit Optik. On the optical glasses side, Montblanc, Eschenbach (titanflex), Rayban, Dolce Gabbana, Silhoutte, Carrera, Vogue are the product ranges that stand out in the preference ranking.

How do you choose the brands of optics and sunglasses you sell?
We prioritize the demands of our existing customers and the availability of new iconic models. While we prefer classic models for our middle-aged customers, for our young and potential customers we prefer models with more vibrant colors and more iconic designs. Therefore, our brand choices are also formed in this direction. The main reason for our choices is brand awareness and production quality.
Designer brands are very popular in recent years. Do you also receive requests from your customers in this direction?
Although the popularity of designer brands has increased in recent years, we approach this issue with some caution. Because the shape and color of a pair of glasses are as important as their fit and their compatibility with the anatomical structures of the nose and behind the ears of the customers. We do not approve of a designer brand that has become popular with its abundant sharing strategies on social media but has a single-axis production. In addition to this, brands that rise rapidly on social media channels and lose their demand within 1-2 years are in the second plan for us.
What are your after sales services?
We continue to support our customers after sales. Especially during the sale, we advise our customers to come to us at certain intervals to eliminate deformations in the eyeglass frames that may occur in the future due to personal use. In addition to our spare parts support, we also offer services for the repair and maintenance of defective eyeglass frames, even if they did not buy them from us.
What role do you think the window layout and interior design of an optical store plays in sales? What did you pay attention to while preparing these elements in your new location?
In my opinion, the interior design and showcase of a store reflects the spirit of that company and its perspective on the customer. Therefore, the customer profile also forms and develops in this direction. As a company, we preferred to emphasize the differences to protect our brand integrity rather than adaptation to our location. As I mentioned before, we prioritize being sales-oriented due to our brand reputation. When we were discussing the new store design with our architect, I wanted only one thing: I wanted to see a concept of London Harrods in this store. Our architect also developed a different strategy based on the fact that we are an old company. As a result of this, I think we have brought a different interpretation to the classical optician concept consisting of white shelves with uniform, yellow led lights. Since we moved to our store, we have been receiving very, very positive comments and feedback from our local and especially foreign customers.
How would you evaluate Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair, which will be held for the 10th time with its new and larger service area, from the beginning to today?
Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair is really a very important organization. Unfortunately, our sector has a structure with different groupings that are not well organized today. At this point, Silmo Istanbul is an important platform that brings together all opticians in Turkey through suppliers. In addition to being informed about developments of abroad, it is a source of benefit and happiness to exchange ideas with colleagues from different provinces that you meet during booth visits.
Thank you very much for this valuable interview. Finally, could you tell us your comments on the transition of our magazine 4 youreyes to digital publishing?
It is an important project that needs to happen today, that needs to be analyzed very precisely and its continuity needs to be ensured. I believe that digital publication will be very useful for 4 your eyes magazine to reach more audiences and renew itself. In this way, I think that the opticianry profession and the eyewear sector will have a structure that can be measured and planned data collection with technical market research.

November 2023

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