Dive Brief:
- Staples last week said it would partner with Now Optics to launch five Stanton Optical eye care and eyewear shops within its Philadelphia area stores.
- Stanton Optical — which currently operates over 300 eyewear stores — will open its first three shops within select Staples locations by December, and the other two will open by early 2026, according to a company spokesperson from Now Optics. These locations will serve as pilot sites for the partnership, per the release.
- The shops, which will average 1,500 square feet in size, will offer same-day eye exams, prescription eyewear and optical labs that can produce single-vision glasses in 30 minutes.
Dive Insight:
The partnership with Now Optics brings another service offering to Staples’ stores, which already include wireless and technology solutions, printing and shipping.
“At Staples, we’re redefining what it means to be a destination for our customers,” Marshall Warkentin, president of Staples U.S. Retail, said in a statement. “Partnering with Stanton Optical adds to our portfolio of services by bringing trusted eye care into our stores, making Staples an even more valuable resource in the communities we serve.”
While some retailers — including Walmart and Costco — have long offered optical services through partnerships, the space is heating up.
Warby Parker announced in February a partnership with Target to open shop-in-shops at some of the retailer’s stores, beginning with five located in Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The partnership comes as Warby Parker — once a digitally native brand — continues to build out its own brick-and-mortar footprint. The retailer, which now has around 300 stores, has said it sees potential to open at least 900 locations.
And DTC brand Eyebuydirect opened its first brick-and-mortar store last year, a 140-square-foot kiosk location at The Shops at Mission Viejo in Orange County, California.
